I guess that would answer my next question. Just in case, would it be at all possible for ABC to throw its hat into the ring? Maybe that would do something to remedy "Still the Four!"
Allegedly, Nine did ask the ABC to go in with them on the deal, but those at the head of the ABC knocked the invitation back, saying that they could not afford half of what Nine has offered to the AFL. No matter, Kerry Packer and Nine can definitely afford the bid on their own...
Let me see if I've got all of the salient points. Australians don't pay a license fee to own a television, ABC doesn't show advertisements; so it's totally dependent on government subsidy and thus can't afford to pay for even a piece of the AFL pie. That's just sad. No wonder nobody watches it. If the only sports they're showing are the WNBL and CBT... If I were in charge, I would give Nine Friday nights, Seven Saturday afternoons, Ten Saturday nights, and have all three alternate coverage of the Finals. And I'd tell ABC to at least try to get NBL rights or something.
You're leaving out the pay/satellite TV part of the equation -- of which Fox Footy Channel is a major player. And depending on which consortium they wind up piggybacking from, they'll be sure to get 3-4 live games a week, and the rights to show replays of every game. As for the other sports, the NBL and NRL are shown on Fox Sports 1 & 2, and at least the ABC has the VFL in Victoria and the state leagues in each of the other respective states. And netball. And lawn bowls.
I thought I read that cable/pay-tv saturation isn't that high in Australia, at least compared to America. Incorrect? If I were the AFL, I would stick to over-the-air networks for live matches if possible. You don't want to make your product less available. Which reminds me, has the NBL pursued such a contract? Back to the topic of this thread. Reading that the average AFL attendence is 35,000 -- an impressive number for a league with 16 clubs in a country of 20 million people -- makes me wonder. Virtually all of the matches shown on the highlights show on FOX Soccer Channel look to be attended by at least 40-45,000. What is a small crowd in the AFL? Is there a club that just doesn't draw flies?
The ABC doesn't need rights to the big sports. The commercial channels are better equipped and perfectly eager to do that job. The ABC is more focused towards things such as high-quality, unbiased news and current affairs, production of local content, and promotion of the arts, precisely because they're inadaquetely catered for by the big networks (either because of commercial unviability or political/commercial bias). These things it does extremely well. When a particular sport is neglected by the commercial stations (such as netball, club rugby or WNBL), the ABC steps in. The ABC is less governed by ratings than it is by its charter, precisely because it is government funded and doesn't have to rely on commercial viability. Of course ratings play a part (no point in a channel nobody wants to watch, after all) but it's not as central as its mission to ensure different types of content are properly represented in the media. Sport's popularity means it generally takes care of itself without the ABC's help. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Correct. Penetration in Australia is about 25% of homes, as opposed to something like 85-90% in the US. Its worked in the past. Super 12 Rugby has never been broadcast free-to-air in Australia, yet it's been wildly successful. The new A-League soccer competition has an exclusive Pay-TV contract with Fox Sports and so far the competition has exceeded expectations.
Very very good post. I gotta say the same thing for SBS too. They put on the interesting, thought provoking stuff that the commercial channels won't touch because it doesn't cater for their intellectually lazy audience.
Mr Demitriou will be crapping bricks after the 80 000 crowd at the Urgay match. AFL and NRL must be watching there backs very closely since that match. Soccer has been offcially changed to Football in Australia and with a bit of a boost from Howard and co. It could become the National game
Yeah. And if Earth were a million miles further from the sun, ice hockey would be the national sport of Kenya.
Australian football is by far the bigger football sport, played more nationally than league union, etc. but if u were to say the AFL is the most national sport comp, u would be wrong - the NBL is with teams as far north as cairns to as far south as melbourne. The AFL is also a much bigger comp, players earning much larger average sums of money. As for crowds, the worst crowd drawer, playing at a REGULAR stadium, most consistently, would probably have to be Geelong Cats. They play out of a 30,000 cap. stadium, so as u would notice, they cant really reach that 35,000 average. Away, the worse crowd drawer would probably be the kangaroos or the Bulldogs. These teams have smaller member bases than the other teams, and are a cupple of the teams in which the AFL has to help say alive. keep in mind a few of the melbourne based teams have been 'saved' by the AFL. There have been calls to put a new team or two from the northern states. A new team on the Gold Coast (Queenslands 2nd biggest city) called the Southport Sharks, and a 2nd sydney team (sydney won this years title), though probly will not happen any time soon. Here is regional support for the respective sports: QLD: AF - gaining popularity, similar to better in support with league in the SE metro area, gaining in regional queensland. RL - popular in townsville and western queensland mostly. supported relatively well in brisbane. RU - losing support, seeing as the super14 franchise, the reds, suck and are direct losers from the AFL's gain. NT: Pretty much near completely australian football minded, with maybe a small exception at RL state of origin time. NSW: AF - best supported in southern NSW. Eastern Sydney/sydney city is mainly where its supported. RL - Newcastle and West Sydney are diehard heartlands. Quite a bit in Gosford and Wollongong, but not to that extent. Newcastle, gosford and wollongong are also heavy soccer places. RU - Going ok, but definitely not the best its ever been. may still be 2nd out of 3 codes. ACT: AF - sort of popular, the kangaroos play some 'home games' here. RL- once extremely popular, now diminishing. RU- by far the most popular code. SA: complete aus football support, perhaps some to no interest in international rugby union. WA: AF- huge popularity, probably the most supported of AF state per capita. RL- not much support RU- International is very popular, and has gained popularity with the inception of a perth super14 franchise. VIC: AF - Diehard fans. THE heartland. RL- has a team in the NRL, but little support. RU- are interested. wanted the new super14 franchise. dont think it would be as supported as an AFL team. TAS: mostly australian football, always wanted an AFL team there, but a regional divide of the north and south restricts that. a cupple of AFL clubs play games in launceston (2nd biggest city in tasmania). Not sure if they even kno what RL or RU is. There u go thats the low down.
