2017 - NRL - Rugby League TV Ratings

[Terry]

Storm get foothold in AFL’s heartland

Chris Barrett
Title favourites Melbourne Storm have delivered a major victory for the NRL in the battle for the hearts and minds of the sport-viewing public, with new figures revealing they have made as great a footprint in the southern capital as the AFL has made in Sydney this year.
Craig Bellamy’s side are the odds-on favourites to triumph in the grand final at ANZ Stadium on October 1 and, after being runaway minor premiers, will be hailed as one of the greatest teams of the modern era if they can go all the way.
Now, the extent of their success in winning over Victorians in AFL-mad Melbourne can be measured and it rates very favourably against the rival code’s traction in league heartland.
Television figures show that the Storm’s round-26 win over Canberra at AAMI Park rated higher in Melbourne than any Sydney Swans or Greater Western Sydney Giants game this season has rated in Sydney.
An average of 149,629 viewers tuned into Saturday night’s 32-6 win over the Raiders across Channel Nine and Fox Sports, slightly ahead of the seasonbest 149,178 across free-to-air and pay television in Sydney who watched the Swans beat the Adelaide Crows in round 22.
The Storm’s ratings came during an AFL-free weekend due to a pre-finals bye but the franchise’s season average of 73,842 in Melbourne fell just behind the combined 74,530 average of the Swans and Giants in Sydney and with many of the NRL club’s games not featuring on free-to-air television. The AFL figures are dragged down by low ratings for GWS in particular, but in a season when Melbourne recorded the second-highest home crowds in the NRL behind the Brisbane Broncos the ratings are a shot in the arm for a code that is taking its showpiece, State of Origin, south of the border again in 2018.
Despite qualifying for the AFL finals in fourth place the Giants are barely on the map when it comes to TV ratings in Sydney, with the Parramatta Eels (222,178) the most successful of their cross-code rivals in the city’s west this year, having six times the average free-to-air audience of GWS (33,541).
In Melbourne, the Storm’s 20,507 members this year rank them fourth in the NRL behind only the Broncos, South Sydney and Parramatta.
‘‘The coach [Bellamy] said recently that ‘AFL is a religion down here and we’re just a little church up the road’. It was a pretty good description of the niche market we have carved out,’’ Storm chief executive Dave Donaghy said.

Sport

Storm get foothold in AFL’s

[Fred]

Yes, love the storm and think Bellamy has gone a great job in making them a Melbourne team despite hardly any (are there any) born and bred melbournians. Can smith has become a local and is seen at the AFL and his kids play it too. People love him and slater ... also Cronk. Storm on 360 last night re smiths game record and he really does transcend code barriers ... Aussies and melvournians love their sport and love winners. Now finals are here there are people who need a club to get behind and that will be storm. Great to see them going so well. This needs to transcend into the everyday though. With a minimal presence at grassroots or even in the psyche of Victorians rl need to take the storms success on and off the feild and grow the game somehow. Is the the foot in the door they needed? Good times ahead maybe.

[Fred]

I that figure for swans and gws and average ? If so just wondering what the swans on it's own is in Sydney across pay and fta?

[NlolRL]

Of course you would. There are no positives for RL allowed in your bubble dwelling world.

I did say it was a good result...

FYI - the Storm have won 4 premierships over the last 20 years and 2 were rubbed out due to salary cap cheating.

since 2006 theyve made the top 4 10 out of 12 times! One of the times they missed was due to salary cap penalties, so it could easily have been 11 from 12. That is a domination

Re the ratings: If you read the full post it actually shows that the Storm rated more in Melbourne over the season than the Swans did in Sydney. When the average ratings for both the Swans and Giants were added together they had a very slight win over the Storm - that's 2 games V 1.

what a stupid comparison! Given the storm have had only a few FTA games their average is significantly favoured by Saturday's result which was against no other sport. The storms previous FTA ratings were well under the swans ratings

Fair dinkum you fumblers are thick. Read the article pal. The main comparison is the years averages FTA and Fox combined. Storm weekly more in Melbourne than the Swans in Sydney and just behind when Swans/GWS combined.

incorrect. When combining GWS and Swans averages it's correct, but the Swans average is higher

[Terry]

Yes. You are correct. The original article was a tad ambiguous in that respect. Shows the importance of proper reading, scrutiny and research

Nevertheless a great result for the Storm considering the number of FTA games the Swans and GWS get into Sydney compared to the Storm in Melbourne.

