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View Full Version : New TV deal a backward step?


psh03
08-29-2002, 02:02 AM
Looks like seven may relinquish its NSL rights except for the finals series with Fox Sports taking over the coverage of the regular season. Seven will maintain the rights to international matches which all they probably wanted in the first place.

Is this a smart move by the NSL? If it wasn't would we be suprised? Seven's coverage of the NSL season has been disgraceful and having pay TV myself I can still watch NSL matches, but what can you do if you don't have access to pay TV? Free-to-air TV coverage still remains our best hope of developing interest in soccer in Australia and allowing Seven to cherry pick the best and most marketable portions of the game make its sale to another comercial network near impossible. Hopefully some sort of arrangement can be found where SBS will broadcast the match of the round on free to air. I still believe their is an audience for NSL in Australia. Have you seen the garbage on weekend TV? Motorsport, dull made-for-tv movies and a sport show where no game is shown. People will watch anything if it is on TV and surely an NSL match is better than any of those alternatives.
Looney
08-29-2002, 02:59 PM
I hope SBS does take over the coverage, they've already shown they're better than 9 at the WC and is the only station that doesn't treat football as a sideshow that billions of people treat as a religion. The commercial stations try to get a slice of the football pie but doesn't know how to use it, they're only ruining Australian football.
psh03
08-29-2002, 03:41 PM
It makes comercial sense too. Channel nine no doubt benefitted from SBS' coverage because it created more interest in the WC with all the games being shown. If fox sports do buy the rights, relinquishing a game to SBS to show on free to air would hopefully attract a wider audience to soccer and perhaps more pay tv subscribers.
Looney
08-30-2002, 02:21 PM
A (decent) highlights package before the EPL match replay on Sunday would be good enough, or a match a week would be enough. Not asking for much, but at the moment only zombies and people with 30+ channels get to watch the NSL on TV, that's no way to attract new audience.
Aussie-Bosanac
10-01-2002, 12:28 PM
SBS should cover the NSL, people there got the expertise, the knowledge and the passion for the game.

Les is a God!!
psh03
10-01-2002, 05:16 PM
No arguments from me.
bro09
10-02-2002, 08:55 AM
i asked them a question on the world game but i dindn't hear the answer but they said a change was happening i think. SBS don't have the rights because SA want a channel that is seen as non "Wogs" channel which is stupid! i can't see how having the finals series helps cause who wants to watch finals when you know no players or teams! you need to see 1 or 2 nsl matches in 12noon> 930pm time a week. not 12 midnight which they wont even do now!
Looney
10-03-2002, 06:30 AM
The SA doesn't realise that "wogs" watching the NSL is better than "absolutely no f-ing body". And with all the people tuning in the EPL on SBS they're bound to have some people who'll also watch the NSL. Right now no one is interested 'cause no one can watch it.
psh03
10-03-2002, 05:44 PM
They have had a fair amount of time to work it out since 7 pulled the plug before the end of last season. I think SA are trying to get the most money possible for the rights and not realising that even with a TV contract the NSL is dying because no one is watching.
Looney
10-04-2002, 03:53 PM
It's just very poor administration. They're out to get more money now instead of thinking in the long term.