Meanwhile their shirty deal with CA and Fox sees them miss out on 1mil plus viewers for each ODI and T20I since November.
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Surely if the test is coming down to the wire & there’s a situation where it could be decided between 5pm & 6pm, they’re not going to go ahead with that plan???
While in a pub yesterday I noticed that they were tuned to Nine for the tennis and Fox for the cricket.
If this doesn’t tell you that FTA networks need exclusive rights to sports, I don’t know what will.
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Indeee amongst friends and colleagues the overwhelming opinion is that arches coverage is trash and laughable. Most will tune to fox.
Tennis’ deal with is nine is one of the preeminent deals in Australian tv rights.
There are far too many BBL games and whilst on holidays it’s an easy watch but now that people are back at work and going back to school it’s really a non event.
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Pics or it didn’t happen!
SCTV and pub weren’t two words I thought would be in the same post… 
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No photos unfortunately so you’re just going to have to take my word for it.
Personally I have very little doubt that such a scenario (TVs on Nine for the tennis & Fox for the cricket) will be replicated in hundreds of pubs, clubs & sports bars right around Australia this week. One of the effects Seven probably didn’t think about when they signed the current broadcast deal with Fox Sports.
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Helps that Tennis Australia isn’t a greedy pig like Cricket Australia, AFL and NRL.
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I’ve seen pubs showing the 7 coverage? Is it really that big a deal? As I’ve said before, I’ve been watching the 7 coverage way more than the Fox coverage. Fox and Cricket Australia screwed up the sport, 7 had to do something. Nine were never going to keep it, it had to come down to 7 or 10 and whoever won that battle was going to get screwed over by Foxtel who were stumping up the cash (so to speak).
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The thing is, most pubs, clubs and sports bars would have access to Pay TV sports channels as well as FTA stations. And yes I know that type of viewing doesn’t count in the ratings, but quite a lot of Australians do socialise at these places (especially during the Summer) so exclusive coverage of the sport really helps maximises the exposure for the network.
In years past, everyone would have screens on Nine (or affiliates) during the Summer because live coverage of the cricket was exclusive to them. Now that it’s on both Seven & Fox, the audience is split. Of course some venues will go for Seven’s coverage, but I’d be willing to predict that the majority with access to Fox Cricket are going to have their coverage on. I’d bet the exact same thing happens during Winter (choosing Fox Footy/League over FTA coverage wherever possible) and coverage of the football.
I completely agree. Doesn’t mean Seven (or Ten) shouldn’t have tried to get exclusive coverage though.
But there was no exclusive options for FTA thanks to Fox and 10 was never going to go back and work with their former owner. If Nine was to share coverage with Fox I think many would be criticising them in the process too.
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With the way CA were “negotiating” they never stood a chance. It would have been great but Fox knew what they wanted and paid for it. FTA only got what they got to keep the government out of it.
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Just show’s the public’s interest in BBL is skin deep. The whole thing is tacky and really feels like it was invested by focus groups and boardrooms.
The passionate cricket audience (tests and ODIs) is what gives you a guaranteed audience throughout the season. Seven fucked up but I couldn’t care less about them, I care about the future of the game over the next 6 years.
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Same deal with AFL, pubs show Fox Footy. Any pub showing the 7 broadcast (apart from Grand Final Day) is seen as second rate.
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Yes, how dare sports organizations try and get the most money possible out of selling their broadcast rights…
There was never any option for free to air exclusivity they way CA went about the whole thing. If they didn’t do simulcast then Fox would’ve walked away.
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Of course, they are within their rights to maximise their income streams, but sports organisations also need to consider the long-term and grassroots effects.
Let’ say CA went with a smaller deal with 7 or 10 that guaranteed an FTA broadcast for all international matches during the summer.
Yes, that’s less money now, but also more exposure to young eyeballs. Which could lead to more participation, and a greater talent pool to choose from in a decade or more from now. It would also mean more fans for later years.
If Foxtel had existed in my youth, and if they had exclusive rights for a third or half of all cricket rights, I would’ve missed out on that, and may not have turned into a cricket tragic.
At least it’s not a Pay TV exclusive deal like the one the ECB did with Sky. That’s really forked them up.
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We are about to enter into the final test for the summer.
The only real innovation in the coverage on Seven is the score during the adverts, which when I first saw it, I was like, this is good. During the BBL I have had second thoughts, esspically now the tennis is on.
During the breaks in the tennis or between servest games I flick back to 7 to see the score, without doubt, if it’s an advert I have just flicked back as soon as I have seen the score. I couldn’t tell you what the advert was for, but I knew the score.
Also it would be interesting to see a comparison of TV ratings for Foxtel. As Foxtel back in BBL 1 & 2 had exclusive rights. So in the last 5yrs has Foxtel increased in viewers or are they rating the same or similar to when they had cricket last time. If it’s the same, than it has to be a failed deal by them too, cause within 5yrs you would expect growth from any business.
7 Cricket really needs a graphic saying ‘replay’ or ‘highlights’. Sometimes you may just flick it on and see a wicket, with the current score along the bottom, but it was a replay. Really confuses viewers.
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Absolutely - getting the best deal possible monetary wise vs ensuring maximum exposure is the delicate balancing act all sports organisations try to juggle when negotiating rights agreements
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Does anyone know who the lead commentator on the Stars vs Strikers game is?