British Rugby League Broadcasting Rights are up for grabs
Armagideon Time
Posts: 2,412 Forum Member
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Surprised no one's picked up on this yet;
ESPN could enter the market to televise Super League with Richard Lewis, the Rugby Football League's chairman, predicting "the most intense and competitive bidding process" for the right to broadcast both the flagship competition and the Challenge Cup from 2012.
The existing deals for both competitions, with Sky and the BBC respectively, expire at the end of this season
"There's ESPN who are active in the marketplace and already showing rugby union, so I don't think I'm divulging any secrets by saying that it's no surprise that ESPN are looking at it very seriously. Once you throw in the mix that the Challenge Cup has become very interesting and attractive to other terrestrial broadcasters, I think that creates a new dynamic for the whole rights bidding process.
"I think the BBC's very vulnerable to losing the rights to the Challenge Cup. There's more interest than I've ever known and I think it's a real possibility the Challenge Cup could end up somewhere else."
For what it's worth, I think the Super League will remain with Sky. As for the Challenge Cup, this is very interesting. And I agree with the RFL chairman; the BBC's hold on the Challenge Cup is under real threat, especially with the freezing of the licence fee, which means there's less in the pot to bid with than they would have liked. So which other terrestrial broadcaster would be seriously interested in the Challenge Cup rights? Channel 4 can be ruled out on the grounds that matches on Saturdays will clash with their horse racing coverage and for Channel 5, do we know if Richard Desmond likes the sport? That just leaves ITV as the most likely party to make a seriously attractive bid. They would have no problem showing the semi-finals and finals on ITV1, but I feel that they would show coverage of the earlier rounds on ITV4, but would the RFL agree with that? And would this contract be commercially viable for ITV? I also think that ITV would be interested in a Super League highlights package that they would show on ITV4 (in the same vein as the Rugby Union contract).
So what are peoples thoughts?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/06/espn-rugby-league-broadcast-rights
ESPN could enter the market to televise Super League with Richard Lewis, the Rugby Football League's chairman, predicting "the most intense and competitive bidding process" for the right to broadcast both the flagship competition and the Challenge Cup from 2012.
The existing deals for both competitions, with Sky and the BBC respectively, expire at the end of this season
"There's ESPN who are active in the marketplace and already showing rugby union, so I don't think I'm divulging any secrets by saying that it's no surprise that ESPN are looking at it very seriously. Once you throw in the mix that the Challenge Cup has become very interesting and attractive to other terrestrial broadcasters, I think that creates a new dynamic for the whole rights bidding process.
"I think the BBC's very vulnerable to losing the rights to the Challenge Cup. There's more interest than I've ever known and I think it's a real possibility the Challenge Cup could end up somewhere else."
For what it's worth, I think the Super League will remain with Sky. As for the Challenge Cup, this is very interesting. And I agree with the RFL chairman; the BBC's hold on the Challenge Cup is under real threat, especially with the freezing of the licence fee, which means there's less in the pot to bid with than they would have liked. So which other terrestrial broadcaster would be seriously interested in the Challenge Cup rights? Channel 4 can be ruled out on the grounds that matches on Saturdays will clash with their horse racing coverage and for Channel 5, do we know if Richard Desmond likes the sport? That just leaves ITV as the most likely party to make a seriously attractive bid. They would have no problem showing the semi-finals and finals on ITV1, but I feel that they would show coverage of the earlier rounds on ITV4, but would the RFL agree with that? And would this contract be commercially viable for ITV? I also think that ITV would be interested in a Super League highlights package that they would show on ITV4 (in the same vein as the Rugby Union contract).
So what are peoples thoughts?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/06/espn-rugby-league-broadcast-rights
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Comments
It is, until after DSO late in 2012.
The current list remains in force until the Government changes it.
When the Government shelved the Davies Committee recommendations it said it would begin a new REVIEW in 2013. That does not mean a new List will start in 2013. It means a new review starts and that review will take quite a long time.
Also note that no change in the List can interrupt an existing contract. So the next RL TV contract will be tendered on the basis of the Challenge Cup Final being on the List.
