No, its wafl - waffle!!!

AFL clubs could paint their logos on snails and race them, have backing by 7 and the newspapers and destroy the A-League in ratings.

Maybe even a grass growing competition

Crowd at Fremantle has passed 10k they said, would glory have 5k?

Grand final crowd would be at least 5k I reckon.

Netball on attack as next women’s sport on prime time TV


Super Netball host and Today anchor Sylvia Jeffreys and Nine Network managing director Amanda Laing. Picture: Renee Nowytarger.

Women’s sport is coming of age as the imminent launch of a revamped netball league on to prime time free-to-air television and the surprising success of women’s Australian football recast the value of rights for broadcasters and corporate sponsors alike.

Netball Australia has big ­ambitions of emulating the ­ratings boon of the inaugural AFLW competition as its historic five-year broadcast rights and revenue-sharing agreement with Nine ­Entertainment Company kicks off next Saturday.

Nine’s plan to drive corporate and advertising support has seen it boldly elevate netball to a prime time free-to-air slot, a first for the sport.

“Even Netball Australia was shocked when we said we were going to put it on prime time, but for us that’s the best way to get corporate Australia behind it,” Nine Entertainment managing director Amanda Laing told The Australian.

Nine and Netball Australia forged their unique partnership by becoming joint partners in the newSuncorp Super Netball League.

Unlike other sports broadcast deals that typically involve a straight monetary transaction for exclusive broadcast rights, Netball Australia and Nine are operating in a revenue-sharing part­nership where the two work together on everything from sponsorships and TV advertising to on-court assets, signage and bibs.

The deal includes a Saturday night live double-header on Nine, as well as two delayed games. ­Telstra will also broadcast two ­exclusive matches per week live via Telstra TV as well as simulcast Nine’s two live matches. All games will also be available live on a “Netball Live” mobile app.

It’s a deal that Netball ­Aust­ralia chief Marne Fechner said was necessary to grow the sport and commercialise the league in an environment where the rugby league, AFL and cricket continue to dominate ratings and the ­lucrative spending on sports rights.

“The unique thing about our deal with Telstra and Nine is that we are trying to create a different commercial paradigm for our sport. There’s a defined set of (value) that broadcasters have to pay for sports (rights) and AFL and cricket and NRL continue to demand an ever increasing ­proportionof that,” she said.

“So sports like netball (have to) innovate in a way to partner with broadcasters differently to deliver the commercial growth and ­outcomes that we need and that is what this partnership represents.”

The imminent launch of the new netball season comes hot on the heels of the success of the women’s AFL competition, which continues to attract large crowds and eyeballs to its online and TV broadcasts.

The inaugural game of the AFLW was not only a sellout, ­attracting 25,000 fans at Melbourne’s Princes Park, but it was also a ratings bonanza, with a total peak audience across the country of 1.6 million on the Seven Network, 7mate and Fox Footy.

That ratings success story ­continued over the weekend for Seven as the Saturday night game, Collingwood and Melbourne, scored a combined peak audience of 677,000 on Channel 7 and 7mate. Combined across Channel 7, 7mate and Fox Footy, the match reached 1.1 million ­people who tuned in for five ­minutes or more.

“That opening weekend and the build-up showed how tech­nology and the right content can help create new fans and new ­audiences,” said Australian Foot­ball League CEO Gillon McLachlan.

“The AFLW for us is a commitment to provide every Australian the opportunity to play our game. There is a core premise of equality and aspiration in that.

“But ultimately we think it’s going to be good for business too. We are drawing in new aud­iences and ultimately and hopefully sooner rather than later, there will be a commercial proposition as well.”

Advertisers of men’s AFL, ­including Telstra, NAB, Harvey Norman, Woolworths, Bunnings and insurance company AAMI have already jumped on board to advertise on the women’s league and corporate sponsors are also lining up for netball, which has Suncorp as its naming sponsor and other large corporate sponsors including Telstra, Samsung and Harvey Norman.

