Play Nice 2024 Non AFL Crowds/Ratings and other Industry thread

Remove this Banner Ad

Super rugby teams, from what I can establish, have a salary cap of $5.5 million. That seems extraordinary given it would have a peppercorn media deal and they play just the 7 home games a season. Not exactly a cheap comp to run either given the travel.

How could you not lose millions a year?
Super Rugby is heavily propped up by the New Zealand teams. NZ Rugby give Rugby Australia $7 million in payments to stay afloat.

Worth noting RA is in $80 million in debt and is only hanging on with decent loan rates due to us hosting a British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 and the Rugby WC in 2027 which will bring in huge money. RA made $130 million on the 2003 WC for example. How they squandered all that money is ridiculous
 
What happens when there is no cultural value produced by the Investment?

Cultural value is obviously very subjective but ultimately where a government grants a company / sporting organisation they will need to acquit that by reporting back agreed terms (eg community access provided etc). Where it is capital contribution, it will generally be required to maintain the asset over the life of the agreement and then provide the asset back in a specified condition (note the stupidity in making comparisons between what AFL /NRL clubs receive compared to the ever squealing soccer set).

For the Rebels and Storm I am guessing one of the bases for the subsidy is the inclusion / participation / pathway benefits to Melbourne's Pacifika community.
 
I'm sure someone will find a non paywalled link, but apparently the NRL are looking to sign a 5 year, $200 million deal to show NRL games in the US.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

I'm sure someone will find a non paywalled link, but apparently the NRL are looking to sign a 5 year, $200 million deal to show NRL games in the US.
The TV Deal they're seeking isn't work $200 million.

V'Landys just said it would be good to have a TV deal locked in (duh) for the remaining four years of their planned Las Vegas venture, after they signed a one-year deal for the two games this year, and that he anticipates the US venture could eventually gather $200 million in revenue (seems a bit ambitious).
 
The TV Deal they're seeking isn't work $200 million.

V'Landys just said it would be good to have a TV deal locked in (duh) for the remaining four years of their planned Las Vegas venture, after they signed a one-year deal for the two games this year, and that he anticipates the US venture could eventually gather $200 million in revenue (seems a bit ambitious).
Can you post the link
 
On the rebels, I legit didn't even know they were still in existence and I live in Melbourne. They get zero media so would of course they wouldn't survive.

It's a good wake up call to the afl, let your game become private school dominated at your own peril.
Unlike The Storm, The Rebels made no real and genuine effort to immerse themselves into the Melbourne sporting culture. The Storm were / are respectful of their place, first class in engaging Melbournes sporting landscape, try to compliment and work with AFL etc. their players openly talk of their liking of AFL and openly embrace their love of it and the city. The Rebels, unseen, unheard of, not on the hustings and appear to not be bothered. A club that appears privileged, run by elites, ignorant of the community aspects of their growth and consequently now in Administratuon.

Just goes to show how important putting ‘the fans’ at the forefront of everything you do to be successful. They were hopeless.
 
Unlike The Storm, The Rebels made no real and genuine effort to immerse themselves into the Melbourne sporting culture. The Storm were / are respectful of their place, first class in engaging Melbournes sporting landscape, try to compliment and work with AFL etc. their players openly talk of their liking of AFL and openly embrace their love of it and the city. The Rebels, unseen, unheard of, not on the hustings and appear to not be bothered. A club that appears privileged, run by elites, ignorant of the community aspects of their growth and consequently now in Administratuon.

Just goes to show how important putting ‘the fans’ at the forefront of everything you do to be successful. They were hopeless.

Storm had news.ltd promoting them in Melbourne though through the Herald Sun etc. That's a big advantage. I still don't think the storm have grown at all in the past 15 years though.

The rebels needed to attempt to get the media onside. There would be a lot of expat kiwi and saffas living here they could have engaged. I only really remember them existing when that cipriani bloke played, not sure when that was though.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #60

This summer, Seven’s Test and BBL coverage has reached a combined 10.5 million Australians nationally, including 7.1 million in the capital cities. The 2023-24 cricket season has made Seven #1 so far this summer, with a 43.2% all people commercial audience share – its highest ever share at this point in summer. Seven also ranks #1 in people 25 to 54.

