Next Media Deal - Should A-League be given to SBS

[midfielder]

As the thread banner say should the next media deal be given to SBS.

Over on the Roar ---- Jessie Fink or Half Time Orange ----- wrote his weekly article that SBS should be given the A-League FTA in the next media deal.... well Fook Me he is getting a shock .. almost all posters are saying things like we do about SBS ...

http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/10/23/why-sbs-must-screen-the-a-league/.

My guess this is SBS are using the Roar tho Fink to fly the flag about themselves ... very funny somes of the posters answers especially ... MD/ Eamonn / Bishop ...

Have a look and if you want to send a message to SBS ... please do..

 

[dibo]

The next media deal should go the the highest bidder. Whoever invests will defend their investment, so f**k all the stupid bullshit about "who should it go to?" - the FFA should focus on the dollars.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Fink = tosser

SBS - just another bidder. If htye have no money, f**k off

 

[marinermick]

Please do not post Jesse Fink articles on this forum.

It brings the IQ level of the forum down considerably and it is not like this forum can spare that many!

 

[Honkee]

Id much rather see it go to ONE HD (as long as they broadcast the games live).
If it was "Given" to SBS Id throw my tv out the window after listening to Fosters commentary or Sideline comments.

 

[midfielder]

Please do not post Jesse Fink articles on this forum.

It brings the IQ level of the forum down considerably and it is not like this forum can spare that many!

I understand what you are on about ... BUT the reaction he got has been almost constant negative comments about him and SBS ... not quite the reaction he tho....

Moreover as I said I think he has run something up the flag to see the reaction... given the Roar have a number of pay ? journalist ? including Jessie and two other SBS folk I am sure old Mrs Football herself is watching this ...

I feel like sending the article and posts that follow to SBS management to say this is what Australia actually thinks of SBS...

to quote MD

Jesse I vehemently disagree returning to SBS would be the worst possible thing for the A-leagues future.

There is more than a sliver of truth to the widely held perception that your stablemates at SBS have not moved on, one iota, from the NSL days; barely a week goes by without someone either whinging that their views (by which they usually mean their cronies ambitions for a paid job somewhere on the FFA/A-league roster) are being ignored, or that things were better in the good old days. With their reach into multicultural Australia, they had an immense opportunity to assist the game by encouraging their audience to get on board and embrace the changes to the national competition. Instead, for 5 years, they have taken every opportunity to snipe, niggle and undermine the A-league, all from the safety of a taxpayer funded TV job. Their football owes us a living approach has been to the local games detriment.

More than that, the future of the game must be mainstream and commercial. Put it another way to have a future, the game must be mainstream and commercial. That means someone other than the tax-payer needs to fork out money to pay for the A-league. Foxsports will certainly offer more than the current $120m for the long-term rights at least double and probably a multiple. For the game to go free-to-air, someone needs to come up with that sort of money (either alone or in a consortium). SBS is a specialist broadcaster with a much needed mandate in the community for speciality and boundary-pushing TV. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars of predominantly taxpayer money on mainstream sporting rights is nowhere near the proper use of the channels funds.

With the proliferation of channels and the fact that the game has massively increased in popularity, the FFA holds a strong negotiating hand. Certainly that hand is strong enough to insist that every game on FTA or cable be shown live, in full and uninterrupted. That is all the punters really want. In the content starved world of multi-channel, the analysis shows will appear wherever the TV rights end up. The much vaunted SBS footballing staff will have a choice to throw their hats into the ring with whoever gets the rights (and the opportunity will surely arise for them to do that), or stay on the sidelines spending tax-payers money sniping about a game that is moving on, with or without them.

Finally this is likely to be the last TV broadcast rights package in the games history. The next package will be mostly an internet delivery rights package (possibly with a remnant TV component), and it is entirely uncertain as to whether that will be more or less profitable for the game. The betting money is on less. It is incumbent on the FFA to get as much money for these rights and to make sure the game is as commercially driven as possible, so that the league and the clubs are in a position to set up for the next phase of media.

Cheers
md

 

[RADINHO]

To be honest it has to be on free TV to reach the nation as an audience. Which free tv channel? Not who pays the most cause all you people sound like damn capitalists, but who ever can publicize the game in the best possible way:

One HD:

Pros: + All ready covers futbol
+ Channel is only sports
+ One HD is only available to Digital TV, by 2012 Analog will be phased out.

Cons: - Games currently are interrupted by ads
- One has only a very small percentage of people watching

SBS: Pros: + Home of FTA futbol
+ Games are not Interrupted
+ SBS do quality futbol coverage
+ Have SBS One and Two to show coverage on

Cons: - a small 5.5% of Australians watch SBS more than any other channel
- Ads only reach a small market, but on the contrary SBS viewers love futbol
- Mariners fan con: Fozzie

7: Pros: + Most popular TV station in OZ with 29.1% of ratings
+ If Publicised well it would reach a huge market.

Cons: - Anti-Futbol channel
- Terrible futbol coverage in Olympics
-Gordon Bray 
-Who can forget the slogan: NOBODY SCREWS SOCCER LIKE 7?

9: Pros: + 2nd most popular TV channel with 26.9%
+ Stated that they desire to Broadcast A-League
+ Will publicise well and reach a very large market

Cons: - Always been passionate for Rugby League
- Dont think they have ever been involved with Futbol?