“These companies want to talk not only to the incredible audience that watch netball but also to the rusted-on audience and the new fans and let’s not forget that men will also happily watch women play sport. The success of the AFLW and its sponsors also demonstrates this too,” Ms Laing said.

All four opening games of the new netball season have sold out and Nine is now throwing the full arsenal of its broadcasting talents at the sport to make the season a success.

“We aren’t going to be putting any figures out there just yet but we are expecting the weekly audience to be significantly more than what the league was doing from a ratings perspective last year,” Ms Laing said.

“What I can say is that we are throwing everything at this so we are not going to die wondering,” she said.

Netball is leaping into prime time on the Nine network. Picture: Greg Higgs.
Netball is leaping into prime time on the Nine network. Picture: Greg Higgs.

AFL women’s action has been a big hit. Picture: Getty Images.
AFL women’s action has been a big hit. Picture: Getty Images.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/netball-on-attack-as-next-womens-sport-on-prime-time-tv/news-story/cffef6b08164aaa0cf969f563fcbb9a3

Lol prime time

Good luck to Netball Australia.  They knew they had to get extra exposure, and they've worked out a partnership agreement with a commercial FTA to maximise exposure, and where the financial  risk is low for the broadcaster.  They are being innovative and they deserve every chance at success.

Now netball getting primetime? Wow. At the risk of getting shot down, seems kinda affirmative action-ish to me.

If the AFL really wanted to hammer the A-League they should just start their own football (soccer) league, during their off-season, using their facilities and staff for training/medical, etc.  It almost happened with Collingwood and Carlton in the 90s, but the timing wasn't right...  I reckon if they did it now the FFA would be in trouble.

Wouldn't get the rubber stamp from FIFA though, would it? Would be treated as a rebel league and thus be excluded from things such as the ACL and the like?

Its on GEM and Nine/Telstra arent actually handing over any money. The WBBL has kind of provoked this along, plus after the SANFL/WAFL/NBL deals i think some codes might be waking up to the idea that actually getting rights money isnt as important as actually being somewhere you can be seen. Even if its essentially free coverage in exchange for a cut of the advertising revenues.

LOL. 

Strayan unique sporting climate.

-PB

As a Victorian based competition it wouldn't need the FFA or FIFA's stamp.  AFL wouldn't be interested in ACL as they would only be running the competition to hammer the FFA and HAL.

I see - so at best you'd have a 10 team competition (9 Melbourne teams + Geelong) competing against the actual juggernaughts of Victory and (in time) City. Would people turn up to watch D Grade footballers run around? They'd never get genuine players, even if the money was better, as it'd jeopardise their national team chances (think Tim Cahill) and potential moves overseas to lucrative contracts in China and the Middle East. The AFLW at least has the pretense of being the top league of its' type in the country - not something that a rebel football league could claim, especially if it's Victorian only.

Agreed, no chance of the AFL doing something like that when they have to put any spare cash they have into GWS, the Suns and the women.

No different to those who support an ambiguous "Australian model" as the answer when it clearly isn't

If you are going to open a Chinese restaurant, why not serve Chinese food?

No expansion. ~$60m a year not enough to make the current model viable. Declining ratings. Attendances identical to the AFLW. An increase in $150k in the salary cap since the TV deal went from $17m to $40m. A failing Socceroos and other national teams...

Holding every team down to the level of a CCM just so we can have 1k-2k rusted on fans 2 generations from now is not the answer. We have spent years trying every which way we can think of trying to get this square peg in the round hole. The answer is a round peg

Why is conforming so offensive?

Wouldn't players playing in non FIFA sanctioned competition be risking any national selection?  If so, you would have no Socceroos, NZ internationals, or under age international players either.

The point is that the AFL media would push it - they wouldn't care about the standard...  The AFL fans would jump on it - because it would be their clubs...  A TV network would broadcast it - because it would get ratings in Vic...  