WBBL

A record-breaking 95,124 fans attended matches throughout WBBL|09, making this the highest attended season since the competition went standalone in 2019.

Each of the eight Clubs saw an increase in attendance at home and away season matches, with six Clubs setting a new attendance record this season.

The WBBL|09 Final set a new attendance record, with 12,379 fans turning up to watch a thrilling end to the season at Adelaide Oval, making it the largest crowd ever at a WBBL game in Adelaide. It beats the previous record of 10,535 attendees at Adelaide Oval in WBBL|01.

The Final crowd also marks the second highest attendance at a WBBL game since the competition became standalone for WBBL|05. At the WBBL Final, over 12,000 fans saw their Strikers win their second consecutive Championship, a crowd three times bigger than the WBBL team had played in front of in their home state

The Heat’s WBBL Final against the Adelaide Strikers had an average national viewership of over 410k, the highest rating WBBL match in two seasons.

The Scorchers’ Finals pursuit was supported by average crowds of 2190 at the WACA Ground, alongside a 19% growth in TV audiences on last season.

Womens T20 International Series v South Africa

The first Women’s T20 between Australia and South Africa reached 1.11 million people on Seven – the biggest for a women’s international in Australia in the past 12 months.

BBL

Attendance


Cricket Australia believes their decision to shorten the Big Bash has been vindicated, with crowds at the halfway point of the tournament up 29 per cent on last year. Crowds across the first 20 games of this summer’s KFC BBL have averaged 17,473, compared with 13,530 in 2022-23.

Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder have also recorded their highest regular-season crowds.

The 2023/24 tournament saw crowds rise by 27 per cent and more than 800,000 people attending regular season matches – to an average of 20,184 per match. A total of 1,005,506 fans attended BBL across the summer, with the final crowd of 43,153 the biggest ever in Sydney in the history of the competition.

There were six sold-out matches in the regular season with another five games bringing in more than 40,000 fans which hadn’t been done since BBL|06. Brisbane’s crowds grew by 45 per cent this season.

20,919 fans attended the Heats Qualifier Final against the Sydney Sixers at a sold-out Gold Coast Stadium, setting a new cricket record for the Gold Coast. The Sixers also hosted two sell-outs, including the highest ever Big Bash crowd at the SCG of 41,027 for the Sydney Smash, and a record BBL attendance at the club’s regional match at C.eX International Stadium in Coffs Harbour.

Crowds flocked to the SCG with average BBL tickets sold to the iconic venue up 18% year-on-year (YoY). This year’s average SCG BBL crowd was 22,188.

The Scorchers home-and-away season saw 178,291 attendees flood through the gates of Optus Stadium at an average of 35,658 per game. This represents an extraordinary growth in average attendance on BBL|12 of 9,168 per game, or 35% larger crowds. Boxing Day’s victory over the Melbourne Renegades saw a record home-and-away Scorchers crowd of 42,226 in attendance, one of two occasions the club broke the 40,000 mark this season.

In total, 211,408 fans attended the six fixtures in Perth.

Adelaide crowds were a big contributor to the numbers – the Strikers New Year’s Eve crowd of 42,506 was the biggest of the regular season, only beaten by the Final, while 20,000+ attended all other completed matches at Adelaide Oval.

Members

The Melbourne Stars have broken their membership record for the second straight year, with 14,185 people signing up to see the Stars across WBBL|09 and BBL|13. The Stars also note that Fans have also voted with their eyeballs with Stars games rating 9.1 per cent higher on TV than BBL|12.

The Brisbane Heat also set a new membership record with 14,507 members signing on. The Heat enjoyed corporate support to match with a 21 percent increase in corporate hospitality guests enjoying the season in luxury.

The Sixers currently have 9,800 members, smashing the club’s previous record of 3,450.

