I’m surprised that Yvonne Sampson is going to be the MC, i figured that Warren Smith would do that.
It makes sense seeing Sampson is essentially the ‘face’ of the channel
Tony Squires has hosted the awards for the past few years.
I thought the players were considering a boycott of it whilst CBA negotiations were still in limbo?
Hopefully that doesn’t happen, it would be very sad if it did.
It would be starting to look a bit like the ugly cricket pay dispute, which made the players look a bit greedy… particularly after they got beaten by Bangladesh last month.
As posted in NRL on Nine thread, Peter Sterling has signed a new and exclusive deal with Nine, which means he will leave Fox Sports at the end of this year. Will his weeknight show Sterlo be replaced next year?
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Over the past few years, his show has fallen under the ‘On the Couch’ branding so they might keep the show and simply get someone else to host it.
In saying that, Sterling’s departure a big loss to Fox League considering that he doesn’t just host his show but does a lot of their ‘feature interviews’ as well
Watch NRL
FOX SPORTS to take NRL to the rest of the world
Watch NRL anywhere, anytime, LIVE and on demand with new international streaming service
Every Premiership, Finals and State Of Origin match LIVE plus FOX LEAGUE’s week long line-up of entertainment
FOX SPORTS Australia today announced a new partnership to bring international NRL fans and Aussies living or travelling overseas every match of the NRL Premiership season including the Finals Series and Grand Final, LIVE and on demand with Watch NRL.
The new streaming service, which will launch in time for the 2018 Premiership season, will include the State of Origin Series, Australian men’s and women’s international matches played on home soil plus matches from the Intrust State competitions. In addition, fans can watch FOX LEAGUE’s week long line up of entertainment 24/7.
FOX LEAGUE commentators Matty Johns,Gorden Tallis, Yvonne Sampson,Michael Ennis, Mal Meninga and Braith Anasta will guide viewers through all the LIVE action with Australia’s 24/7 dedicated Rugby League channel, FOX LEAGUE, keeping fans informed and entertained all week long.
FOX SPORTS CEO, Patrick Delany, said: “When we negotiated the new NRL broadcast deal in 2015, News Corp committed to helping grow the game in Australia and overseas.
“In 2018, that promise comes to life when FOX SPORTS delivers the world’s first international NRL streaming service to feature every NRL game plus FOX LEAGUE’s famous entertainment shows – anywhere, anytime live and on demand.
“Watch NRL will take the game to millions of fans around the world, and by tapping into News Corp’s global reach, the game and its players, will be seen by a whole new audience.
“With so much attention on our NRL players in the US and UK at the moment, and a growing fan base it’s a great time to launch Watch NRL and harness this growing interest,” Mr Delany said.
NRL CEO, Todd Greenberg, said: “One of my main goals is to encourage more people to watch our game.
“This streaming service means fans living or travelling overseas will be able to watch the best rugby league in the world when and how they want.
“We have to make it easier for fans to see their teams in action – and that’s what this initiative does.”
FOX SPORTS has also partnered with IMG to sell international NRL broadcast rights for the next five years. IMG will sell all rights exclusively to the Pacific Territories as well as broadcast packages to the rest of the world with FOX SPORTS managing the broadcast rights for the USA and the UK.
Chris Guinness, SVP, AsiaPac, IMG Media, said: “We are delighted to be extending our relationships with both the NRL and FOX SPORTS Australia for the next five years. The NRL is the pre-eminent brand in Rugby League and a popular product among international broadcasters. Our aim is always to help grow and enhance exposure, especially now with the increasing number of platforms that show live sport around the world.”
The Watch NRL product by FOX SPORTS will provide the best user experience, including the ability for viewers to pause and rewind, plus choose where they start watching live matches, set notifications and access more on demand NRL programming. Watch NRL will be the destination for fans outside of Australia to watch every NRL match, LIVE and on demand.
Users can choose the way they watch, from the dedicated website http://www.watchnrl.com.au, via the Watch NRL mobile and tablet Apps for iOS and Android or through TV screens with Airplay or Chromecast enabled for all Watch NRL apps.
For more information visit: http://www.watchnrl.com
*Watch NRL content will only be accessible outside of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Territories.
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Premier Sports currently has the UK rights to the NRL as well as the upcoming Rugby League World Cup. Will this announcement lead to a change of broadcaster (even though Premier is available on Sky platform)?
Fox Sports has secured the Australian rights to next year’s rugby league fixture between English side Hull FC and NRL team St George Illawarra, which is scheduled for 17th February at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium. The game will take place seven days after Hull face the Wigan Warriors at the WIN Stadium in Wollongong, which will mark the first Super League fixture to be played outside of Europe.
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The Sunday Telegraph says former NSW Origin captain Danny Buderus will have a full time role on Fox League this year, working as an analyst on pre-game, live game and post-game, in addition to his role as NSW assistant coach.
