TV rights - where and how much?

[Guest]

The most important decision for the AFL for a very long time is just around the corner and I wonder which way they will jump.

Apparently channel 9 has no interest in the rights unless they get friday night football, I can't see 7 giving up such an important night. Personally I would like to see 9 get part of the rights but both 7 and 9 are fighting over the same areas so a split between 9 and 7 is unlikely.

Channel 7's broadcast of footy has been without a doubt deplorable mainly due to no competition from rival networks. They have been so incompetent and lazy in their coverage that it is really detrimental to the viewing of the game.

Most likely that the rights will be split between free to air and cable which would be OK if the majority of fans can get access to the game on cable, and 7 has no input to what is shown on cable.

It's suggested that the rights could go for as much as $1b over 10 years, I just hope that whatever happens the AFL benefits.

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

either way we'll still get piss poor coverage in brissy

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

... and Sydney

What I want to know is why the Free-to-Air TV rights have to negotiated in one single monolithic 'bloc'

Why can't the AFL, for example, have a seperate licence for NSW and Qld which stipulates that games (especially fri night and Saturday night games) MUST be telecast at a reasonable time in the evenings to enable families to watch the game together.

I know for a fact that Channel Ten would love to telecast AFL footy into Brisbane and Sydney but they can't come to the party at the moment because you have to be in a position to have the rights for ALL of Australia, and thats just too much money for Channel Ten.

If the rights are going to be, say, worth $1bn, why can't the rights to Sydney and Brisbane and Sydney be negotiated as a seperate contract worth, say, $200-300 million ?

Channel Ten could afford that, Channel Nine COULD be interested in this as well, Heck, even the ABC could come to the party in this kind of scenario.

I don't care who ends up with the rights, I just want to able to live in Australia's largest city and be able to watch Australia's largest sport on the TV at a reasonable time.

Is that too much to ask ?

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

According to ch7 qld and by the sounds of it ch7 nsw as well... yes

The sad thing is that in the corporate world 99% of companies acknowledge the old saying "the customer comes first"..

Channel 7 for some reason though feel that they are somewhat above this policy and have developed a new one entitled "the customers a brain dead arseh*le who needs to watch more rugby or develop reversed sleeping patterns to follow their chosen sport coz they bring it on themself by watching aerial pingpong anyway"

I phoned ch7 bris over the ess v carl match and to my surprise I was told "watch the rugby mate.. that stuff's for mexicans.. complete waste of time"

home of afl my arse... at least if the abc had the rights in bris n syd we'd get
a) no ads
b) decent coverage & timeslots

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

So glad to hear I am not the only one to get abused by Channel Seven when I ring up to complain about footy coverage.

Once I was told by a Channel 7 person that I was 'a bit of a loser' for wanting to watch Aussie Rules and why don't I watch watch Rugby instead as that was 'real football'

Seriously, can you believe this attitude ?

And they call themselves 'The Home of Footy'

Blow it out your arse Mr Stokes

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

Sadly I can believe the attitude.. the annoying thing is when you try to tell them that the Lions have a better following in bris than the bronco's and they scoff.. THE FIGURES ARE THERE IN BLACK N WHITE !!!

Christ who ever would have thought Brisbane's beloved Gabba ground would have been redeveloped to a fantastic modern facility mostly because of the revenue the AFL promises to bring in...

Despite the AFL and the Queensland Govt along with many other entities believing that AFL is the next big thing up here stupid bloody ch7 are 2 busy trying to force feed us a game that rates lower here than afl.

I just don't get it... they make no sense.. and the sad thing is they'll get the rights again and keep screwing us..

 

[Guest]

BA and Nap I agree whole heartedly with both of your comments, it always makes me chuckle when I hear 7 call itself the home of footy with what they are doing to the game in NSW and QLD.

AFL lines 7's pockets with gold and those ignorant exec's in Sydney and Brisbane treat footy like a disease. you'd just love to see 7 lose the rights then maybe those pricks would understand how massive AFL is to their bottom line.

Whoever gets the rights should be forced to put AFL matches on at a reasonable time in Sydney and Brisbane whether those showing it like it or not!

Channel 7 sucks!

