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Rested AB's sees ratings dive
Article Published: Sunday 1 April 2007
Editor: Sports Digital Media
The Rupert Murdoch-owned media monolith, News Ltd, has revealed that there have been consequences to the 22 All Blacks having been rested from the opening rounds of this year's Super 14.
And it could be that the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) could reap those repercussions in terms of legal action. And lawsuits aside, there could be an even greater negative impact for SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) collectively.
News Ltd, who have the rights to broadcast all SANZAR rugby in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom (Supersport broadcasts in South Africa), help to keep the SANZAR unions afloat, with the fee they pay to retain those rights.
And now the corporation is not happy with the fact that the NZRU's decision to pull 22 of their frontline players from the opening stages of this year's Super 14 has caused a significant dip in the number of people tuning in to watch the competition.
Added to this is the report that the NZRU compensated their franchises for
losses they would incur in ticket revenue, dishing out first NZ$750 000, and now a further NZ$770 000 for their five franchises.
This, according to New Zealand newspaper the Sunday Star Times, is being seen as an admittance that their actions were devaluing the spectacle of the tournament.
"We argued that resting so many players would affect public interest in the competition and it has," told Greg Baxter, an executive of News Ltd.
"We'll talk with our broadcasters before forming a definitive view on what action might be taken," said Baxter.
A particularly insightful statistic demonstrates just exactly what the dip in viewing ratings has been: last year's opening match between the Blues and the Hurricanes saw 323 000 New Zealanders tune in, while this year's opening match between the Blues and the Crusaders drew an audience of only 188 000.
SANZAR's contract with News Ltd runs out in 2010, and it may be News Ltd decide that they no longer intend on doing business with SANZAR. If News Ltd pull out, it may not prove easy for SANZAR to find a successor as lucrative as News Ltd.
"Anything can happen in business, especially when money is involved," said Baxter.
Added to this issue is the fact that Australian viewing is in decline due to a slump in the performance of their sides.
The two traditional bastions of Australian provincial rugby, the Waratahs and the Reds, are both languishing at the bottom of the log.
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