Play Nice 2023 Non AFL (or lower league) Sports Industry Discussion

[weewilly]

The WBBL match in Sydney last night shown on Ch7 main channel in prime time did not even make to top 20 shows on FTA and only had 41,000 on Foxtel. Looked like it was also lucky to 5- 600 in attendance as well.

Makes the AFL and NRL look like very good value on FTA and Fox.

 

[Bjo187]

News website is stating that League has decided that PNG will become the 18th NRL team, thanks to the $ that the Australian government is paying for this bid.

I don’t understand why our Australian government does not promote and more widely support Australian Rules - which is the code of football developed in this country and is unique in the world

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy in July announced the federal government has put a $5.5 million package together to boost the PNG development campaign.

Albanese has reportedly indicated privately that his government is prepared to help underwrite a team with up to $25 million a year from the foreign aid budget

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/outrage-over-massive-rumour-nrls-18th-team-now-a-one-horse-race/news-story/cd1f95ceaaf2bea5e5df2d9a9817188e

**** me, albo has no shame in promoting his favourite pommie sport with our Australian tax dollars does he?

For the government to pay for an overseas team to be created for a private league so the NRL don't have to fund it themselves 'annually' is an astounding conflict of interest.

 

[BobbyMorri]

The WBBL match in Sydney last night shown on Ch7 main channel in prime time did not even make to top 20 shows on FTA and only had 41,000 on Foxtel. Looked like it was also lucky to 5- 600 in attendance as well.

Makes the AFL and NRL look like very good value on FTA and Fox.

‘The broadcast was almost unwatchable’: The insiders’ view on why Australia switched off AFLW

TV ratings and crowds are well down for women’s football. But AFLW insiders say timeslots, venues, football fatigue and poor broadcast quality are all contributing to hold back the game.

www.theage.com.au

edit: I cant read.

 

[The Educator]

View attachment 1836567

‘The broadcast was almost unwatchable’: The insiders’ view on why Australia switched off AFLW

TV ratings and crowds are well down for women’s football. But AFLW insiders say timeslots, venues, football fatigue and poor broadcast quality are all contributing to hold back the game.

www.theage.com.au

If there was 5K on a weekday night, that would be an outstanding crowd for a womens BBL match. I dount it would have gotten that high.

I think your expectations for the WBBL might be a bit high.

Haha, definitely not a code warrior though!


I wonder what else changed that could explain the fall in the average AFLW viewers over those seasons that has certainly not occurred in the WBBL?

 

[Rob]

Haha, definitely not a code warrior though!


I wonder what else changed that could explain the fall in the average AFLW viewers over those seasons that has certainly not occurred in the WBBL?

A lot more games, most of which on Fox would be the main reason. But the standard dropped signficantly with the new teams. Poor timeslots don't help either.
TV audiences simply aren't big enough to have scheduling revolve around TV. Games should be scheduled to ensure the crowds are as high as possible. If that means 3 games at once, so be it.

 

[Teen Wolf]

A lot more games, most of which on Fox would be the main reason. But the standard dropped signficantly with the new teams. Poor timeslots don't help either.
TV audiences simply aren't big enough to have scheduling revolve around TV. Games should be scheduled to ensure the crowds are as high as possible. If that means 3 games at once, so be it.

...all of the games are on Fox. There are a lot more AFLW games (3.5x than in 2017), most of which are on FTA to only one or two markets. Compared to just 23 WBBL games on FTA, which are all nationally televised.

Btw the AFLW season opener had a crowd of eight thousand on a Friday night. The WBBL season opener had a crowd of eight hundred on a Thursday night (and less TV viewers). And yet here you are criticising the scheduling of the former, not the latter.

 

[The_Wookie]

A lot more games, most of which on Fox would be the main reason. But the standard dropped signficantly with the new teams. Poor timeslots don't help either.
TV audiences simply aren't big enough to have scheduling revolve around TV. Games should be scheduled to ensure the crowds are as high as possible. If that means 3 games at once, so be it.

Not as well that not only are thee games on 7 and Fox, they are on 7plus and Kayo AND the AFL app

 

[The Educator]

A lot more games, most of which on Fox would be the main reason. But the standard dropped signficantly with the new teams. Poor timeslots don't help either.
TV audiences simply aren't big enough to have scheduling revolve around TV. Games should be scheduled to ensure the crowds are as high as possible. If that means 3 games at once, so be it.