The Scorchers experienced a 26% year-on-year growth in WACA and Perth Scorchers Membership, with over 17,000 Members forming the backbone of the club’s fan base.

Merchandise

Brisbane Heat merchandise also sold-out record levels, with BBL|13 representing the club’s biggest season in merchandise sales since BBL|07 while the Sixers report merchandise sales at their venues also increased by over 44% YOY.

TV Ratings

Total audience across all mediums averages 608,000 for the season, with an aggregated average audience of 26.2m including Finals.

The new season of the BBL got off to a cracking start with the Seven Network’s live and free coverage of the showdown between the Brisbane Heat and the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba reaching 1.9 million Australians. The Heat’s triumph over the Stars pulled an average of 504,000 viewers nationally and ranked #1 in its timeslot in all people, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s. Seven was the most-watched network, with a commanding 41.1% national commercial audience share.

Despite a large number of rain-affected matches, BBL|13 reached 9.4 million people nationally on Seven, including 6.3 million in the capital cities.

The BBL’s national season average was 492,000 viewers. Seven’s BBL audience was up 3% nationally year-on-year and up 7% in the capital cities, including a 33% jump in Brisbane and a 10% lift in Adelaide plus a 2% increase in Melbourne.

The Final capped a strong year for BBL, with average crowd attendance numbers up 23.7% and Seven’s TV audience growing on the previous summer.

The Final between the Brisbane Heat and the Sydney Sixers in front of a record crowd at the SCG reaching 2.4 million people nationally. The Heat’s commanding victory over the Sixers drew an average audience of 738,000 viewers nationally and took the #1 spot in its hotly-contested timeslot in all people, 25 to 54s
and 16 to 39s.

The Heat averaged 634k viewers per game across the BBL season with streaming numbers through Kayo, Foxtel Go and Foxtel Now still to be added. Channel Seven’s free to air coverage was a particular highlight of the summer with Brisbane viewership for Heat matches increasing by 40 percent and metro TV numbers increasing by 8 percent.

FoxCricket/Kayo

Cricket fans have flocked to Kayo Sports this summer, with BBL13 already the most streamed series of all time ahead of the finals.,

Audiences on FoxCricket averaged 119,000 per session, while streaming audiences were estimnated to have average 107,000 for the season.

Fox Sports confirmed that more than 558 million minutes of BBL content before the finals – including live action, pre and post-game coverage and short-form content, including Kayo Minis – had been streamed by viewers. Overall, viewership data from games one to 37 of the BBL regular season indicated 16 per cent year-on-year growth.

The most streamed moment of the BBL season was Aaron Finch’s farewell match between his Melbourne Renegades and the Melbourne Stars, with more than 170,000 people streaming his final BBL innings. It was the all-time No. 1 streaming audience for a regular season BBL game.

Indian Television

More than 55 million viewers watched the entire BBL|13 season on Star Sports Network, 203% more than the previous season, making it the most-watched edition in India. Furthermore, the broadcaster has recorded 3.75 billion minutes of watch time, 105% higher than the previous season

Test Cricket

482,486 people attended 19 days of mens test match cricket over the 2023-24 season at an average of 25,394 per day.

Seven’s coverage of the Australia v Pakistan and Australia v West Indies Tests reached 9.87 million people, including 6.64 million in the capital cities.

The summer Test coverage on Seven grew year-on-year, including a 4% lift in metropolitan markets, and had an average audience of 686,000 nationally and 443,000 in the capital cities.

The three Australia v Pakistan Tests reached 8.75 million people nationally (5.8 million in the capital cities), with an average national audience of 725,000 nationally. The average audience was up 3% nationally on the same Tests in the 2022-23 season and up 4% in the capital cities. The first Test in Perth saw a 29% increase nationally year-on-year (up 31% in the capital cities), while the third Test was up 3% nationally and 4% in the capital cities.

Australia v Pakistan –

The three tests had attendances of 349,252 at an average of 29,104 per day, peaking on Boxing day at the MCG with 62,167. A Test record crowd for Pakistan in Perth, 59,125 fans, went through the Optus Stadium gates over the four days of the Perth Test. The SCG reported 125, 292 spectators for its New Years Test – the best since the 2018/19 season.

