Costa84
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https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/th...ockwaves-through-the-nrl-20190818-p52i8x.html
No surprise here... been predicted on TK for years.
The figures that should send shockwaves through the NRL
By Danny Weidler
These are the figures that should send shockwaves through the NRL.
And it could hurt them in the long run where it matters: in the back pocket when it comes time to negotiate a new TV deal.
People are turning off the game, abandoning rugby league in droves, in the past month in particular. Free-to-air and pay TV NRL audiences have dropped by more than 3 million compared with the same time last year.
But the drop-off has been nothing short of alarming in the past month, during which a series of contentious decisions by referees, the match review committee and the judiciary have driven fans away from the game. Audiences dropped significantly in rounds 18, 19 and 20 and by a further 3 per cent last weekend even though there were two blockbuster games featuring the top four teams.
During the past month Viliame Kikau has been suspended for a seemingly minor late hit, Sam Burgess was freed to play despite a tackle that knocked out Matt Moylan, Jake Trbojevicescaped penalty for a dangerous tackle and Michael Gordon received a heavier fine than Burgess for leaving the field too slowly after being sin binned
During last weekend’s round, Luke Garner and Chris Smith were sin-binned and charged for relatively minor late hits, while Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped sanction for what looked suspiciously like a crusher tackle in the Storm’s match against Souths. There is a growing feeling among fans that some teams are getting favoured treatment and the lower-ranked teams are not getting a fair go. It is turning fans off the game in record numbers.
If anyone needed further proof of this they only have to look across the ditch to New Zealand, where ratings are down a staggering 15 per cent this year. And, yet, through all this, the game’s administration continues to do nothing to halt the decline.
Any other business that suffered a sudden downturn of up to 13 per cent would put in place emergency measures to stop the bleeding.
But not the NRL. Their only response is that there will be a full review of the judiciary and match review committee at the end of the season – as there is every season.
The Australian Rugby League Commission has the task of securing the best possible broadcast deal in the coming years.
The longer they continue to sit back and let disgruntled supporters abandon the game, the less that deal will be worth.
‘‘The top three highest rating shows on free-to-air television this year are State of Origin,’’ an NRL spokesman said. ‘‘No other sport is in the top 10, and 62 of the top 100 shows on Fox Sports are NRL and NRL content. Importantly our percentage of market share continues to grow.’’
No surprise here... been predicted on TK for years.
The figures that should send shockwaves through the NRL
By Danny Weidler
These are the figures that should send shockwaves through the NRL.
And it could hurt them in the long run where it matters: in the back pocket when it comes time to negotiate a new TV deal.
People are turning off the game, abandoning rugby league in droves, in the past month in particular. Free-to-air and pay TV NRL audiences have dropped by more than 3 million compared with the same time last year.
But the drop-off has been nothing short of alarming in the past month, during which a series of contentious decisions by referees, the match review committee and the judiciary have driven fans away from the game. Audiences dropped significantly in rounds 18, 19 and 20 and by a further 3 per cent last weekend even though there were two blockbuster games featuring the top four teams.
During the past month Viliame Kikau has been suspended for a seemingly minor late hit, Sam Burgess was freed to play despite a tackle that knocked out Matt Moylan, Jake Trbojevicescaped penalty for a dangerous tackle and Michael Gordon received a heavier fine than Burgess for leaving the field too slowly after being sin binned
During last weekend’s round, Luke Garner and Chris Smith were sin-binned and charged for relatively minor late hits, while Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped sanction for what looked suspiciously like a crusher tackle in the Storm’s match against Souths. There is a growing feeling among fans that some teams are getting favoured treatment and the lower-ranked teams are not getting a fair go. It is turning fans off the game in record numbers.
If anyone needed further proof of this they only have to look across the ditch to New Zealand, where ratings are down a staggering 15 per cent this year. And, yet, through all this, the game’s administration continues to do nothing to halt the decline.
Any other business that suffered a sudden downturn of up to 13 per cent would put in place emergency measures to stop the bleeding.
But not the NRL. Their only response is that there will be a full review of the judiciary and match review committee at the end of the season – as there is every season.
The Australian Rugby League Commission has the task of securing the best possible broadcast deal in the coming years.
The longer they continue to sit back and let disgruntled supporters abandon the game, the less that deal will be worth.
‘‘The top three highest rating shows on free-to-air television this year are State of Origin,’’ an NRL spokesman said. ‘‘No other sport is in the top 10, and 62 of the top 100 shows on Fox Sports are NRL and NRL content. Importantly our percentage of market share continues to grow.’’
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