The only reason I didn’t include it when I normally would is that this year on Easter weekend there’s a Thursday night game which 9 would cover (first time I think this has happened from a sketchy memory) and the other timeslots corresponded with a Fox game.
The Australian reports Supercars general manager of TV and content Simon Fordham will become head of rugby league in overall charge of Nine’s expanded league content, including a revamped Footy Show, a new Monday night program and expanded digital rights.
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2018 World Club Challenge - Melbourne Storm v Leeds Rhinos
Friday February 16 2018
NRL Premiers Melbourne Storm will host English Super League Premiers Leeds Rhinos in the World Club Challenge to determine the world’s best rugby league team – right here in Melbourne.
The clash to be held on Friday 16 February at AAMI Park at 8pm, will be only the third time the World Club Challenge has been played in Australia; with Brisbane and Sydney the other cities to have hosted the showcase event.
Melbourne Storm and Leeds Rhinos have already met in three World Club Challenge deciders; 2008, 2010 and 2013, with Storm victorious in 2010 and 2013 when the match was played at Headingley Carnegie Stadium.
This will mark the first time Leeds have played for the World Club Challenge outside the UK, looking to claim their fourth world title with their last coming in 2014 against Manly Sea Eagles. This will be Storm’s fifth appearance on the world stage, having claimed victories in 2000, 2010 and 2013.
This match will kick-off Storm’s 2018 campaign, with the Club looking to field its strongest line-up as it contests for another trophy.
In making today’s announcement at AAMI Park, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events, John Eren said the match would provide a great opportunity for interstate and international visitors to experience some of what Melbourne has to offer in one weekend.
“The World Club Challenge is right at home in the sporting capital. We can’t wait to get behind our Storm and help make them the world’s best rugby league team.
“It’s yet another coup for the sports capital that will bring more visitors to Victoria – boosting businesses and supporting local jobs.”
Melbourne Storm CEO Dave Donaghy said the Club was thrilled to be hosting the World Club Challenge on home soil.
“There’s no better venue or city to host a game that decides the world’s best rugby league team than AAMI Park and Melbourne – Australia’s sporting capital.
“It will be fantastic to see rugby league take centre stage again at AAMI Park, having hosted record Storm crowds and the Rugby League World Cup in 2017.
“I know our Storm members and fans as well as the sports enthusiast will come out to support their Premiership winning team and to see some of the world’s best players take the field.
“Our football department is looking forward to the challenge of being back playing for the World Club Challenge trophy and testing themselves again the current Super League Premiers.”
Leeds Rhinos CEO Gary Hetherington who was also at this morning’s launch said his Club was excited by the challenge of travelling to Australia to play the NRL Premiers.
"Winning the WCC is the ultimate achievement for all Super League and NRL teams and we are excited to be coming to Melbourne to take on the best club team I have seen.
“Leeds Rhinos and Melbourne Storm have been rugby league’s two most successful teams over the past 20 years and it’s fitting for us to come together for the fourth time in the World Club Challenge.
“Each of the other three games in Leeds have been terrific contests and coming to Melbourne represents our biggest ever challenge. A victory would be the pinnacle in our Club’s 128 year history.
“We hope all the English living in Melbourne come along to support the Rhinos and our fans who visit the City will have a memorable experience.”
It was also announced this morning the match will be broadcast live on Nine in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Nine’s Director of Sport, Tom Malone, said; “We’re really excited about this match – the two best rugby league teams in the world squaring up against each other for the title of champions. Wide World of Sports will be the best place to catch all the action – live and free and in HD.”
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Good call, with no AFL on Seven that night it should get decent ratings in Melbourne.
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The Sydney Morning Herald has announced that the ANZ Stadium and Allianz Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt during the 2019-2022 season. With Nine still holding the free-to-air rights for the NRL, some Sydney-based teams will then have to be played at other venues. The new Perth Stadium will have the State of Origin being played in game 2, 2019. NRL Grand Final will either be played at SCG, Suncorp Stadium, or Etihad Stadium.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that the plan is to have the 2020 NRL Grand Final at the SCG, the 2021 and 2022 Grand Finals at the rebuilt Allianz Stadium and the 2023 to 2044 Grand Finals at the rebuilt ANZ Stadium. Presumably the current ANZ Stadium will still host the Grand Final next year and possibly also in 2019, but I’d have to check on that.
Any impact on the TV coverage (apart from the games being held at different venues) will be minimal. I think Nine will have the NRL rights until 2022 and after that, who knows what will happen. The media landscape will likely be very different in five years time to the one we have now.
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Seriously does the Olympic Stadium need to be rebuilt already? It’s under 20 years old!
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I think Sydney TV audience for the NRL Grand Final will increase. The smaller capacities of the SCG and the rebuilt SFS mean tens of thousands of fans will miss out on GF tickets.
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Whilst the age of the stadium suggests a total rebuild isn’t necessary, it seems that a permanent conversion to rectangular format (now that the oval sports no longer appear at the ground) and bringing the ends of the stadium closer to the action may mean that a full rebuild is easier than partial refurbishments that the MCG used.
The NRL today announced changes to its Live Pass as part of the new five-year broadcast deal with Nine and Fox Sports starting next year. With Nine having exclusive digital rights to NRL Grand Final and State of Origin series, these matches will not be live streamed on NRL Live Pass through the NRL official app, however they will be available on Live Pass on a 12-hour delay. NRL Live Pass users will still have access to live stream all 192 matches in the NRL Telstra Premiership regular season, plus the elimination, qualifying, semi and preliminary finals, as well as Nines tournaments, All Stars matches, World Club Challenge and Kangaroos Test matches.
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Does anyone know if 9Now will stream Channel 9’s NRL games next year then, or is it just Origin and the Grand Final?
9Now will live stream Thursday night, Friday night and Sunday afternoon matches produced by Nine, as well as SOO and NRL Grand Final.
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I don’t think that 9 will have some matches on 9Now as catchup
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I agree, I think the replay option will be the exclusive domain of the Live Pass App online, as well as and FOX Sports for traditional TV.
9 in Queensland will again cover the Qld Cup (Intrust Super sponsored of course), but in a change of programming instead of Sunday games the TV game will now be on a SATURDAY Afternoon. 12PM kickoff during March, then reverting to 1PM for the balance of the season.
Confirmed TV games so far
R1: Sun Coast vs Burleigh (Sun Coast Stadium)
R2: Ipswich vs Townsville (North Ipswich)
R4: Easts vs Sun Coast (Langlands Park)
R8: Mackay vs Tweed Heads (Mackay)
R17: Tweed Heads vs Wynnum (Stradbroke Island)
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Presumably the Intrust Super Premiership NSW games will only be shown on Nine Sydney (and it’s NSW/ACT affiliates) similar to what happens with broadcasts of other state-based football leagues?
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Maybe Paul Vautin will be assigned to this, after losing The Footy Show, on what will be the final year of his current contract?
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The Roosters announced yesterday that this game would be played at Adelaide Oval next year, as part of a two-year deal to play one home match per year at the venue. It will be the first Friday night rugby league game at Adelaide Oval since the then Super League team Adelaide Rams played there in 1998.
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It will be the 2nd year in a row that the Roosters home game against the Storm has been played at Adelaide Oval.
This year it was a Saturday night game in the middle of the State Of Origin, meaning many big name players from both sides were missing. Next year, it will be after the standalone Origin weekend, meaning that all players should be available barring injury.
Doubt Ray Warren will travel to South Australia to commentate that game for Nine (which it will be since it’s a 7:50pm start time EST).
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