The Seven Network’s live and free coverage of Australia’s historic victory over Pakistan in the West Test at Optus Stadium hooked viewers, reaching 5.97 million Australians nationally and averaging a daily peak audience of 894,000 viewers. With an average broadcast audience of 631,000 viewers, the West Test dominated its timeslots – ranking #1 in all people, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s – and was up 24% on last year’s opening Test. Session two on the fourth day of the Test saw the biggest audience, with 885,000 viewers nationally and a reach of 1.8 million.

The NRMA Insurance West Test linear TV ratings were up 22% on last year’s opening Test across Foxtel and the Seven Network, with streaming audiences across Foxtel Group up 43%.

Australia’s triumph over Pakistan in the second Test at the MCG was a summer hit for the Seven Network, with its live and free coverage reaching 5.5 million Australians nationally and averaging a daily peak audience of 850,000 viewers. The second Test scored an average broadcast audience of 720,000 viewers. It dominated its timeslots, ranking #1 in all people, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s. The biggest audience was achieved with the third session on Day Three, which had an average of 948,000 viewers nationally and reached 2.1 million.

Seven’s third Test coverage reached 4.9 million people nationally and had an average daily peak audience of 1.1 million. The third Test on Seven delivered an average broadcast audience of 644,000 and ranked #1 in its timeslots in all people, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s. The biggest audience came during the third session on Day 1 with an average audience of 897,000 nationally and an audience reach of 1.9 million.

In India, the bilateral series between Australia and Pakistan witnessed more than 9.5 million viewers tune in for the three Test matches, a remarkable 54% increase compared to the previous Pakistan tour down under.

Australia v West Indies

The West Indies Series was attended by 133,234 at an average of 19,033 per day, peaking at 29,216 on day 2 at the Gabba. The total match attendance for the Brisbane Test was 67,164, the largest for a Test Match in Brisbane against West Indies.

A roll-up of 23,602 was the best attendance ever for day one of a Test match against the West Indies at the Gabba.

Australia’s victory over the West Indies in the first Test of the series was a hit for the Seven Network, reaching 3.8 million people nationally and averaging a daily peak audience of 879,000. The first Test scored an average broadcast audience of 438,000 and ranked #1 in its timeslots in all people, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s. The biggest audience came with the third session on Day Two, with an average audience of 657k nationally and an audience reach of 1.7 million.

Across the four days, the Seven Network’s live and free coverage of the second Test reached 6.7 million people nationally. The second Test scored an average total TV audience of 875,000 across the four days of sessions, The second session on Day Four scored the biggest total TV number, with a national audience reach of 2.2 million and an average audience of 1.4 million.

More than 1.4 million viewers watched during the final stages of the Test as West Indies quick Shamar Joseph and Australian batter Steve Smith fought to get their teams over the line.

Media Deal

In January 2023, Cricket Australia announced that Seven Network and Foxtel will remain the sport’s broadcasters in Australia for the next seven years in a $1.5 billion deal. The $1.512 billion deal represents a payment increase of 10.5 per cent per year and commences in 2024.

Under the deal, there will be two five-test Ashes home series against England, and two five-test home series against India.

For the first time, all Seven games — all men’s tests and women’s internationals, 23 WBBL matches and 33 of the 43 BBL matches — will also be streamed on 7plus.

All games will be live on Fox Cricket and Kayo including Australian men’s white-ball internationals and 10 exclusive BBL games.

The women’s international program will increase, with home multi-format series against India, England and South Africa in the first three years of the deal.

In 2022, Cricket Australia announced that Disney Star had acquired the rights to broadcast all men’s and women’s international cricket played in Australia into India on a seven-year deal. The deal, which commenced in 2023-24, will see Disney Star televise all internationals matches as well as the KFC Big Bash League and Weber Women’s Big Bash League into the world’s largest cricket market.