The standard hasn't dropped at all let alone "significantly". The general improvement has kept pace with the expansion.

The main reason is that there are far more games which in tern means that interest is defused across all 18 clubs and the 9 games are spread across worse time slots.

The engagement of the competition is increasing (which is certainly not the case with the WBBL)

 

[Rob]

...all of the games are on Fox. There are a lot more AFLW games (3.5x than in 2017), most of which are on FTA to only one or two markets. Compared to just 23 WBBL games on FTA, which are all nationally televised.

Btw the AFLW season opener had a crowd of eight thousand on a Friday night. The WBBL season opener had a crowd of eight hundred on a Thursday night (and less TV viewers). And yet here you are criticising the scheduling of the former, not the latter.

I don't particularly give a stuff about the WBBL and I was passing no comment on it.

But the point I was making was that the number of games have gone up, but the number of games on 7 (which attract larger TV audience) stay the same. So the proportion of games on FTA drops - which is obviously going to impact average ratings for games.

 

[Teen Wolf]

I don't particularly give a stuff about the WBBL and I was passing no comment on it.

Of course not, this thread is for complaints about AFLW scheduling.

But the point I was making was that the number of games have gone up, but the number of games on 7 (which attract larger TV audience) stay the same. So the proportion of games on FTA drops - which is obviously going to impact average ratings for games.

Oh I thought your point was "AFLW standard bad now, AFLW scheduling bad now".

You aren't reading the above chart properly, which is specifically about FTA ratings.

The number of AFLW games on free-to-air TV has increased as the league has expanded. Typically 8 AFLW games per round are on FTA. But each of those FTA games, on average, is only aired in two markets.

Therefore the above chart is comparing AFLW games aired solely into Sydney (for example) with WBBL games aired nationally. A very desperate and transparent comparison supplied by Cricket Australia.

 

[The Educator]

Only 66 thousand metro viewers for the A League opener.....down from 90 thousand last year for precisely the same match up

Nothing short of disaster

 

[dave10]

News website is stating that League has decided that PNG will become the 18th NRL team, thanks to the $ that the Australian government is paying for this bid.

I don’t understand why our Australian government does not promote and more widely support Australian Rules - which is the code of football developed in this country and is unique in the world

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy in July announced the federal government has put a $5.5 million package together to boost the PNG development campaign.

Albanese has reportedly indicated privately that his government is prepared to help underwrite a team with up to $25 million a year from the foreign aid budget

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/outrage-over-massive-rumour-nrls-18th-team-now-a-one-horse-race/news-story/cd1f95ceaaf2bea5e5df2d9a9817188e

I see this through a different lenses tbh. The Governments interest and backing of this licence is driven by Geo Political landscape. Namely, closer ties with PNG via an NRL team assists in our efforts to maintain preferential friendship ahead of China in an increasingly contested region.

Now, to me that’s something to be concerned about. I don’t like it. Good luck to PNG but I hope they’re the right location for the NRL expansion team for all the right reasons for the sport, not Australia’s geo political interests.

 

[dave10]

View attachment 1836567

‘The broadcast was almost unwatchable’: The insiders’ view on why Australia switched off AFLW

TV ratings and crowds are well down for women’s football. But AFLW insiders say timeslots, venues, football fatigue and poor broadcast quality are all contributing to hold back the game.

www.theage.com.au

edit: I cant read.

Have AFLW TV ratings collapsed this year?

 

[RedV3x]

The Governments interest and backing of this licence is driven by Geo Political landscape.

No, just Albanese's ego showing through again.
Should focus on fixing the economy.

 

[mblack42]

Have AFLW TV ratings collapsed this year?

Some thoughts:

Location, location, location. Casey Fields has probably the lowest average attendance of all the Victorian venues purely due to it's location. What's interesting is Hawthorn games are well attended at Frankston a similar distance away from central Melbourne but far more accessible with a train station nearby.

Timeslots. In fairness, the need to dance around the men's finals has resulted in games at odd times (5pm on Friday, 11am on Saturday). This will need to be looked at though I don't have an easy answer.

Use of venues for marquee games (showdowns, derbies, and big rivalries). Twice Collingwood has hosted Essendon at either AIA Centre or Punt Road due to being scheduled either on or the day before the GF. This kind of fixture would be perfect for somewhere like Marvel. Showdowns ideally should be played at AO. They got around 25k last year and it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that could be replicated one Port begins to improve as a team.