ABC: Pros: + Have ABC 1, 2 and 3(Coming soon)
+ Been Involved with Futbol and the Domestic league, W-League.
+ Won't be interrupted by ads

Cons: - Big sporting leagues never have featured on ABC in recent times
- ABC is meant for British detective shows, not the British invented game.

 

[LFCMariners]

The A-League needs to be on FTA. It is still a very young competition by world standards, and doesn't have anything approaching the prominence that the AFL and the NRL do Australia-wide. The only way to get more people following is by making people more aware of the games and the players, and this can be achieved far better if the games are on FTA.

Saying that the EPL continues to flourish despite only being shown on pay TV is irrelevant- the English League has existed for more than 100 years, and with it comes the great teams and players who are famous worldwide, and the clubs that play in that competition. What is there to currently entice a newbie who doesn't live near a ground (and can't afford to fork out for pay TV) towards the A-League?

 

[Not Aloi$i FC]

I have no problem with the argument of A-League needing some FTA coverage. The FTA networks need to show sufficient interest in order for this to happen, though.

 

[dibo]

interest = money. if they show enough money, we should go there.

there are a lot of people who remember the C7 thing and cite it as the reason why we shouldn't go FTA, but frankly it's not going to happen - the C7 deal would have been for less than a million bucks - the next TV deal will likely be for something in excess of $20m per year, and frankly I'd guess it will be more than double or triple that. There's more content and more interest than ever before (even this year there are on average more than 50,000 people going through the gates every week) and the product is better than ever.

 

[Not Aloi$i FC]

I would love to think our product is worth double/triple of $20m a year. Let's be realistic, though. Money does not grow on trees, even in the sporting world.

 

[Jesus]

I would love to think our product is worth double/triple of $20m a year. Let's be realistic, though. Money does not grow on trees, even in the sporting world.

I think that the socceroos alone will be worth more than our current deal.

 

[tsd]

the existence and subsequent growth of the A-league depends on financial stability more than exposure... the foxtel deal made the league financially viable, but if one of the FTA channels can offer the $$$ AND the exposure then that would be the ideal outcome.  personally id like to see TEN/ONE take over, live games on TEN, replays on ONE.

while its annoying having the games in Foxtel it means that at least there ARE games!

 

[FFC Mariner]

Game of the week on FTA, rest on Fox, highlights package mid week on FTA

Fox continue to do the coverage and simply supply the feed to the FTA networks

 

[dibo]

Game of the week on FTA, rest on Fox, highlights package mid week on FTA

Fox continue to do the coverage and simply supply the feed to the FTA networks

that's what i've been trying to say for years!

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Whoever it goes to, there needs to be some clause making sure all the games are played, and played live (when there's no clash).  Also, that highlights and panel shows are on at a reasonable time.

If that won't happen, then leave it to fox - that's my view and I don't even have Fox.

We cannot risk a network getting the rights only to make sure nobody else does then not showing games, or showing them at 2am.

I quite like FFC's idea actually.

 

[curious]

In all seriousness, at this stage, are we taking for granted an interest in live aleague telecasting by commercial networks?

For a commercial station to seriously consider bidding for the right to telecast live games, games that would likely be in prime time when the big advertising dollars are available, they would need to be drawers of high ratings. Considering commercial tv lives or dies according to it's ratings, if live aleague is not competitive in it's ratings as prime time viewing, I can't see means for an interest.

Having said that, my reason for suggesting there could be a lack of interest, is the league is yet to sell itself as a viable commercial network commodity.

And my reasons for suggesting that are .......
The leagues ratings are and have been on average, very poor. As an example, when competing with the other codes, it's Paytv ratings in comparison with the other's paytv ratings, are around 80% below, on average. When not in competition with other codes during their off seasons, the aleagues ratings improve only slightly. They struggle to compete with a multiple rerun of lifestyle and drama shows.
The aleagues ratings this season have also fallen around about in line with the crowd attendance.

FTA would be well aware of the league's paytv lack of pulling power for the past 5 seasons, and regardless of how we try to dress it up, it doesn't look awfully attractive as a prospective investment for prime time television on a major commercial network. It would require a metamorphosis before the telecast contract is open for bidding or we might be stuck with paytv only, for a long while yet.

BTW....SBS having a tiny niche of about 5%, would have only a minor effect on increasing the existing exposure.

edit ... In hindsight, I should add that if the league was to be telecast on one of the commercial dedicated digital channels, like 'One', much of the above wouldn't apply, though I'd imagine the commercial value would be less.

 

[elevated position]

FTA channels will eventually take the A league because it is a product that goes across all states and only needs one set up.
Maybe the A League needs a Footy Show to get reaction. Lubo as the anchor.
However as always . show me the money

 

[Roy Law]

The only asset worth truly big dollars is the Socceroos - they have to be FTA; The A League should piggy back and at least have one match of the round FTA. SBS would be a waste as has no decent coverage.

 

[Jazzie]

Please do not post Jesse Fink articles on this forum.

It brings the IQ level of the forum down considerably and it is not like this forum can spare that many!

Have been away,so I have missed this little bit of chit chat./.. and have to agree with you on this, marinermick. Fink is a fink!