Participation

A program record 66,186 kids have signed up for Woolworths Cricket Blast compared with 50,328 at the same time last season. This already exceeds last season’s total of 64,898 registered participants. Growth amongst girls has been particularly strong with 17,842 registered so far this season compared with 11,713 at the same time last year – more than last season’s total of 17,814.

Of the more than 1500 respondents nationwide, 26% of those with children aged 5-12 would consider enrolling them in Woolworths Cricket Blast, with the AFL’s Auskick program second with 13% and basketball’s Aussie Hoops at 12%.

According to the 2023 Annual Report, Junior and Senior club registrations are up 1% on last year, and 3% on pre covid. Junior registrations are up 2.5%

Financial

Cricket Australia reported a comprehensive loss of 16.894m in 2023 with revenuies of 426m for the year.

  • Media, Broadcasting and Marketing $235.469m
  • Commercial Sponsorship $76.487m
  • Match Income $32.940m
  • Distributions $22.870m
References

 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #61
1707462884081.png

Lots of fun readiung here in this report for Rugby Australia Here are a selection of key findings the report identifies:

  • 1. Almost two-thirds of Rugby Union fans (61%) say that the sport is heading in the wrong direction right now.
  • 2. More than two-thirds of Rugby Union fans (69%) say that Rugby Australia is doing a poor job right now, with many lacking confidence that the organisation understands how to get the game back on track (45%).
  • 3. The overwhelming majority of Rugby Union fans say they are dissatisfied with the current development of the grassroots systems (71%), clearly choosing to prioritise growth of the grassroots game over ‘recruiting talent from other sporting codes’ (87%) and ‘ensuring that the Wallabies win more games (67%).
  • 4. More than one-quarter of Rugby Union fans in Australia (28%) support a national team other than the Wallabies, with around one in five (21%) identifying as supporters of the All Blacks.
  • 5. Many Rugby Union fans are also highly engaged with other sports such as cricket (47%) and rugby league (41%), with a significant proportion also saying that they regularly watch these sports.
  • 6. An overwhelming majority of Union fans support the exits of both Hamish McLennan (71%) and Eddie Jones (68%).
  • 7. Approximately three-quarters of fans (76%) agree that the next Wallabies Head Coach should be given until after the next Rugby World Cup to show results.
  • 8. Four fifths of Rugby Union fans (81%) want to see to see more fixtures.
  • 9. Although almost half of Rugby Union fans (47%) believe things will begin improve for Australian rugby over the next 12 months, many remain pessimistic about the Wallabies chances against the British & Irish Lions 2025. Two-thirds (65%) believe that the Wallabies will lose the series.
  • 10. There is overwhelming support for better retention of school-aged talent to continue playing Rugby Union (71%) and a majority support lowering the tackle height to below the sternum (50%).
 
View attachment 1901799

Lots of fun readiung here in this report for Rugby Australia Here are a selection of key findings the report identifies:

  • 1. Almost two-thirds of Rugby Union fans (61%) say that the sport is heading in the wrong direction right now.
  • 2. More than two-thirds of Rugby Union fans (69%) say that Rugby Australia is doing a poor job right now, with many lacking confidence that the organisation understands how to get the game back on track (45%).
  • 3. The overwhelming majority of Rugby Union fans say they are dissatisfied with the current development of the grassroots systems (71%), clearly choosing to prioritise growth of the grassroots game over ‘recruiting talent from other sporting codes’ (87%) and ‘ensuring that the Wallabies win more games (67%).
  • 4. More than one-quarter of Rugby Union fans in Australia (28%) support a national team other than the Wallabies, with around one in five (21%) identifying as supporters of the All Blacks.
  • 5. Many Rugby Union fans are also highly engaged with other sports such as cricket (47%) and rugby league (41%), with a significant proportion also saying that they regularly watch these sports.
  • 6. An overwhelming majority of Union fans support the exits of both Hamish McLennan (71%) and Eddie Jones (68%).
  • 7. Approximately three-quarters of fans (76%) agree that the next Wallabies Head Coach should be given until after the next Rugby World Cup to show results.
  • 8. Four fifths of Rugby Union fans (81%) want to see to see more fixtures.
  • 9. Although almost half of Rugby Union fans (47%) believe things will begin improve for Australian rugby over the next 12 months, many remain pessimistic about the Wallabies chances against the British & Irish Lions 2025. Two-thirds (65%) believe that the Wallabies will lose the series.
  • 10. There is overwhelming support for better retention of school-aged talent to continue playing Rugby Union (71%) and a majority support lowering the tackle height to below the sternum (50%).
Not good reading for RA is an understatement.
 