 

[Eagle_Fan]

Personally I don't have a problem. But then we get 6-8 games each weekend.

But I do think the rights should be held entirely by one station. Can you imagine the competitive bullshit we'd get from Eddy & co if they had some of the rights? And how would you split them anyway?

 

[Westy Boy]

Originally posted by Bloodstained Angel:


What I want to know is why the Free-to-Air TV rights have to negotiated in one single monolithic 'bloc'

Why can't the AFL, for example, have a seperate licence for NSW and Qld...
If the rights are going to be, say, worth $1bn, why can't the rights to Sydney and Brisbane and Sydney be negotiated as a seperate contract worth, say, $200-300 million ?

That is a fantastic idea, and Telstra (of all people) is pursuing it. They certainly have the resources to do so ($1bn is pocket money for them), and this would mean that they could on sell it seperately, with different situations (stations/states/appeal of particular games) being individually negotiated.
For example, take a Friday Night game. If Ten in NSW, like you say, is eager for the rights, (and Seven would obviously reject to pay large amounts for a program airing after midnight), Telstra would sell Ten the rights in NSW, sell Seven the rights in Vic, sell Cable companies the live rights in all states, and then broadcast it on its own website for Bigpond members. It makes economic sense, but Telstra is still lukewarm to the idea, because of its inexperience with television markets.

I'm hoping Telstra gains the rights, as this would provide us with footy from various sources, instead of the monotonous Channel 7.

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

The Telstra thing would be good in that they would be more likely to study the market more carefully and work out the best way to suit the consumers in the market. I can't see it happening though given the whole C7/Optus connection.

The Courier Mail early in the year stated that the Bris v North Preliminary last year was the 5th most watched of all shows on QLD Television last year.

Surely this show's that AFL is a viable media spectacle... christ if they can show god damned I Love Lucy movie reruns I'm sure they could draw a bit more of an audience with a good match of AFL footy.. no wait.. "Aerial Ping Pong"

Wake up and smell the dollars you're flushing down the toilet channel 7.. and you wonder why you always run a distant 3rd in australian broadcasting.

 

[Arch]

maybe this thread shouldve been called "channel 7 sucks" ????
anyway......
BSA- has a great idea. I also wonder if its possible to lobby the AFL itself, to make realistic "time-slotting" in nsw & qld a condition of the sale of the tv rights to 7 (or whoever gets 'em), as its in the AFL's interest to get maximum tv exposure in the northern states.
Is it a case of "well weve got the money from 7, so we dont give a stuff what they do with our product" from the AFL ?????
Cant the AFL do anything about the situation which 7 is creating up there ???? Why does the AFL allow it to happen, or do they have no control over it ???? It seems counterproductive to their 'mission statement" which includes "developing the game in the nsw and qld".

I also wonder why ch7 people would be telling you to watch the rugby league, when its screened on a rival network isnt it ????

sorry, alot of questions there.

A.

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

Arch: the day you come to an understanding about ch7 please let us in on the secret coz there's a fair few of us around that would love to understand their motivations.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

I really don't know where they get off either

 

[Guest]

Arch, I did not want to start another channel 7 bashing post as it has been amply covered previously.

No point in lobbying the AFL, when has it ever listened to the general public.

I wonder if anyone at 7 reads any of this stuff?

 

[Arch]

HH,
yeah - i know what your saying, but its actually bigger than ch7 bashing (which, yes I agree, is a dead horse to flog). Its about the AFL contradicting its own policy of developing the popularity of the game up there. Check the site, and you can download the mission statement and other "offical" AFL documents relating to this stuff.

A.

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

maybe if the afl put on a free sausage sizzle at the gate of qld & nsw based games during the ansett cup next season they'll fulfill their own lofty expectations of afl growth nth of vic in 2001 ~

 

[Guest]

Arch, the AFL's wishes to promote the game in the northern states is all well and good but if channel 7 continues to ignore footy up there the game will NEVER prosper.

I don't think the AFL actively tries to contradict it's own manifesto, it's just impossible to get those boneheads up north to show the game on the box in the PM hours.

The AFL must stipulate in the next agreement to show footy at a reasonable time!

Well it's off to AFL.inCOMpetent.AU to check out the mission statement.