Depends how well 10 handle themselves this week, I mean they’re showing the F1 and Tillies matches alongside the A-League at present and they’ve got a good track record in sports
If Paramount/ 10 can afford to purchase these NRL rights then why can’t they afford to spend money on other areas of the network? Are they saying they’ve had money all along and are just letting the main network die?
Key word Paramount in that sentence.
Paramount need sports to attract subs as much as 10 need it for eyeballs.
Hence the more $$$ spent
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It becomes the chicken or the egg situation though. Because 10 need the NRL to get more viewers, but NRL will want strong reach, credibility and promotional levers - which 10 don’t have without Tier 1 sport.
Just look at how poorly the Matilda’s matches performed on 10 in the aftermath of their huge ratings on Seven.
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10 haven’t had a major winter sport since losing the AFL rights in 2011. Their sport offerings is usually Spring-Autumn with the cooler months languishing in ratings on Saturday nights with no sport at all.
Fox will want Saturday exclusive like their AFL deal
This has always been the case with NRL since at least the late-90s; save for recent years when Nine has televised Saturday night footy in the final few rounds of the regular season going into finals.
Though I do recall at least one time when Nine televised a Saturday night match between the Wests Tigers and Brisbane Broncos in mid-2008, with their own graphics and commentators, though the match didn’t go to air until 9:30pm - when the final siren had gone in real time.
I think at the time it was due to City vs Country being played the previous night.
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I wonder if the only reason they waited till 9.30pm to show that match was that Fox wanted to be excusive at 7.30pm. Of course, they could have moved one match to 3pm or even done 4.30/6.30/8.30pm that week.
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Bring back City vs Country! 
Because fragmented rights is a way to satisfy the audience. Oh wait.
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In my opinion, I think splitting State of Origin and playing it in a seperate channel will not confuse the audience. I also don’t think having one game a week on a separate channel would confuse either. The audience would work it out quickly.
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I think if they are separating things then it should be NRL & State of Origin.
For example: NRL H&A + Finals on 9/Stan & State of Origin on 7 etc
If they go a NFL style then it will be the fans who are the losers. While there could be the same amount of games on FTA, the streaming aspect can be on 3 or more services
I also can’t see 7/9/10 promoting the other network broadcasting matches like they do with NBA, NHL etc in regards to ‘national tv’ games so viewers know where matches are. I can’t see Thursday Night 9/stan broadcast promoting the 7 Friday Night broadcast etc
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I think State of Origin being on a separate channel is a risk from the NRL - you need them in the same ecosystem to drive interest. It’s a symbiotic relationship.
Of course, Origin would still be successful (Fox League drive a lot of discussion but don’t show it live) but I think they need to have some other league matches through the year, so a Monday game and Origin series would be fine but not just Origin.
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Yeah that’s true. Just having State of Origin only would be kind of weird. It’s like AFL having their current deal but the Prelim Finals & Grand Final being on 10 etc.
I think having 1 NRL match a round & State of Orgin makes more sense and it’s not too random
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They definitely will if (like with the NFL, NBA, etc) they’re contractually required to do so.
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Wonder if they would let Fox have joint rights with a FTA broadcaster to SOO and/or the grand final. Always seems odd that they get all the games except for 4.
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I agree. I also wonder if the current 7/AFL deal, means Ch7 could bid for say 2 x Saturday and 1 x Monday game, plus Origin.
Ch9 or Ch10 could still have 1 x Thursday, 1 x Friday and 1x Sunday game.
All 9 games could still sit on Fox, meaning 3 would be exclusive to them.
I think this deal keeps 6 out of the 9 games on FTA, and Ch9 or 10 could look to have any additional panel or commentary shows behind a paywall on Stan/Paramount, but not the games.
Additionally with rumours of a second New Zealand team joining after Perth and PNG, a 10th game could be played each round (although not likely until 2032).
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7 hardly looking serious about NRL when they haven’t even promoted Agenda Setters in NRL markets, and it’s less than a week to premiere.
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That match started at 8:30pm, so the final siren couldn’t have gone before the telecast started. I know because the ABC called that match on Local Radio into Queensland.
I’ve always wondered why Fox never went for the 2nd FNF game in 07 and Nine didn’t go for a live Saturday Night game instead. Maybe schedule the Warriors for that slot whenever possible, to minimize the impact on crowds in NSW, or maybe schedule the Raiders, Cowboys of even Titans for that slot.
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I wonder if given that AFL deal, Seven could even afford such a package. That would have to be in the realm of what Nine would be paying for rights, and I just don’t see them having the capital for that on top of the AFL and cricket, both of which have just recently been re-upped for significant costs.
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For some reason I kept thinking that match started at 7:30pm Sydney time, as I know back in the noughties there were two Saturday night matches running concurrently.
Would’ve been (I think) to avoid a clash with Saturday night AFL on Ten, even if it was delayed in Sydney unless the Sydney Swans were playing.
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