[NlolRL]

You also need to look at how many of their games were in prime time. The giants played many of their on Saturday arvo, as did the swans. The storm seemed to play most in prime time. Anecdotal but seems right to me

[pussycat]

Gee, the Swans coming 2nd to the Storm must be hard to take for someone living in never never land.

[NlolRL]

Gee, the Swans coming 2nd to the Storm must be hard to take for someone living in never never land.

it would be if it were true.........

[Terry]

You also need to look at how many of their games were in prime time. The giants played many of their on Saturday arvo, as did the swans. The storm seemed to play most in prime time. Anecdotal but seems right to me

Prime time: Swans 12. Storm 10. GWS 7. Basically cancels out any advantage.

FTA into the home markets massively advantages the fumbling teams V the Storm.

[NlolRL]

You also need to look at how many of their games were in prime time. The giants played many of their on Saturday arvo, as did the swans. The storm seemed to play most in prime time. Anecdotal but seems right to me

Prime time: Swans 12. Storm 10. GWS 7. Basically cancels out any advantage.

FTA into the home markets massively advantages the fumbling teams V the Storm.

how many of those 10 Storm games were on FTA?

[pussycat]

You also need to look at how many of their games were in prime time. The giants played many of their on Saturday arvo, as did the swans. The storm seemed to play most in prime time. Anecdotal but seems right to me

Prime time: Swans 12. Storm 10. GWS 7. Basically cancels out any advantage.

FTA into the home markets massively advantages the fumbling teams V the Storm.

how many of those 10 Storm games were on FTA?

but but but but

I did notice Swans have 8 of there 22 FTA matches on a Friday night.

[Terry]

You also need to look at how many of their games were in prime time. The giants played many of their on Saturday arvo, as did the swans. The storm seemed to play most in prime time. Anecdotal but seems right to me

Prime time: Swans 12. Storm 10. GWS 7. Basically cancels out any advantage.

FTA into the home markets massively advantages the fumbling teams V the Storm.

how many of those 10 Storm games were on FTA?

Geez pal I'm not your indentured serf!!!!!! Look it up yaself if you want to make a point. The bottom line is every game for the fumblers is on FTA in Sydney. You of course won't concede that is any advantage due to your base fumbleball zealotry and bias.

[NlolRL]

Prime time: Swans 12. Storm 10. GWS 7. Basically cancels out any advantage.

FTA into the home markets massively advantages the fumbling teams V the Storm.

how many of those 10 Storm games were on FTA?

Geez pal I'm not your indentured serf!!!!!! Look it up yaself if you want to make a point. The bottom line is every game for the fumblers is on FTA in Sydney. You of course won't concede that is any advantage due to your base fumbleball zealotry and bias.

it's certainly relevant given less NRL games are played outside prime time..........And no, there is no NRL advantage

[Terry]

how many of those 10 Storm games were on FTA?

Geez pal I'm not your indentured serf!!!!!! Look it up yaself if you want to make a point. The bottom line is every game for the fumblers is on FTA in Sydney. You of course won't concede that is any advantage due to your base fumbleball zealotry and bias.

it's certainly relevant given less NRL games are played outside prime time..........And no, there is no NRL advantage

It's better you fumblers hide under your shells lest you find out something you don't want to!!! Well done pal!!

[Fred]

Swans and gws I hear are on main channel on 7 this week in Sydney. Is this true?