News 'I haven't done anything wrong': Phil Gould to challenge $20,000 NRL fine

[Harry Oz]

That’s what was predicted in the US and the opposite has happened. NFL, NBA and NHL (not sure about MLB) launched OoH products and streaming and gained dismal numbers so have retained the networks. The so called ‘cord cutters’ are now resenting the ‘unbundling’ with too many subscriptions. Don’t underestimate the legacy broadcasters. Just because linear TV will die doesn’t mean their businesses will. It’s exactly why Nine was a founding shareholder in Stan and diversified their business with others like Domain.

That's all true.
NRL/AFL may go alone, or may consider a streaming deal is better for them. But the streaming partner could be anyone.
Either way, to retain value in its product, NRL needs to maintain as much control over its content as possible. Including commentary.
Which is why I think Gus might be interested in testing out the NRLs capacity to control what he says.
His own brand is very much about being willing to speak his mind. And the NRL is seeking to punish that very thing.
Its about much more than whether NRL is stupid.

 

[DinkumDog]

I think you are taking it a step too far, it's just a simple request for information regarding the amount that the NRL receives from gambling. The game can't be "Reclaimed" if we don't know how much it will cost to reclaim it. A simple example if, say, we know for certain that the gambling rights are worth $30m then the NSW Government could replace that in the Reclaim the Game campaign. Or maybe there is another sponsor that could replace gambling. If we don't know how much to ask for then we can't go marketing the rights.

I personally believe that AFL is a terrible game to watch on TV there is so much important action that happens off the ball that is missed in the broadcast. In comparison NRL is a far superior viewing experience because the majority (not all of course) of the action is captured. Maybe that's a reason why their ground attendance is higher but their viewer numbers are lower.

Plus the Melbourne AFL crowd are FANATICS, they turn up at restaurants for breakfast at 8am in their footy gear on the way to the game. Whenever I am in Melbourne on business I get asked what AFL team I support, it's in the first handful of questions asked. If you say "no one" they get agitated, so I have learnt to say the Swans, which is much better received. Crazy lot down there, I think the rain soaks their brains.

I agree AFL is a better live game than on TV and NRL works better on TV than AFL - the structures of the game make that fairly obvious.

Re: question - sure, as I said any member can ask away. As for RTG - I find that a bit odd other than for the marketing puff piece. GambleAware is all well and good to try to educate on the dangers of gambling addiction and of course problem gambling exists - but equally ClubsNSW (who Canterbury Leagues are licensed by) is run by the Department of Liquor and Gaming of the same State Government! So they’re happy to collect revenue with one hand and with the other hand say ‘you should be aware how much you drink and gamble’. Slightly hypocritical, no?

 

[D- voice]

How would you say Andrew Abdo is a ‘puppet’ of the media barons? He’s South African and only moved to Australia in 2012. His background is accounting, more specifically Deloitte and he’s an MBA - pretty smart to be someone’s ‘puppet’. I just don’t know how those dots are joined - please help me do that .

Simples...He is an intelligent puppet

 

[Harry Oz]

I agree AFL is a better live game than on TV and NRL works better on TV than AFL - the structures of the game make that fairly obvious.

Re: question - sure, as I said any member can ask away. As for RTG - I find that a bit odd other than for the marketing puff piece. GambleAware is all well and good to try to educate on the dangers of gambling addiction and of course problem gambling exists - but equally ClubsNSW (who Canterbury Leagues are licensed by) is run by the Department of Liquor and Gaming of the same State Government! So they’re happy to collect revenue with one hand and with the other hand say ‘you should be aware how much you drink and gamble’. Slightly hypocritical, no?

Liquor and Gaming is well known as the most incompetent and corrupt agency in NSW.
And that's saying something.

 

[DinkumDog]

That's all true.
NRL/AFL may go alone, or may consider a streaming deal is better for them. But the streaming partner could be anyone.
Either way, to retain value in its product, NRL needs to maintain as much control over its content as possible. Including commentary.
Which is why I think Gus might be interested in testing out the NRLs capacity to control what he says.
His own brand is very much about being willing to speak his mind. And the NRL is seeking to punish that very thing.
Its about much more than whether NRL is stupid.