Actually, soccer is the biggest football sport in Australia. It has higher participation rates than any other code.
when i say biggest, i am talking economically. i know that soccer has the highest participation rates, most of them juniors. i myself used to play soccer even when i was 15. alot of the time juniors end up quitting, because other kids in rival codes (rugby, football) bully them out of it with labels like ********, wimps, **********s etc.
Aussie rules is more popular than soccer. Soccer is getting better though with the A-League and other things that have happened.
Lol are you serious mate NRL S.O.O most watched game of the year? ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL The AFL Grandfinal massacred the NRL grandfinal or State of Origion in the ratings i was laughing my pants off when i saw the ratings that more people in Sydney watched the Swans win the Grand Final than they did see the West Tigers! It was only surpassed by the Socceroo's game in Sydney vs U R GAY. NRL doesnt deserve to lick the AFL's boots. AFL gets 15-20 games throughout the year of 50,000+, NRL is lucky to get 3, and if you want to really see a ratings frenzy, wait for the return of the AFL State of Origion to return, the original origin of the country. Get a clue mate, 2x the people watched the AFL grandfinal than the NRL S.O.O
If I took a looking glas to the future NRL would be the only one I could see losing out - and that would not be gaurenteed. AFL is firmly entrenched as "Australias game" and has more support throughout Australia than any of the other codes. Football is the "world game" and with the multicultural nature of Australia it will always find supporters everywhere. Besides it can't get to a worse state than it was in late nineties/ early 2000's Rugby is the other truly international sport, and Australia does well in it. Perth is already a phenomenal success (largest season ticket holders before they have even played a game) and Rugby is at least fairly popular in Melbourne and Asdelaide. League is the most marginalised. Still popular in Sydney and Newcastle, but losing popularity in Queensland and even Northern NSW (I'm originally from Coffs Harbour) Leagues main problem was the Super Leugue/ ARL battle (both sides were equally to blame) this battle went after the "big money" areas - mostly Sydney, and alienated everyone else. At the same time Rugby went professional and started Super 12, SBS went fully nationwide and more mainstream (bringing more international and overseas football to more people) and Brisbane and Sydney both made the finals of AFL. Rugby League has definately gotten better again since then but only the die hards really still support it, the rest of Australia don't look like they will ever come into it's fold
The AFL today accepted the TV rights offer from Channel 9. The offer was a whopping $780 million for 5 years =2007-2011 for the 8 games a week. The other joint bidders Ch7 and CH10 HAVE 14 calendar days to counter offer. This does NOT include Internet, International, 3G, or other Mobile phone rights. It could go higher IF the other bidder gets involved. To the US Aussie Rules fans on here - That is "BIG BIG" money in Australian sport. To all of the knockers out there - We have a great product. This sums it up really. Found this on a R/League forum Read on particularly the last sentence. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Just so everyone knows, AFL - $780million for 5 seasons = $156million per season NRL - $500million for 6 seasons = $83million per season Yep that shows which code the market prefers
The AFL TV rights story just keeps getting better. The total figure is now getting respectable by any sporting standard. Read on from another forum ---------------------------------------------------------------- Realistically the AFL can expect $1 billion over the 5 year period for broadcasting rights, because this doesn't include radio, mobile or internet rights, which are a very big component of the AFL revenue stream with Telstra particularly, as well as Southern Cross and the Austereo Radio Network.
Typical comment from a NSW/QLD Rugby league "BUBBLE" inhabitant. Get out and have a look around the whole country - East to West and West to East Australia is the WHOLE country and that is AFL.
Assumptions... I'm actually a Rugby guy. And despite the Swans and Lions, AFL doesn't mean crap in NSW or Qld... its about as national in these states as League is in Victoria. It's still virtually a Melburnian suburban competition, as is the NRL in Sydney.
Ok so you have been flushed out. You are a Rugby UNION supporter. AFL is doing very well in QLD from a low base in 2000. In Sydney it will enter the Rugby Union "heartland" territory of the GPS schools this year. All being well it will be played in the winter in some of these schools alongside RU and Soccer football for the first time. Previously kids in the Sydney GPS system were not "allowed" to play it - Rugby or Soccer or nothing. AFL is classless in Australia -unlike the Rugby codes. The "reality" is that the offer is on the table for the AFL, not the ARU, not the NRL or Football Federation of Australia. This is the richest deal in Australian sport, and it may go higher if the other bidding group still wants in.