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Broadcast times on Fox League:
Wigan v Hull (WIN Stadium)
Saturday February 10, 7.30pm AEDT
St George Illawarra v Hull (ANZ Stadium)
Saturday February 17, 5.30pm AEDT
South Sydney v Wigan (ANZ Stadium)
Saturday February 17, 7.30pm AEDT
Next Friday’s World Club Challenge between Melbourne and Leeds will also be shown live on Fox League from 7.30pm AEDT.
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Emma Freedman has joined Fox League
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Wow, didn’t see that one coming! Wonder who’ll take over her hosting position on Sports Sunday on Nine.
“Emma’s going to offer everything from which players need new hairdressers to who in the game is out of line and needs a not so gentle reminder”.
I’m sure Fox Footy’s viewers are gonna love this.
A classy dollop of crude sexism there. Nice work Fox.
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Rugby League Goes Global with Launch of Fox Sports WatchNRL
GLOBAL NRL FANS WILL NEVER MISS THEIR TEAM IN ACTION WITH THE NEW WATCH NRL STREAMING SERVICE
FREE TRIAL FOR FANS WHO SIGN UP BEFORE MARCH 15, 2018
The first Rugby League international streaming service of its kind, Watch NRL, will ensure Rugby League fans travelling or living abroad can watch their team every round live with Watch NRL featuring every game of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership season, finals series and Grand Final LIVE.
In addition fans will be able to watch LIVE all three State of Origin matches, Australian men and women’s Tests played on local soil along with games from the Intrust NSW and QLD state competitions.
FOX SPORTS Director, Operations and Digital, Les Wigan said: “Now NRL fans travelling or living overseas can watch their team in action every week live with the launch of Watch NRL. This service is a game changer.
“It will help take Rugby League to thousands of fans in more markets, across more platforms, than ever before delivering the best on-field coverage plus FOX SPORTS’ award-winning NRL shows and the most loved commentary team in the business.”
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the Watch NRL service would help grow the game globally.
“We know people want to watch the best of Rugby League when they are overseas and this will deliver the game to them live wherever they are,” he said.
The Watch NRL streaming service will be the only destination for fans outside of Australia, New Zealand and certain Pacific Nations* to watch every NRL match live and on demand.
Included in the package is access to FOX LEAGUE, the only dedicated 24/7 Rugby League channel, which includes favourite NRL shows NRL 360, The Late Show with Matty Johns and the award-winning League Life.
FOX LEAGUE’s expert team of analysts including greats Mal Meninga, Gorden Tallis, Matty Johns, Greg Alexander and current stars including Cooper Cronk and Luke Lewis will feature across the week’s NRL line-up.
The game’s biggest and best commentary team including Warren Smith, Andrew Voss, Brenton Speed and Matt Russell will make fans feel like they’re at the game wherever they are watching.
Watch NRL will also deliver LIVE coverage of the upcoming World Club Challenge, the anticipated Cam Smith and Johnathan Thurston Testimonial Match and the traditional Charity Shield along with Rugby League’s night of nights, the Dally Ms.
The innovative streaming service will allow viewers to choose where they want to start watching from with instant full match replays available, plus fans can download matches to watch offline and set games to auto-download for their favourite team.
Games are spoiler-free, with the ability to turn scores off, while pre and live match notifications means subscribers will never miss a minute of action.
Users can choose the way they watch, from the dedicated website http://www.watchnrl.com, via the Watch NRL mobile and tablet apps for iOS and Android or through screens with Airplay or Chromecast enabled for Watch NRL.
Fans can trial the Watch NRL service with a free two week trial offer for those that sign up between 14 February and 15 March, 2018. Fans who sign up during the trial offer will be able to enjoy The World Club Challenge and International Double Header featuring South Sydney, St George Illawarra and English Super League powerhouses Wigan and Hull FC.
For more information visit www.watchnrl.com
*Watch NRL content will be accessible outside of Australia, New Zealand and the following Pacific Nations – Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Northern Marianas, Tokelau, Tahiti, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Palau, and Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Wallis and Futuna, Iles esparses and French Polynesia.
The Sunday Telegraph reports today that former Manly and South Sydney player Matt Nable has joined Fox League as a commentator, joining the likes of Warren Smith, Andrew Voss, Brenton Speed and Matt Russell. Nable did the voiceover for the channel last year.
I’m interested to see how he goes as a play-by-play caller.
Fox League 2018 launched in Sydney this morning. Some of the many changes that I took note of during a few Fox Sports News updates earlier this morning:
- Monday Night with Matty Johns moves to Sunday nights following NRL fixture. Promo shots shows Matty Johns, Emma Freedman, Bryan Fletcher, Brett Finch & The Professor. Looks like no Gorden Tallis, Nathan Hindmarsh or Lara Pitt this year.
- Big League Wrap, a new Monday night panel show hosted by Yvonne Sampson.
- The Fan, new show from Andrew Voss for Tuesday nights, previously announced. Plenty of viewer interaction.
- Queenslanders Only moves to Tuesdays with Hannah Hollis replacing Robert Craddock as host.
- Professor’s Second Year Syndrome changes it’s name to The Professor’s Farewell Tour, with added Nathan Hindmarsh.
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