While it would be nice, I can’t see it working - there just isnt the viewer base to support a FTA broadcast of provincial rugby (international rugby is in a similar position). It will end up on the likes of Gem or 10 Bold on delayed broadcast within a season
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Don’t know how you can come to that conclusion when nothing has been agreed to yet. The Nine newspapers article about Rugby Australia being in advanced talks with Nine Entertainment outlines that:
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Foxtel is still the front-runner for the rights; and
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Regarding RA and Nine, price is a ‘sticking point’. This is important considering Foxtel’s bid is reportedly higher than Nine’s
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Nine reportedly offered about $30 million a year in cash and contra, lower than a reported Foxtel bid of between $35 million to $40 million. 10’s bid for Wallabies matches is believed to be attached to Foxtel’s bid.
A deal with Nine would give one Super Rugby match likely on a Saturday each week. Wallabies matches would also likely be on Nine – usually on Saturday night – while the Super Rugby season and Wallabies matches could go to Stan.
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Will rugby go for dollars over a FTA network + their online channel.
It would be good on Nine for the sole purpose of throwing the cat among the pigeons; testing the water to see if growth happens within STAN.
Add an extra level of competition to Foxtel/Kayo and will provided sports another avenue to show their product.
Interesting times.
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Sadly, as CA and RA previously have shown, I think they will go with money. I hope I’m wrong.
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The sport (at a professional level) risks fading into obscurity the way things are going (I dont think a TV deal, either way, is going to make that much of a difference). An Australian-only Super Rugby competition will struggle and I wouldnt be surprised if there is another attempt by CVC to set up the international competition that the Australians appeared to be on the outer of.
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Good on nine for doing this. Hopefully fox don’t get the rights.
I’ve been saying for ages this is a way to monetize the rights by using their own streaming companies.
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If Nine is successful in regaining the rugby union rights, will it have to allocate a portion of the Sunday Footy Show to the sport (given Super Rugby will overlap with a large part of the NRL season)?
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Did they include a discussion of netball this year?
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No. It’s the NRL Sunday Footy Show. Nine would probably make a Union version of FC/100%F.
https://ministryofsport.com.au/nine-submits-30-million-bid-for-rugby-australia-broadcast-rights/
The key to Nine’s offer includes the proposal for the free-to-air broadcaster to show games on its popular streaming platform ‘Stan’, which has two million subscribers, compared to Foxtel’s Kayo, which had 600,000 subscribers in September.
It has also been reported Nine’s offer is for a short-term period and would depend on the success of Rugby Australia and the still uncertain future of the Super Rugby competition.
There has been no confirmation at this stage if a joint broadcast bid between Nine and Foxtel will be made, similar to the 2015 deal with Ten and Foxtel, which is likely the cause of Nine’s Stan proposal.
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Thing is, people aren’t currently subscribing to Stan for sport where as Kayo is 100% or close to it sports content. They’re not going to suddenly find all those 2 million people wanting to watch rugby. It would boost Stan’s numbers though.
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I am actually a bit scared for 10 seeing as though their bid is attached to Fox Sports. Its an interesting conundrum do they go with less money for better TV product or chase the $$$ when the sport is needing at a desperate time.
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The nine press running hard for their parent company to get these rights.
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someone is getting nervous about potentially not securing the Rugby Union TV rights.
Why all the interest in Rugby all of a sudden?
Networks can’t help themselves. Push the prices up as usual. The AFL, NRL and CA have nothing to worry about.
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This is similar to Kayo’s offer to stream some Supercars races free to non-subscribers from next year.
The report also says Nine wants exclusive rights to Wallabies’ away matches e.g. Spring Tour to Europe. Those matches are currently sold by the host unions such as England and France, not Rugby Australia.
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How much does the results effect the rights deal?
Worst lost by the Wallabies in 117yrs, future of the sport looks like it’s heading in one direction, down, which is hard to believe it could go further down.
Does it make rugby just go for a big pay day instead of what a total FTA coverage could look like, just so it can extend its life support?
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Last nights loss has been coming for a while - the quality of Australian Rugby has been on the decline for a while now
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