Whilst on the subject of venues, the lack of facilities at some really holds them back. Lack of seating, shelter (makes the games far more vulnerable to extreme heat or cold or storms affecting crowds with nowhere to escape the elements), food outlets, proper scoreboards/video screens etc. The stuff we take for granted at AFL venues. Not saying AFLW venues need to be upgraded to be all shelter, all seating and heaps of bars/food venues etc but this is something that is being tackled at some venues (e.g Whitten Oval).

On the TV side, 7 could actually put the games on the main channel rather than relegate it to 7Mate. I know it won't rate like the men's game, but do they seriously need to air Grease for like the 4th time this year.

On the ratings as well, does it take I to account how many people watch through the AFL app?

All of this is just to provide some context.

 

[Rob]

Of course not, this thread is for complaints about AFLW scheduling.


Oh I thought your point was "AFLW standard bad now, AFLW scheduling bad now".

You aren't reading the above chart properly, which is specifically about FTA ratings.

The number of AFLW games on free-to-air TV has increased as the league has expanded. Typically 8 AFLW games per round are on FTA. But each of those FTA games, on average, is only aired in two markets.

Therefore the above chart is comparing AFLW games aired solely into Sydney (for example) with WBBL games aired nationally. A very desperate and transparent comparison supplied by Cricket Australia.

Semantics. In each market, the number of FTA games has been roughly the same ever since the AFLW had 8 teams. Now with 18 teams, a far lower proportion of the games are on FTA in any given market.

Consequently the average numbers are lower.

 

[Teen Wolf]

In each market, the number of FTA games has been roughly the same ever since the AFLW had 8 teams. Now with 18 teams, a far lower proportion of the games are on FTA in any given market.

Neither of those things are true. And even if the number of games in each market was the same (which, I repeat, isn't the case), it doesn't say anything of how the games are spread out differently now. For example:

Scenario A (WBBL method)
Game 1: On FTA in VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NSW - collectively rates 200k
Game 2: Not on FTA anywhere
Game 3: Not on FTA anywhere
Game 4: Not on FTA anywhere
Game 5: Not on FTA anywhere
Therefore the average audience "per FTA match" is 200k

Scenario B (AFLW method)
Game 1: On FTA in VIC - rates 80k
Game 2: On FTA in SA - rates 40k
Game 3: On FTA in WA - rates 40k
Game 4: On FTA in QLD - rates 20k
Game 5: On FTA in NSW - rates 20k
Therefore the average audience "per FTA match" is 40k

Number of games on FTA in each market stays the same. But the average drops in Scenario B because the proportion of games on FTA has increased.

 

[Rob]

My apologies, I didn't see the graph specifying "FTA average", I just thought it was overall TV average.

 

[Walshawk]

A lot more games, most of which on Fox would be the main reason. But the standard dropped signficantly with the new teams. Poor timeslots don't help either.
TV audiences simply aren't big enough to have scheduling revolve around TV. Games should be scheduled to ensure the crowds are as high as possible. If that means 3 games at once, so be it.

Agree. Reckon most people would just be watching their own team. Before Hawks had a team I might have a look at a game each week. Now I will only watch if the Hawks are on at a convenient time. No interest in other games.

 

[The_Wookie]

 

[The Educator]

A League's announced attendance figures are inflated so much they can pretty much be categorised as satire now. Inflation on top of inflation.

 

[manicmagpie]

Code wars reignite after NRL’s ‘biggest sport in Australia’ claim in Las Vegas ad riles AFL followers

Wookie being cited in the media again...

 

[Bjo187]

Code wars reignite after NRL’s ‘biggest sport in Australia’ claim in Las Vegas ad riles AFL followers

Wookie being cited in the media again...

Lol that's hilarious, the arrogance is astounding. If it were in Australia they'd be taken to the ACCC for false advertising.

 

[The_Wookie]

Code wars reignite after NRL’s ‘biggest sport in Australia’ claim in Las Vegas ad riles AFL followers

Wookie being cited in the media again...

lol i didnt even see that. At least he credited the source - many dont

 

[kalex6251]

this spiv is obsessed with victoria for some reason .... every chance he was ignored for the entire duration of the dinner - and was sat right next to the dunny entrance



[edit] the LU diehards are enjoying this news release