Rugby League television rights are worth just under $2 billion - BILLION! dollars. Their association with Channel 9 and Foxtel seems pretty secure, and hopefully the post-2022 deal will be as lucrative.
But what about the fans that aren’t willing to fork our over $100 a month for Foxtel?
What if there was a way for fans to watch as much rugby league as they could handle for less than a cup of coffee a week? And what if that brought in, say, $33 million dollars for the game that they could use on grassroots and regional footy?
Pre-COVID, the average game attendance has been hanging around the 15,000 mark. The TV ratings are about 336,000 each weekend. That’s a total of 456,000 fans that tune in to watch the game every week.
Let’s say, conservatively, that about half are hardcore footy fans.
What would make them fork out just $3 a week to watch even more footy?
Welcome to RLTV
Firstly, you’d have to have all NRL games on delay. This would attract some fans that can’t always watch live games, and also acquiesce to the Foxtel and Ch9 demands. Foxtel already have a similar arrangement for Origin and the Grand Final.
Yeah, but $3 man - what do I get?
Sit back and let me count the ways with 22 - yes 22 - exclusive shows that could make RLTV the go to channel for rugby league fans.
I hope I can embed an excel spreadsheet outlining the programming, but let’s see where it goes.
1) Obviously a weekly preview of all games on a Thursday evening.
2) And a weekly review on a Monday evening
3) One To Watch - an interview and background briefing on up and comers such as Tyrell Sloan, Sean Keppie, Reece Walsh….
4) Behind The Scenes - not a Wests Tigers Foxtel thing, but more of a community based programme, showing how NRL players work in their community - think Ken Stephen Medal stories
5) Where Are They Now? - Catch up with some of the forgotten heroes. In my example I named Colin Van Der Voort, Mick Pattison and Bruce Walker among others
6) Champions - A sit down interview with some of the greats of modern times, such as Johnathan Thurston, Steve Menzies and Shane Webcke.
7) Legends - a documentary on the players that shaped the game such as Clive Churchill, Norm Provan, or Bob Fulton.
8) A NSW Cup Wrap
9) A QLD Cup Wrap
10) An English Super League Warp
11) A Pacific Wrap
12) Gone Country (NSW) - A wrap of regional footy
13) Gone Country (QLD) - as above
14) Emerging Nations - a series highlighting rugby league in countries such as Lebanon, Italy, Jamaica, Venezuela etc
15) A recap of the NRLW competition - with replays and profiles to come eventually
16) Koori/Murri recap - highlights of competitions, especially the carnivals. Could work with NITV on a share arrangement.
17) Rivalries - A historic programme highlighting some of the intensity between clubs, especially before their weekly clash
18) Coach Profile - Not just current, but also those of the past such as Jack Gibson, Warren Ryan, Harry Bath, Roy Masters etc
19) Best of State of Origin
20) Best of Test Matches
21) Club Histories - all 16 plus Norths, Balmain, Wests and Newtown - there are stories in there that are the fabric of the game.
22) Great Grand Finals - By the end of the year there’ll be 68 mandatory GFs - plenty of great footage.
So, what are the obstacles?
Firstly, Channel 9 and Foxtel would have to agree to RLTV playing replays of the games. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem as highlights packages are already on nrl.com.au.
Secondly, you’d need some camera at the lower tier competitions (NSW and QLD Cups). One solution would be to have a game play as a curtain raiser to an NRL game.
Similarly, you’d need some footage from PNG, NZ, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa etc, as well as NSW and QLD country leagues.
You would need some interviewers and willing participants for the Champions series - but having watched Peter Peters and Ken Arthurson, I don’t think this is an issue.
The television rights to Origins, Tests and Grand Finals are hopefully owned by the NRL. I’m not privy to the arrangements, but I do see them bob up on Foxtel.
RLTV would also have to have an on demand service, so people could watch the programmes outside of their live viewing times.
Anyway, that’s a whole lotta footy for $3 a week. If just half of the current viewing audience signed up (and that’s before we even get to overseas subscribers) that equates to $33 million dollars per year. That seems like a lot of money that could be put into regional and junior footy.
Where there is a will….
Here is a draft programming schedule. Midnight to 8am, would be replays.
I’d love to know what you think. [email protected] or comment below.