I do think with the next rights should include, a proper Highlights show on FTA, that shows Highlights from all the Super League games[similar to MOTD]. I'd broadcast it Sunday Nights between 10pm & 11pm or after MOTD2. The Super League Show is poor with it airing at different time slots, & only shows highlights of the Friday & Saturday games, & not the game beeing played on the Sunday.
I don't think an official figure was reported for 2009/11 but it was believed to be something over £50m for the 3 years - ie £17m per year (and that was when Setanta were bidding high for everything).
http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/163010/super-league-wins-new-tv-deals-and-plans-expansion
2004/08 was £13m per year and that was official per OFCOM (76/87):
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/market_invest_paytv/annexes/annex_10.pdf
So the price is well within the range where ESPN / another terrestrial could have a go at beating Sky / BBC. It's really a question of how interested anyone is.
Nobody else could top Sky's coverage. They have it down to a fine art.
That says quite a bit about the current state of the sport.
I think Sky will be keen to retain their rights but they won't regard it as a "must have". If ESPN go over the top Sky may well let them have it (on the basis ESPN will then have less available to bid in other areas).
BBC were only paying £2m per year for Challenge Cup from 2004 to 2008 (see same link). We don't know current deal but unlikely to exceed £3m per year. So it's really Mickey Mouse money - just a question of whether anyone else wants it more. BBC obviously can't bid much, if anything, more given their cuts.
That news story is pathetic scaring tactics to try and make Sky pay out more money. Yes of course ESPN are interested but so were Setanta last time and i highly doubt ESPN would pay anything like Setanta offered
Superleague will stay with Sky, unless they go along the primary secondary route with 66% of games on Sky and 33% on ESPN?!?
Challenge Cup will go to ITV ive heard.. but also been suggested that the RFL want to sell to Sky/ESPN with the final on terrestrial
Oh dear, Jim Rosenthal here we come. Lots of talk about "big hits" and "hard yards".
I think ESPN will get those rightsfor sure with Sky definitely holding the Super League - thats one of their pride and joys in their portfolio - no way they gonna lose that !
ITV have covered plenty of Rugby League even dating back to 1955.
I think they will go for the challenge cup and show the rounds on ITV 4 and the final on ITV1.
Hopefully Super League highlights will go to ITV4 as well.
He did for Granada's Rugby League Live
When you say plenty of RL can you give some facts? Not doubting you at all and my memory is bad but can't remember much on ITV apart from Great Britain test match vs France that I think was covered by Border/Granada/Yorkshire in early 1990's. Did ITV share coverage of the old League matches with BBC? I only ever seem to remember BBC coverage with Eddie Waring with floodlit cup and challenge Cup.
The ITV Trophy played in 1955
Rugby League Live
Scrumdown
Rugby League Raw
Ford Rugby League Live.
Not all regions took these.
Late 80s early 90s Granada, & i think Yorkshire used to have a game live on Saturday afternoons, from the old RL Championship, i remember Clive Tyldesley commentating for Granada.
You speak so highly of Sky's coverage, it puts some of the Sky employees input on DS to shame.
I agree with nearly all this post. Channel 4 may take the BBC's rights to the Challenge Cup.
Rugby League is a strange sport. It has two finals that both normally get 70,000 and 80,000 spectators. Its viewing figures for club rugby exceed union considerably. Gates are on par when you discount the bottom two clubs. (RL has a 14 team top division, rugby union 12)
Its lack of an international game is very damaging, Sposnorship is also a problem as the game is not widely publicised in the south. Despite this the grassroots game has seen record numbers of people playing in the south.
The 96 to 98 deal was a one-off as a result of the Super League War.
I'm 70% Sky will retain exclusive Super League, 10% ESPN will get SL exclusive, 19.9% there will be a joint deal and 0.1% that the RFL will gamble and accept a significant reduction in tv rights for an exclusive deal with Channel 4. (Hoping that there is increased sponsorship from other sources.)
I think the latter would be economic suicide, although channel 4 are seriously interested in rugby league this time round.
They wont even pay for horse racing.
I noticed the RL authorities desperately trying to talk this up in the press the other day.
I got the impression from the article they were trying to leverage more cash from Sky.
RL is really a minor sport. Good luck to it whatever it gets. I won't be avidly watching. I find the sport generally quite dreary.