Foxtel considers Rugby League a downmarket product

[Beaussie]

Bit of history, but still no doubt very relevant from Foxtel's point of view no doubt.

Gotta love FACTS straight from a broadcaster and in this case owner of the NRL.

Foxtel slams TV rip-off claim
By James Phelps
The Daily Telegraph
July 19, 200812:00AM

FOXTEL chief executive Kim Williams has taken aim at suggestions the NRL was "ripped off" during negotiations for television rights.

Williams yesterday responded to an article by Fairfax journalist Roy Masters that claimed the NRL had seriously undersold its broadcaster rights to part-owner News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph.

Masters claimed in The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday that Foxtel, Fox Sports and News Limited had underpaid the NRL for its television rights, but Williams said yesterday: "This is simply factually wrong.

"Roy Masters argued that because NRL games out-rate AFL, their TV rights are worth more.

"Wrong. The value of the rights is based on how many new subscribers will be attracted by the coverage.

"When rugby league first appeared on pay-TV, a huge sum was paid for the rights but there were no subscribers."

Williams said the market penetration of pay-TV in NSW and Queensland has been as much as 25 to 40 per cent higher than in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

"This is because our coverage of league began eight years before our coverage of the AFL, and even today we still have more games of NRL than AFL each week," he said.

"The value of the latest AFL rights reflects the growth potential for new subscribers in the southern states as well as the growth still available in NSW and Queensland, given the support for the Swans and Lions.

"The total national audience for AFL is bigger than it is for NRL. That's a fact.

"But for the time being there are more league fans that subscribe to Foxtel than AFL fans.

"Nevertheless, the value of the pay TV rights for AFL and NRL are roughly the same - the big difference in the total value is because free-to-air television pays a lot more for AFL than it pays for NRL."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 1116955780

[Beaussie]

Oh and for RL supporters wondering if they will ever return to Fox Sports 1 after the introduction of the Fox AFL channel this year.... think again. :<> :<> :<>

* Where there are two games at any one time (for example on a Saturday afternoon), one LIVE game will be on Fox Footy, the other LIVE game will be on Fox Sports 1. Fox Footy will be the channel of destination – Fox Sports 1 will be the channel dealing with LIVE game clashes.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/AFL/hour-fo ... 6187759123

[Raiderdave]

Bit of history, but still no doubt very relevant from Foxtel's point of view no doubt.

Gotta love FACTS straight from a broadcaster and in this case owner of the NRL.

Foxtel slams TV rip-off claim
By James Phelps
The Daily Telegraph
July 19, 200812:00AM

FOXTEL chief executive Kim Williams has taken aim at suggestions the NRL was "ripped off" during negotiations for television rights.

Williams yesterday responded to an article by Fairfax journalist Roy Masters that claimed the NRL had seriously undersold its broadcaster rights to part-owner News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph.

Masters claimed in The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday that Foxtel, Fox Sports and News Limited had underpaid the NRL for its television rights, but Williams said yesterday: "This is simply factually wrong.

"Roy Masters argued that because NRL games out-rate AFL, their TV rights are worth more.

"Wrong. The value of the rights is based on how many new subscribers will be attracted by the coverage.

"When rugby league first appeared on pay-TV, a huge sum was paid for the rights but there were no subscribers."

Williams said the market penetration of pay-TV in NSW and Queensland has been as much as 25 to 40 per cent higher than in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

"This is because our coverage of league began eight years before our coverage of the AFL, and even today we still have more games of NRL than AFL each week," he said.

"The value of the latest AFL rights reflects the growth potential for new subscribers in the southern states as well as the growth still available in NSW and Queensland, given the support for the Swans and Lions.

"The total national audience for AFL is bigger than it is for NRL. That's a fact.

"But for the time being there are more league fans that subscribe to Foxtel than AFL fans.

"Nevertheless, the value of the pay TV rights for AFL and NRL are roughly the same - the big difference in the total value is because free-to-air television pays a lot more for AFL than it pays for NRL."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 1116955780

I've said it 20 times now
foxtel are in for the rudest of shocks if they try on this sh.it with the NRL
either they pay up
or piss off

thats their options
if its a game of chicken they are wanting to play
then lets play

[Raiderdave]

Oh and for RL supporters wondering if they will ever return to Fox Sports 1 after the introduction of the Fox AFL channel this year.... think again. :<> :<> :<>

* Where there are two games at any one time (for example on a Saturday afternoon), one LIVE game will be on Fox Footy, the other LIVE game will be on Fox Sports 1. Fox Footy will be the channel of destination – Fox Sports 1 will be the channel dealing with LIVE game clashes.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/AFL/hour-fo ... 6187759123

the flogball channel on foxtel will go the way the last one did
down the toilet
the game doesn't rate ....... foxtel will find this out the hard way
I hear on the grape vine ... foxtel has been quite... underwhelmed... by the take up rate in the sthn states since signing the new deal , their theory that wombatball fans will sign up in droves with them having the rights .. is not materialising

the 5 lives games of NRL in 2012 will continue to outrate giggleball
as it always has .. it always will

foxtel ... to pay a motza for the NRL rights from 2013

[cos789]

It's all there in the article. They payed a motza for rl in the begginning and they payed a motza for AF this time.
Next time there is no need to pay an excess for rl now and for AF next time.