As for players not joining - again, it wouldn't stop them moving to China or the Middle East, they wouldn't be breaking any rules.  It might stop them making the Socceroos line-up, but that's a small fraction of players entering the A-League.

I'm not saying the AFL SHOULD do this, just that they COULD do it if their intention was to simply hammer the A-League as an earlier comment suggested.

I'd love to see them do it. Would be a bunch of washed up hacks and kids with no hope of making national underage teams + foreigners.  Would be a second rate Indian Super League.

The AFL would also have to relax their ban on AFL clubs being involved with competing sports.

In the hypothetical presented it would be an AFL managed operation, so I would think they allowing their clubs would be a given...

Undoubtedly...  But this was never a question of quality.  If the apparent success of the women's AFL demonstrates anything it's that they don't care about quality so long as it's got their badges slapped on it.

Pert says Collingwood will send a delegation this year to Barcelona, one of the most popular soccer clubs in the world, which also has elite teams across several sports including basketball, ice hockey, rugby union and roller hockey, to learn more about what being a multi-sporting club entails.
And with many Australian elite sports teams at best breaking even or losing big sums of money, the prospect of spreading their brands across different sports in an attempt to get new fans and sponsors could be enticing, despite the costs.


http://www.afr.com/business/sport/collingwood-and-the-rise-of-allsport-super-clubs-20170203-gu4zmk

Ironic they will use one of the world biggest football clubs to help their multi sport campaign. All the while having the unwritten rule "every sport but the soccer".

I know they tried before but times have changed.

Ben- you are right, as I believe my snail races are.

AFL in theory could have an AFL Soccer league with the 10 Vic teams.

Because they own the stadium they could pretty much play 1 match Friday and double headers Saturday and Sunday. And use Geelong a few times.

Relegate MV to Monday nights when they want to use that stadium. Also eventually look to bring in the 2 teams from SA & WA for double headers there too.

It would out rate A-League.

^^
It would be shit and no one would watch it. But as it is purely hypothetical, people can say what they like - just as they do when claiming that there is money on trees to fund a national 2nd division.

I think Victorians would watch.

As for funding, what are FFA going to pay from the new tv money? Ca. $2.9 per club. $29 million per year, I think AFL could match that. I also think most clubs could get more than 10k to games (per team).

Bicky people arent going to stop talking about pro rel because you are tired of it.

We will witness the strength of AFL brands or more exclusively Collingwood when this netball league starts.

Screw the AFL, AWFL, VFL, Auskick, Collingwood, Eddie McGuire and everything eggball related that less than only 0.16% of the worlds population cares about.

Can we just worry about our game, the world one?

Sure but you have to acknowledge their market strength in the southern states.

Football will continually get these kind of article while it is below AFLW & BBL in ratings.

Expect even more attacks when it is out rated even if it gets on prime time Saturday on 10.

All of this doesn't effect the quality on the pitch however. Perhaps only in the way the FFA won't give clubs more money to sign better players... because tv won't pay more.... Because it will get out rated by AFLW etc etc

But at the end of the day it's just dick measuring. And who really cares?

Football will still be here at the end of the day in some form or another and we'll still enjoy it however it's served up to us, because we love the game.

Let them go along comparing themselves to basketball during NBA finals week because they think having tall players aswell somehow makes them relevant.

Let them go along comparing themselves to NFL when the super bowls on because some bloke that once played AFL can kick far and they want to stay relevant.

Same goes for when superstars of world football come down under and 5mins after bagging out soccer the AFL whip out the sherrins with Neymar for a bit of back page propaganda and Neymar is probably wondering what the hell this thing they're getting him to kick is and why they're all wearing tank tops.

Their whole existence is an insecure grab for attention, trying to be relevant to people outside the less than 0.16% of the worlds population that actually cares.

They're that insecure kid in high school that never has any real friends but goes from social group to social group changing his clothes and personality each time trying to fit in.

Let them live in their own little bubble gloating about how they're "world number one" in half a country half a world away from everyone else and let's just get on with enjoying what we have.