Re: BBC and Rugby League : Tue Jan 07, 2014 3:29 pm  

JB Down Under wrote:

Cycling is that popular? Seriously??

In fairness, there are probably more members of the public looking at cycling news (on the back of Wiggins and Froome, etc and the Tour de France coming to England), than there are, trying to find out who's gone bust in RL or, whether the sport has a new sponsor. So yes, cycling is that popular.

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Tue Jan 07, 2014 3:40 pm  

International BBC readers comes down to two things:
1. How important our domestic competitions are to other countries - ie the Premier League will interest people all around the world, Wimbledon will draw in international tennis fans etc.
2. How many British expats there are around the world reading the BBC website.

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 12:03 am  

JB Down Under wrote:

Cycling is that popular? Seriously??

Tour de France gets more viewers IN FRANCE alone than all RL competitions do around the world all year......it's true because the IRB paid for it to be so

Pinkerton wrote:

From an international perspective, I'd say yes. But then I don't see what's so popular about Cricket and Union, but whatever.

Cricket eh? Not popular you say eh?

Worzel wrote:

BBC don't give a poop about RL. Accept it.

yes they do.....they paid for 6 games at the RLWC and almost got their monies worth

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:25 am  

wrencat1873 wrote:

....whilst the people on this forum, plus many, many, others, see RL as a fantastic sport, it's popularity is not as great as some would think......

Absolutely spot on - and there is some evidence that this fact has been accepted at the top of the game with current (professional) expansion taking place through the Championships.

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:47 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

Tour de France gets more viewers IN FRANCE alone than all RL competitions do around the world all year......it's true because the IRB paid for it to be so

:

Don't know about paid for it but your clearly using the IRB calculator!

French audience Tour de France = 61mill
Australian audience NRL/SOO/RLWC2013 = 120million

Hmmmmmm

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:37 pm  

JB Down Under wrote:

Don't know about paid for it but your clearly using the IRB calculator!

French audience Tour de France = 61mill
Australian audience NRL/SOO/RLWC2013 = 120million

Hmmmmmm

Sorry to disappoint you but, the Aussie viewing figures aren't the b-all and end all in world sport and cycling isn't just watched in France.
Having said that, I'm sure that RL features heavily on the BBC equivalent in Aus, Although RL is only 5th on the ABC website

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:26 pm  

Minority sport, given the coverage a minority sport deserves. Whats the problem?

Regards

King James

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:37 pm  

Lebron James wrote:

Minority sport, given the coverage a minority sport deserves. Whats the problem?

Regards

King James

bored children with to much time on there hands.

Warm Regards,

Grown ups.

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:51 pm  

dubairl wrote:

bored children with to much time on there hands.

Warm Regards,

Grown ups.

Rather than mock my post in a playground kind of way, prove me wrong. Around 90,000 people play rugby league in the UK. Compare that to tennis (400k) and cricket (1.7million) and whilst participation rates in cycling are hard to come by, 200,000 people took part in sky rides across the uk last year.

So yes, rugby league is a minority sport, played in the main, by lower socia-economic groups.

Regards

King James

Re: BBC and Rugby League : Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:52 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

Cricket eh? Not popular you say eh?

Yep, bar the English expats abroad and some other Commonwealth people having a read of English cricket news, I can't see it being that popular. I don't believe many Mexicans or Russians would know what Cricket is, let alone read about it.