I doubt the NRL will go it alone based on what we’ve seen in the US - the world’s largest sports and entertainment market. I do agree though that it could be anyone and said that in an earlier post. The streaming wars have been bloody. Facebook wanted the IPL rights to grow business in India but broadband penetration was low so they were never going to win no matter what cheque they wrote. The fight for share of wallet has never been bigger - consumers have never had so much choice. That’s why I say digital is the next frontier and the surface has only just been scratched.

I think the Gus thing will blow over but what it might establish is which side of the fence are you on - admin of the code or in the media and is both a conflict of interest? That probably won’t fully get sorted until after Gus is long gone (and I mean retired not dead ).

 

[DinkumDog]

Simples...He is an intelligent puppet

Er - OK. Thanks. I think.

 

[TwinTurbo]

As for RTG - I find that a bit odd other than for the marketing puff piece. GambleAware is all well and good to try to educate on the dangers of gambling addiction and of course problem gambling exists - but equally ClubsNSW (who Canterbury Leagues are licensed by) is run by the Department of Liquor and Gaming of the same State Government! So they’re happy to collect revenue with one hand and with the other hand say ‘you should be aware how much you drink and gamble’. Slightly hypocritical, no?

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of examples of hypocrisy in government, especially with the Olympic quality backflips that abound around election time. A recent example, the NSW Government's heavily promoted $86m for the Reskilling NSW vocational training plan which followed a cut of $800m to TAFE. Federal vote for Stage 3 Tax Cuts before the Election, then promise not to change them during the election campaign and then change them. Hypocrisy everywhere.


Always a Bulldog

 

[DinkumDog]

Liquor and Gaming is well known as the most incompetent and corrupt agency in NSW.
And that's saying something.

Hence why the whole RTG thing to me seems like not much more than a puff piece. Nice message, sure - but what does it really achieve? Lots of questions there.

 

[DinkumDog]

Hypocrisy everywhere.

No question. Hence why I question certain ‘initiatives’ - making it look like you’re giving with one hand when you’re taking (and double dipping) with the other.

 

[D- voice]

Er - OK. Thanks. I think.

The NRL administrators no matter who they are they simply tow the line,
They remind of of the American presidents when it comes down to international policies

 

[Harry Oz]

Hence why the whole RTG thing to me seems like not much more than a puff piece. Nice message, sure - but what does it really achieve? Lots of questions there.

Liquor and Gaming are regular speakers at gambling and hotel industry conferences.
They're all mates.
As I'm sure you know, it's called regulatory capture.
Makes me sick.

 

[TwinTurbo]

I doubt the NRL will go it alone based on what we’ve seen in the US - the world’s largest sports and entertainment market. I do agree though that it could be anyone and said that in an earlier post. The streaming wars have been bloody. Facebook wanted the IPL rights to grow business in India but broadband penetration was low so they were never going to win no matter what cheque they wrote. The fight for share of wallet has never been bigger - consumers have never had so much choice. That’s why I say digital is the next frontier and the surface has only just been scratched.

The main problem with streaming services as I see it is how many do they expect subscribers to pay for? Currently in our household we have Apple TV+, Netflix, Prime, Paramount, Stan, Brit Box and Disney plus Foxtel of course. That works because I pay for some, my wife pays for some, our son pays for some and our daughter pays for others.

The next issue as I see it is infrastructure, for example there were 24 x 4K broadcast quality cameras at Allianz last Saturday, plus another 24 in Melbourne and another 24 in Townsville. That's just Saturday, there's Thursday, Friday (multiple games) and Sunday (multiple games) as well. Sure they can transport the gear overnight, but that's a huge logistical cost. Then the gear sits around from Sunday until Thursday, unless like Foxtel they have other uses for it. If they are just broadcasting NRL games then that doesn't happen. Sure they could (and do) use contractors but they don't charge peanuts.

I don't know about others but I'm not paying for an NRL subscription shot on an iPhone.


Always a Bulldog

 

[wendog33]

Liquor and Gaming is well known as the most incompetent and corrupt agency in NSW.
And that's saying something.