[Xman]

Bit of history, but still no doubt very relevant from Foxtel's point of view no doubt.

Gotta love FACTS straight from a broadcaster and in this case owner of the NRL.

Foxtel slams TV rip-off claim
By James Phelps
The Daily Telegraph
July 19, 200812:00AM

FOXTEL chief executive Kim Williams has taken aim at suggestions the NRL was "ripped off" during negotiations for television rights.

Williams yesterday responded to an article by Fairfax journalist Roy Masters that claimed the NRL had seriously undersold its broadcaster rights to part-owner News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph.

Masters claimed in The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday that Foxtel, Fox Sports and News Limited had underpaid the NRL for its television rights, but Williams said yesterday: "This is simply factually wrong.

"Roy Masters argued that because NRL games out-rate AFL, their TV rights are worth more.

"Wrong. The value of the rights is based on how many new subscribers will be attracted by the coverage.

"When rugby league first appeared on pay-TV, a huge sum was paid for the rights but there were no subscribers."

Williams said the market penetration of pay-TV in NSW and Queensland has been as much as 25 to 40 per cent higher than in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

"This is because our coverage of league began eight years before our coverage of the AFL, and even today we still have more games of NRL than AFL each week," he said.

"The value of the latest AFL rights reflects the growth potential for new subscribers in the southern states as well as the growth still available in NSW and Queensland, given the support for the Swans and Lions.

"The total national audience for AFL is bigger than it is for NRL. That's a fact.

"But for the time being there are more league fans that subscribe to Foxtel than AFL fans.

"Nevertheless, the value of the pay TV rights for AFL and NRL are roughly the same - the big difference in the total value is because free-to-air television pays a lot more for AFL than it pays for NRL."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 1116955780

I've said it 20 times now
foxtel are in for the rudest of shocks if they try on this sh.it with the NRL
either they pay up
or piss off

thats their options
if its a game of chicken they are wanting to play
then lets play

Yeah, nah.

Their business is based on knowing their audience and their interests. They know that all things being even the AFL have a greater audience nation wide, just like the Morgan polls have shown time and time again. You know, the ones you ignore!?

[NSWAFL]

The fact that Fox Sports 1 will be taken up by the AFL clash game in prime time over the NRL is a mighty uppercut to the NRL, coming from it's former owners as of the creation of the NRL Independant Commission.

If Dave thinks Fox Footy will collapse he is out of his tiny mind. The only reason the channel went west last time was because Foxtel lost the primary rights when Seven outbid them and Nine. Fox Sports has only seen the AFL since then because Seven onsold the games they couldn't show themselves.

Fox Footy's ratings will be through the roof.

[ParraEelsNRL]

That remains to be seen.

[Beaussie]

Oh and for RL supporters wondering if they will ever return to Fox Sports 1 after the introduction of the Fox AFL channel this year.... think again. :<> :<> :<>

* Where there are two games at any one time (for example on a Saturday afternoon), one LIVE game will be on Fox Footy, the other LIVE game will be on Fox Sports 1. Fox Footy will be the channel of destination – Fox Sports 1 will be the channel dealing with LIVE game clashes.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/AFL/hour-fo ... 6187759123

I hear on the grape vine ... foxtel has been quite... underwhelmed... by the take up rate in the sthn states since signing the new deal , their theory that wombatball fans will sign up in droves with them having the rights .. is not materialising

Anyone else tired of this BS from Raider. No source = BS

[Xman]

The only source rd knows is tomato

[Beaussie]

The fact that Fox Sports 1 will be taken up by the AFL clash game in prime time over the NRL is a mighty uppercut to the NRL, coming from it's former owners as of the creation of the NRL Independant Commission.

As Foxtel have said... they consider Rugby League to be a downmarket product compared to the jewel in Australian sports - the AFL.

If Dave thinks Fox Footy will collapse he is out of his tiny mind. The only reason the channel went west last time was because Foxtel lost the primary rights when Seven outbid them and Nine. Fox Sports has only seen the AFL since then because Seven onsold the games they couldn't show themselves.

I suspect it was more to do with the fact that AFL fans could watch most games for free on FTA TV. Unlike the NRL, AFL fans didn't really need Pay TV to see their team play.

Fox Footy's ratings will be through the roof.

True that. Going to massive ratings for the AFL now that all games are live on Foxtel. Will put to rest the myth that RL outrates the AFL on Pay TV once and for all.

[ParraEelsNRL]

Yeah and that'll be offset by the fall of FTA ratings.

[cos789]

rl itself markets itself as a down market product.

[ParraEelsNRL]

Didn't know collinton played RL.

[NSWAFL]

Yeah and that'll be offset by the fall of FTA ratings.

Wrong, because unlike RL, the AFL gives full access to FTA games. That's why the ratings are bunk.