The other thing is that they could be streaming the non-broadcast games free.
From Brett McKay on The Roar:
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Broadcast details
The working model of Fox Sports broadcasting one game live per week – on Thursday nights, following an ITM Cup game, and leading into their RugbyHQ program – remains the case. Fagan indicated that Fox Sports will monitor how the competition starts, and will have the option of increasing the number of games they cover each week.
Simply put, if the numbers are good enough, more live games each week are possible.
Fagan confirmed that Foxtel and Fox Sports were the first and only broadcast partner the ARU approached, and “they showed significant interest from the outset, and obviously invested a significant amount of money into the competition itself”.
Indeed, the reported figure of $1.5 Million in cash, plus production costs of live matches (the number of which is not limited, as mentioned above) is indeed a “significant investment”. Free-to-air television networks, including the ABC and SBS, were not approached.
The live streaming of other games is still very much on the agenda is being worked on in conjunction with Fox, as per the terms of their exclusivity arrangements. It’s unclear as yet whether these games would be streamed through the Fox Sports website, or through a dedicated NRC site, or both. All details, including production elements are currently being worked on.
Fagan confirmed that the digital rights sit with Fox as part of their NRC broadcast rights deal.
The big news on this front though, is that these streamed games will be available for free.
“Whichever [streaming] option we go with, it will be free access,” Fagan said. “The core objective of this competition is to provide high level rugby in a very accessible way, whether that’s the ticket prices for the matches themselves, or for streaming for those who don’t have Fox Sports.”
Other details, including geo-blocking issues that may or may not arise, and the ability to watch full game replays – which is a “good concept” that the ARU have discussed internally, and something they would like to make happen – is also part of the ongoing discussion currently in progress.
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http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/07/15...ems-go-launch/