It came out that they knew all about the money laundering and the overnight bags full of bundled $100 notes adding up to millions all captured on their CCTV. Sat there and laughed about watching the bikies and mules queue up with their bags of cash, throw 'em up on the counter to be converted to chips didn't they lol

 

[DinkumDog]

The NRL administrators no matter who they are they simply tow the line,
They remind of of the American presidents when it comes down to international policies

Tow which line?
Can you be more specific?
Assume you mean Nine and News - but how exactly? As an example - the NRL didn’t hesitate last week to fine Gus - an employee of their broadcast partner.
Is that ‘towing the line’ or ‘treading on the toe’??

 

[DinkumDog]

The main problem with streaming services as I see it is how many do they expect subscribers to pay for? Currently in our household we have Apple TV+, Netflix, Prime, Paramount, Stan, Brit Box and Disney plus Foxtel of course. That works because I pay for some, my wife pays for some, our son pays for some and our daughter pays for others.

The next issue as I see it is infrastructure, for example there were 24 x 4K broadcast quality cameras at Allianz last Saturday, plus another 24 in Melbourne and another 24 in Townsville. That's just Saturday, there's Thursday, Friday (multiple games) and Sunday (multiple games) as well. Sure they can transport the gear overnight, but that's a huge logistical cost. Then the gear sits around from Sunday until Thursday, unless like Foxtel they have other uses for it. If they are just broadcasting NRL games then that doesn't happen. Sure they could (and do) use contractors but they don't charge peanuts.

I don't know about others but I'm not paying for an NRL subscription shot on an iPhone.

Yep - and that’s why I say cord cutters now resent the ‘unbundling’ and also why not to underestimate legacy broadcasters as the whole shooting match turns into a much broader digital strategy than just being about linear OB. And very much more so as linear TV (and radio and print) fade away - but equally - as resolutions increase, someone’s gotta pay for that bandwidth and storage too. I don’t even have ‘an aerial’ now - and with fibre internet the very little FTA I watch is via their apps - so they all get it - but watching the race unfold will be very interesting. Likely to be the quick and the dead.

 

[DinkumDog]

regulatory capture.

Ha, yes, I know that buzz phrase.
Similar to ‘value capture’ in the construction industry when looking at extracting money from building apartments over railway stations etc. It’s no secret it’s all about the money - the bigger question is the legitimacy - not necessarily legality - there’s plenty of rorts available without breaking the law.

 

[D- voice]

Tow which line?
Can you be more specific?
Assume you mean Nine and News - but how exactly? As an example - the NRL didn’t hesitate last week to fine Gus - an employee of their broadcast partner.
Is that ‘towing the line’ or ‘treading on the toe’??

We all know Nine and News run the game and always agree in principal regardless of how their individual employees behave or report,
Gus's fine looks like a face saving warring shot...To the Canterbury side of Gus

 

[Lynchpin]

Simples...He is an intelligent puppet

So, just enough intellectual capacity to know exactly where to sit to fully engage the digital space?

 

[DinkumDog]

We all know Nine and News run the game and always agree in principal regardless of how their individual employees behave or report,
Gus's fine looks like a face saving warring shot...To the Canterbury side of Gus

Can you be specific about how they ‘run the game’?
You’re saying they actually conspire to do so?
You do realise that’s collusion and illegal, right?
A ‘warning shot’ - to who exactly, the Bulldogs? Why? You seem to be letting ancient grudges form your view. Super League was nearly 30 years ago - move on.

 

[D- voice]

Can you be specific about how they ‘run the game’?
You’re saying they actually conspire to do so?
You do realise that’s collusion and illegal, right?
A ‘warning shot’ - to who exactly, the Bulldogs? Why? You seem to be letting ancient grudges form your view. Super League was nearly 30 years ago - move on.

No grudges just a genuine concern...
News and Nine went to war forming two competitions then reached an agreement to unit and control the game through their own puppets in the NRL after taking away the decision making from the ARL the NSW and the QLD leagues,
Please enlighten me, who makes rule changes in order to make the game more spectacular for the TV audiences ?
The result of the many rule changes like the 6 agains our game has become nothing short of a hard game of touch football, what's worse every referee and video ref has his own rules book...
How could we move on when the game has become a shadow of it self...True passion for the game sadly is vanishing