Storm had news.ltd promoting them in Melbourne though through the Herald Sun etc. That's a big advantage. I still don't think the storm have grown at all in the past 15 years though.

The rebels needed to attempt to get the media onside. There would be a lot of expat kiwi and saffas living here they could have engaged. I only really remember them existing when that cipriani bloke played, not sure when that was though.
The Storm have strong underlying support and with a really strong commercial CEO in Rodski running the Club, it will convert its base support into commercial growth if it continues to perform on field. Its membership is strong and Rodski is building its corporate partnerships and diversifying its supporter base. But as you say, they need to keep focussing on grassroots and a strong participation focus to grow its foothold.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Unlike The Storm, The Rebels made no real and genuine effort to immerse themselves into the Melbourne sporting culture. The Storm were / are respectful of their place, first class in engaging Melbournes sporting landscape, try to compliment and work with AFL etc. their players openly talk of their liking of AFL and openly embrace their love of it and the city. The Rebels, unseen, unheard of, not on the hustings and appear to not be bothered. A club that appears privileged, run by elites, ignorant of the community aspects of their growth and consequently now in Administratuon.

Just goes to show how important putting ‘the fans’ at the forefront of everything you do to be successful. They were hopeless.
And I'm sure AFL players talk about their liking for the NRL.
It's mutual respect from both sides.
 
The Storm have strong underlying support and with a really strong commercial CEO in Rodski running the Club, it will convert its base support into commercial growth if it continues to perform on field. Its membership is strong and Rodski is building its corporate partnerships and diversifying its supporter base. But as you say, they need to keep focussing on grassroots and a strong participation focus to grow its foothold.

Off membership and attendance to their games they make 1/3rd of what the giants do and about 1/6th of what the suns do. That gives you an indication of how small they actually are.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #66
Off membership and attendance to their games they make 1/3rd of what the giants do and about 1/6th of what the suns do. That gives you an indication of how small they actually are.

Storm membership isnt that far off the pace and they dont publish gate takings.


2022
Storm

1707532901473.png

GWS
1707532933402.png

Gold Coast
1707533027280.png


Pre COVID

1707533160983.png

1707533225028.png

1707533276466.png
 
Last edited:
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #68
I was going off your own xcel table on that.

View attachment 1902363

The tables are only a basic comparision but the devil is always in the detail. The Storm dont publish gate takings, and to get the GWS figure we had to subtract the AFL distribution from their reported figures. Even Gold Coasts isnt directly comparable.
 
The tables are only a basic comparision but the devil is always in the detail. The Storm dont publish gate takings, and to get the GWS figure we had to subtract the AFL distribution from their reported figures. Even Gold Coasts isnt directly comparable.

I reckon an asterisk next to the ones that don't directly relate would be good then. Unless it's most of them. It's still pretty poor for a 1 team in the whole state to be as small as the smallest clubs in the AFL and probably the 11th or 12th football club in Victoria.

They should be compared to the swans as an equivalent. I gaurantee the storm get more favourable media in Melbourne than the swans get in Sydney too.
 
To my surprise there is momentum gathering for the return of the North Sydney Bears to the NRL in some form, with V'Landys and fox giving backing.
 
To my surprise there is momentum gathering for the return of the North Sydney Bears to the NRL in some form, with V'Landys and fox giving backing.
I might be missing something but from a code broader health perspective, why bother? Surely the NRL are best to grow their footprint by growing into growth markets?
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Play Nice 2024 Non AFL Crowds/Ratings and other Industry thread

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top