Seven chasing State of Origin rights
The Seven Network is believed to be keen on getting rights to the National Rugby League's State of Origin matches.
- Published by David Knox
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The Seven Network is believed to be keen in getting rights to the National Rugby League’s State of Origin matches -the highest rating rounds of the code.
”We’re very keen to submit a bid for State of Origin and Test matches,” Mr Leckie said. ”We think Rugby League should split its properties into three, or four, with even the finals going to a separate network.”
There is speculation the NRL could unbundle its TV rights and offering four separate packages: Origin, Test matches, NRL regular-season matches and the finals series.
David Gallop, CEO of the NRL, has confirmed he would split the properties if it increased revenue.
News Ltd presently owns half the competition as well as holding a 50 per cent share in its major TV broadcaster, FOX Sports. But News Ltd has hinted it could walk away from rugby league and rescind its NRL half-ownership.
Currently the games air on Nine and FOX Sports.
TEN has also indicated interest in buying NRL regular-season matches.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Leckie and Mr Gallop would win by seizing revenue from rivals – Seven taking advertising from Nine and the NRL undermining the AFL’s push into western Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Source: smh.com.au
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- Tagged with AFL, NRL, State of Origin
38 Responses
You seem very insecure FJ. The AFL pounds the NRL in the weekly TV rating throughout the year. The NRL is less than half the size of the AFL. The NRL can never be a national sport due to its nature. Pay TV ratings are so small they are irrelevant. Dont blame the AFL or others because you have a sad life and the NRL losses on every indicator.
Very insecure about AFL there Ryano. I dpin’t know why you even read this story seeing you described Rugby League as vile the other day.
Every week ASTA show the NRL is the most watched on Pay TV so get over it.
Funny how it took over a week for the recaliburated AFL ratings to come out and they first appeared on the AFL site. Take them with a grain of salt.
@fj
look at ratings again and than look at the ratings through out the year and think about it. if you put it on at a decent hour people will watch and 9 will want to put it at a decent hour if they want the rights to the afl. that’s what will win the next rights to the afl
If Nine don’t have the Origin, that would be very sad!
Its funny…ever since D Leckie left the 9 network and went to the 7 network…he has wanted the 7 network to be the 9 network…. 60% of the news staff would be ex 9 and now he is after the 9 brand of football…geez Dave, maybe you should have stayed with 9 and taken that pay cut…would have saved a lot of trouble for you….hehehehe
Looking at the article i dont think it suggests Seven are interested at all in the NRL rights just the State of Origin and Test Matches if you read this correctly:
”We’re very keen to submit a bid for State of Origin and Test matches,” Mr Leckie said.
From where i stand i think Seven does a pretty good job in covering major events like the Olympics, Bathurst, AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup Week. When it comes to week in week out they are good at it but they are not the best. TEN are not the best either and Nine have Ray Warren who is the best commentator out there but they also have the worst, Phil Gould!
But then again who are we to criticise. No network is perfect. I mean look at Nine’s woeful Commonwealth Games coverage. I pray the Olympic coverage doesnt turn out like that.
I think its a great idea to split the NRL rights because they are getting peanuts compared to the AFL rights. Nine have been hogging them. Its time for a change. TEN for the NRL now that would be good. Remember the commentators can follow. Denis Cometti followed the AFL to Seven. As long as i can see it on FTA i dont care.
@Bob The NRL Grand Final did not “out rate” the AFL Grand Final, not in the 5 cities, not in the regions.
The average national television audience for the 2009 Toyota AFL Grand Final between Geelong and St Kilda was 3,848,813. The figure, which includes five mainland capital cities plus regional Australia, is 311,200 clear of the viewership of the NRL grand final.
An average total of 3,537,613 tuned in for last Sunday’s clash between the Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels.
as for the “four of the top five television programs every year (including #1)”..I think you must be in la-la land.
Your pay TV figures are from 2006 and are accurate in terms of averages across the whole country. But every year AFL grows on Pay TV due to increasing take up in Vic, SA, WA and AFL games are often the most watched program on a week-to-week basis on pay TV nation wide according to ASTRA.
On Foxtel (on pay TV in the 5 capitals) AFL wins the ratings week in week out in winter) according to Seven Network research. All information on that can be found on this very blog.
earthquake what are u on afl 3,848,813 include regionals v 3,537,613 fot rugby source
I think One HD should make a bid to be able to broadcast the AFL/NRL matches in to the respective non-AFL/NRL states. I’m really starting to get into NRL but i’d really like to watch it at a reasonable time instead of 1.30am. So if Nine get NRL rights again and Seven get AFL rights, why can’t ONE show the Friday night games to the non regualr markets. For example in Adelaide Friday night would have AFL on 7, and ONE have NRL. While in Sydney would have NRL on Nine, and AFL on ONE. Hopefully Ten/ONE can get a deal done to get more sports, maybe Nine and Seven might pull their heads in then regarding coverage particularly Live coverage.
lol @ Damo
No network would want to show AFL on a Friday Night into Northern states. Did you miss the woeful ratings the AFL finals got in prime time a few weeks ago?
9 do not deserve the NRL. They treat it with contempt. Much prefer in on 7 and Ten/One!
NRL GF outrates the AFL GF, has four of the top five television programs every year (including #1), has 66 of the top 100 Pay TV products its no wonder rugby league is highly sought after by the networks.
With decent maangement, the NRL will hopefully be able to get its true value in the next TV deal – at least $150 million a year.
Wow- plenty of negative comment here.
Splitting broadcasters has worked effectively in the states, big $$$ for sport, salary caps increased, quality players stick around instead of heading abroad.
Theres plenty of good R.L commentators around, just as there were plenty of quality AFL callers around when the rights switched in 02 and again in 07′.
Seven’s were nominated 3 times for Outstanding Sport Coverage at the logies this year. And won with Olmpics coverage. Nine and Ten didn’t get nominated.
This was peer, not public vote. they can’t be doing too badly.
I’d love to see the AFL, Union, League and Cricket sold seperately.
And please change the anti-siphoning rule that prohibits digital use.
Please say that this is a joke????…Seven can’t even show the v8 supercars properly despite making all sorts of claims about their coverage for them when they won the rights…..Surely this is just a plan of sevens to drive up the price for 9 to try and take them out of the AFL rights…I’m not a fan of the AFL but from what I hear, seven cant show live AFL on friday night but 9 can show up to 2 NRL games live(depending on what games they are and where they are being played)….Just read some of the motor sport forums to see what the V8 fans think of sevens coverage….especially when people in S.A have to put up with broadcasts of V8 racing starting after 10pm on a sunday night……
As for splitting up the regular season games, finals, origin and tests , well that is just bloody stupid…….I know it is the norm for Soccer, NFL and Nascar (in the states) but I am not a fan of it….The NRL has to get teh best price for the product but splitting it up to get that is just wrong… How much does a network really want to broadcast the sport if it only wants to take the biggest rating games of it….You either take the whole thing or nothing at all..
Actually, why would seven help the NRL undermine the AFL in NSW and QLD???Didn’t Mr Stokes say something about how the AFL was “home and where it belongs” after seven won the rights back a few years ago???