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m0nty

Perhaps not surprising that the media coverage fails to point out that a lot of the impetus for showing live games is not coming from the fans, but from betting agencies who stand to make a killing. Just like cricket has been changed by Indians betting on Mo Balls, the Darwin-based bookies are gagging for live games in prime time, especially if they can get branding on the TV coverage for spot betting odds. That $50M shortfall mentioned by Sheahan could easily be made up by the agencies.

Tony

My biggest gripe about delayed games comes, not surprisingly, on Friday night. That gripe in turn stems primarily from the start of the match.

I love to listen to the radio lead up for 6:00 to 7:30 on a combination of AW, SEN and 774, but when the game starts you can't flick on the TV to watch the match and you have an hour black out until the match starts, if you don't want to know the score.

Then there is the situation which probably bugs Seven, which is the half time turn off. I pretty much always check the score on the radio at half time to see how the match ended up. If it's a good match I will sometimes stick with the telly, but if it's a howler I watch something else or go to bed.

Sunday arvo is a fvcken liberty, but I'm often doing something so it doesn't bother me too often.

This morning on SEN Ten employee Andy Maher was conceding delayed telecasts on Saturday night, but kept stressing to Andy Gaze they were "occasionally delayed". Now, I guess Ten do do the odd live game, but it struck me that Radar was trying to give the impression Ten did the majority live and the minority on delay. Can someone do the numbers please.

os

OT.

This headline made me jump, until I read further ...

Demons put hand up for Fevola
Perth have not ruled out making an audacious bid to lure controversial full-forward Brendan Fevola. 06:53

Tony

Not just the Demons in Perth, but the Demons affiliate in Melbourne, too. Maybe Fev is putting out feelers to every team with an evil-evoking name.

m0nty

Perhaps Radar was referring to the practice of stringing a game out by inserting more seconds of ads in between goals than actually ticked over during the live game.

Tony

That's why the stations do not want to go live. If they pay a billion they will have to come up with the advertising revenue, which means they want better control of the ads. That's not possible in a low scoring live game. If they budget to have, say, eight ads a quarter, they are in the shit if they go live and only four goals are kicked. If they delay they can guarantee the eight ads.

Professor Rosseforp

surely for a billion bucks the tv could set up Total World Aussierules Tournament Series [TWATS] and run it themselves?

Tony

Ha ha, ho ho, it is to laugh:

No decision on Friday night live football, although Channel Seven has indicated it will consider live coverage whether or not stipulated by the league.

If the AFL don't etch in stone a clause which says the host broadcaster must show Friday night live then there is Buckley's chance of Seven showing more than a hand full of matches live on Friday night.

Seven will not show bulk live footy without a contractual obligation to do so.

Gareth

Proving there's no idea that can't be borrowed from American football, here's something to consider. Why not push the actual start time on Friday nights back from 7.40pm to 8.40pm, or at least 8.10pm?

If the AFL can stand the howls of outrage that it's not family friendly, is there merit in such a move? Seven can then slot in BH&G at 7pm (or retain at 7.30pm for the later bouncedown) and the footy can go live.

Of course, won't make squat difference to us here in the west, who currently get the lazy 3 hour delay in season (stretching to 4 hours while DLS is still in vogue).

Tony

Gaz, the original post contains a link to this article:

New TV deal spells later footy starts

ANOTHER of football's longstanding traditions is likely to be broken with a new TV-rights deal almost certain to consign 2.10pm match-starts to history.

The free-to-air commercial networks are lobbying the AFL for 3pm starts to Saturday and Sunday afternoon matches from 2012. This would let the networks move straight from the end of games into their 6pm news slots - lessening the chance of losing viewers to rival channels.

''The landscape has changed in the last couple of weeks because of the AFL position on TV-rights negotiations,'' said an unnamed top official from one club.

''All games that would have started at 2.10pm will now almost certainly start at 3pm.

''That's from 2012 onwards when the new rights are done.''

Interesting that the report is couched in the pejorative - "ANOTHER of football's longstanding traditions is likely to be broken". I would have thought most fans would rather telecasts were live. Still, that article refers to Saturday & Sunday afternoon, neither of which attract anywhere near the heat generated by the delayed Friday night telecasts.

Tony

Oh, and the extravagant delay into the West is one of the more self-indulgent and wanton crimes of broadcasting. Totally unsupportable. The only reason it exists is to help Nine pad their programming.

Adsy

The free-to-air broadcasters constantly bleat about the need to keep sport free for everyone (via heavy advertising) and not into the hands of the evil pay TV conglomerates but then hold the sport to ransom in the process to get what they want. The sooner sport goes free for all the better I reckon. I was previously in the FTA camp but I'll change my vote if Friday night isn't live.

It should be the next national referendum. Something people actually care about.

Yobbo

Just got a box set up to receive Aurora Satellite TV and with it Imparja TV and Seven Central..I'm hoping one of those will be showing it live..At the least I know they show the cricket live.

TKYC

Games broadcast live 'against the gate' is a worry for mine... surely if more people stayed home, then the game loses punch and atmosphere.
Just imagine a big Friday night game at the G with only 3000 fans there... it would be like watching the Vics ODI games.

...perhaps I'm in a minority.


Oh yeah... there is no excuse for games outside the state being delayed.

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