Re: re-structure : Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:52 am  

Mrs Barista wrote:

https://www.totalrl.com/sky-driving-rfl-restructure/

This is interesting, proposals are being driven by Sky.

Sounds like they're looking for an excuse to pull out altogether in 2 years time.

If they're unhappy with the quality of some games, they should be investing more in the game now, nothing is going to change for the better in the short term.

Or maybe they're dangling some carrots?

Re: re-structure : Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:30 am  

Sky will continue to squeeze the sport, as it diverts money into things like women’s football and trying to maintain its premier league deal.

We’re not in a position to play hardball, so we’ll have to take or leave their valuation of the game. Sky know how reliant the clubs are on the deal so they take advantage of that.

Football clubs are also reliant on TV money, but of course their draw is that much bigger. Sky renewed on the same terms as before, but there’s no way they’d have offered football a reduced contract.

Re: re-structure : Wed Aug 11, 2021 7:47 pm  

https://twitter.com/RugbyLeagueLiv2/sta ... 13701?s=19 Relegation this year, staying with 12 next year, strong appetite for 10 in 2023. Make or break that last point as I reckon Toulouse will come up and be more competitive than Leigh.

https://twitter.com/RugbyLeagueLiv2/sta ... 13701?s=19 Relegation this year, staying with 12 next year, strong appetite for 10 in 2023. Make or break that last point as I reckon Toulouse will come up and be more competitive than Leigh.

Re: re-structure : Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:01 pm  

I guess its a bit of a fudge really because everyone wants change apparently but they can't decide what change. One has to wonder if decisions by the clubs are made more to suit their own requirements rather than the good of the game. After all that hoo haa about fourteen teams in the end the allocation of Sky money and the threat of its reduction between the current clubs won the day again and we are as we were, although Sky who lets face it hold the future of the game as we know it in their hands are pretty adamant that from 2023 if the deal is to go on beyond the end of 2024 then they want two divisions of 10, all professional and and being broadcast.

Re: re-structure : Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:37 pm  

The Dentist Wilf wrote:

I guess its a bit of a fudge really because everyone wants change apparently but they can't decide what change. One has to wonder if decisions by the clubs are made more to suit their own requirements rather than the good of the game. After all that hoo haa about fourteen teams in the end the allocation of Sky money and the threat of its reduction between the current clubs won the day again and we are as we were, although Sky who lets face it hold the future of the game as we know it in their hands are pretty adamant that from 2023 if the deal is to go on beyond the end of 2024 then they want two divisions of 10, all professional and and being broadcast.

Determining the top 10 will be so contentious. Obviously you have the Big 4 plus Catalans then a raft of clubs vying for the other 5 spots including London, Toulouse, Bradford etc. Could see a revert to franchising or similar.

[Mild Rover]

Re: re-structure : Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:39 pm  

Mrs Barista wrote:

Determining the top 10 will be so contentious. Obviously you have the Big 4 plus Catalans then a raft of clubs vying for the other 5 spots including London, Toulouse, Bradford etc. Could see a revert to franchising or similar.

The way it is being set up (obvious caveats about how it actually turns out acknowledged), the controversy wouldn’t be all that significant for the top 10, imo. Being in the second tier wouldn’t be like it is now, on the other side of an economic gulf. So if, against the odds, one of the Big 4 finished second bottom next year (massive injury crisis sorta scenario), it wouldn’t be such a dislocation.

with a smaller disparity in central distributions, personally I’d like two conferences of 10 (18 games H&A against your conference rivals and 10 H or A against members of the other conference). But perhaps the jeopardy of P&R helps sell it all. Anyway, the point is more what happens beyond the relocated gulf outside the 20.

If we used current league positions, it would mean clubs including Sheffield, Widnes, Newcastle, Dewsbury, Oldham, Swinton, Barrow, Workington, Doncaster, Keighley and Rochdale… doing what? Tbh, there’s several there I didn’t expect to see in the top flight again my lifetime. But four of them have played in SL previously. And Newcastle seem ambitious. But how, or even whether, they fit in the new pro RL ecosystem is probably the most challenging issue if all of this goes ahead.

Re: re-structure : Thu Aug 12, 2021 10:13 am  

Mrs Barista wrote: https://twitter.com/RugbyLeagueLiv2/status/1425534669530013701?s=19 Relegation this year, staying with 12 next year, strong appetite for 10 in 2023. Make or break that last point as I reckon Toulouse will come up and be more competitive than Leigh. This article from a source that is normally reliable tells a different story regarding the attitude of the clubs to two 10 team leagues https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-cl ... on-format/

Mrs Barista wrote: https://twitter.com/RugbyLeagueLiv2/status/1425534669530013701?s=19 Relegation this year, staying with 12 next year, strong appetite for 10 in 2023. Make or break that last point as I reckon Toulouse will come up and be more competitive than Leigh. This article from a source that is normally reliable tells a different story regarding the attitude of the clubs to two 10 team leagues https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-cl ... on-format/

Re: re-structure : Thu Aug 12, 2021 11:32 am  

They’ve just announced that the Challenge Cup Final is moving back to May from next season.

As a one off, next season’s Final is being held at Tottenham’s new ground (62,000). It then returns to Wembley in 2023.

Good decision as a July/August Cup Final can affect the end of season run in. Also keeps the Cup momentum going early season.

Re: re-structure : Thu Aug 12, 2021 12:43 pm  

ccs wrote:

Sounds like they're looking for an excuse to pull out altogether in 2 years time.

If they're unhappy with the quality of some games, they should be investing more in the game now, nothing is going to change for the better in the short term.

Or maybe they're dangling some carrots?

Sky have to take some of the blame for the decline in quality of tv games , No body likes Thirsday games and then forcing clubs to play on a short 4 day turn around even before covid hit is just asking for a low quality game with 2 fatigued sides .

Re: re-structure : Thu Aug 12, 2021 5:50 pm  

ccs wrote:

Sounds like they're looking for an excuse to pull out altogether in 2 years time.

If they're unhappy with the quality of some games, they should be investing more in the game now, nothing is going to change for the better in the short term.

Or maybe they're dangling some carrots?

For what Sky pay I think they've got a bargain. The standard of the competition has undoubtedly been compromised by covid and Sky have used this this as a bargaining chip to pay less. It hardly does a great job promoting upcoming fixtures itself.

OK RL doesn't help itself sometimes but it still remains the best sport to watch on TV by a country mile.

Sky must have invested a massive amount securing the rights for the British Lions tour. The hype for the tour was incredible. Wall to wall coverage. I'm not a Union fan but watched the tests out of interest like many others probably did. The quality of the games were terrible. Even die hard Union said it was rubbish. 5 minutes scrums, kick tennis all pile in then penalty scrum kick repeat. There was little running and passing in fact the ball was hardly in play. That game is a mess. How people can watch that rubbish is beyond me.