muppet

Decent-size chunk about the forthcoming season in today's Guardian. Solly points to a 5% increase in Sky viewing figures in 2014.

Common practice now at virtually every football club and presumably most RU clubs, though a lot of RL clubs seem to be quite slow on following suit; I do know that at least a couple of SL clubs include non-attending season/match ticket holders along with the RFL.

Yep. The SL clubs and RFL are also lagging behind in how they compile total and average attendance figures.
Most other sports, including Union, use double header/multi-figure attendances for each game not the total spread across the games. For instance the Twickenham double header. For the 2013/14 season it attracted an attendance of around 62k. In Union they count that as 62k for game 1 and 62k for game 2. They do that for both the total AP season & average attendance and also for the "home" clubs averages too. Hence Harlequins one year having an average crowd well above the capacity of the Stoop. In League, at least on some occasions, we don't do that.

Whilst I actually agree with the "old" method of compiling attendance figures, unfortunately we need to play the game and do the same as other sports.

For instance if we did it would bump Leeds 2013 average up from the one published of just under 15,000 to 16,343.

The London double header is counted as the home attendance of 2 clubs, so added a total of 62k to the season total that is dubious and drops their season average to still over 12k.....stop comparing the sports. Quins getting 82k for their stand alone game is the reason they average more than their stoop capacity.......that 82k is more Tha London broncos managed over the last 3 seasons by the way.

As theres alot of mistrust of the clubs figures, why not use international attendance figures as they're just as valid?

I knew the mention of Quins would draw you in.


You can't help yourself can you.



Yes Quins got it for their standalone game but Wasps didn't.



Nobody mentioned London Broncos, nobody criticised rugby union. The only person on this thread to make a comparison of actual attendances between the 2 codes is you. The rest of us were discussing how SL clubs and the RFL compile attendances. Try making an ON-TOPIC comment for a change.

Nope....you mentioned quins and their average being up due the double header....i simply pointed out that you were wrong. Also, magic weekend isn't a home fixture for anyone unlike the London double header.......your need to try and highlight unions figures as fudged exposes your insecurity.......

No, you didn't simply point out the little bit of bait hung out there was wrong. You tried to invalidate the whole argument with that simply because it's to do with Union. Despite the fact that it's true. Wasps average crowd for 2013/14 was higher than the capacity of their stadium due to the Double Header. If Union do that, as other sports do, we should too.

You then tried, as you are now, to turn it into some ridiculous argument that only you are having. Seemingly with yourself. But carry on digging Gutters. Your desire to jump in at the first sight of what you thought was an error you could hang your whole argument on has failed you as spectacularly as William Eve's eyesight.

Wasps weren't the bait you left....quins were and you were wrong. Is it difficult for you to admit you were wrong?
By the way, if you continue to cite union then don't bother telling me to stop responding in kind....as i said before and as you ignored, magic weekend is a rouund where no team has a home game but instead us an extra round.....to include the attendances as contributing to the home averages or even collective averages would be a straight up lie......whereas the London double headers does have 62,000 and most of them for 2 games. Including magic figures would have more than doubled londons average last year

I do not believe Sky is losing interest in Rugby League. Neville Smith there is a great advocate for our game. Of course there's a lull with it being the global close season. Sky's RL viewing figures, whilst obviously nothing like for Soccer, are very good.

In my view, as this 2015 season unfolds and develops, viewers and Sky will develop an even more enhanced interest as everyone sees, hears and feels the passion and fervour exuding from their TVs as the new structure throws up some fantastic rugby matches.

Ah so you're not interested in what the actual discussion was about are you. You just want to drone on and on about a different argument that is only playing out in your head.

It's sad you've decided to become this ridiculous figure. You used to have a point behind your posts. Ah well.

I think we'll see a boost of "interest" from Sky when they lose the Champions League. I've heard that the new tv deal might, and I stress the word might, not be exclusive in terms of the Challenge Cup and Internationals. Which if true would be great. You'd get the big exposure of being on BBC along with Sky not ignoring the competitions all season long.

First up. I responded to your error. I call it an error, because it isn't like you to blatantly lie to make a point, but it is a rather obvious error:
You said:

Fact is that on December 28th 2012 Harlequins attracted 74,827 to a stand alone game across the road from the Stoop and it was this game that pushed their average attendance up past the actual capacity of the Stoop. The Double header some 3 months earlier benefitted the average attendances of London Irish and London Wasps that year, with both claiming the 62,637 as their home attendance, given it was they that gave up home advantage to take part in it.
That season, the Aviva claimed an total attendance of 1,721,729 over 135 games....if you remove the 62,637 and the second game from this, then the average for their season is 12,381 for stand alone games only.
You assertion that RL should count Magic weekend attendances as home game attendances is hardly in the same league really, given it would treble the average for London Broncos 2014 season to 3,756


I am all for massaging figures if it is done well, but simply claiming 145,356 attended day 1 and another 84,639 on day 2 would leave the game open to ridicule in the press........given the record attendance at the Ethiad is 48,000




Secondly, the point behind my posts on here remains the same. That RL is a far superior product to any other team sport I can think of, but is probably the worst administrated professional sport I have even known. And that includes in Australia, where the main reason they managed to achieve a massive TV deal is because of a pointless ing comp between the Aussie media and an imaginary "code war" with the AFL....and even with their mega bucks deal, 12 of the 16 are still financial basket cases.
Because I respond to inane comparisons with Union, which regardless of its stodgy and fractious style on the pitch, is a global mammoth beside league, you feel the need to "pity what I have become"? Get a grip.......even the most ardent Rugby League zealot would sell a kidney to have 25% of the intelligence displayed at the RFU/IRB at red hall.

As for the topic under discussion, Sky use RL as a filler. That may well change in the future, if they need to replace some content that has been lost to another broadcaster, but whilst our main competition is basically 11 teams from 1 northern enclave and a token french outfit, is shown on Pay TV with highlights shown at odd times nationally and continues to let the broadcast partner lead it around by the nose, then the game will receive the exposure it deserves.

I can't be sure, but I suspect that the NZ part of the NRL deal included a massive amount of free exposure for the club, because not only do Sky promote the out of the NRL here......the Warriors run TV adverts for their games promoting ticket sales and memberships. No way we are paying for these ads......it's the sort of thing the RFL should have asked for when they sold the family silver for a pittance.

Lastly....on the topic of getting what we deserve. As RL fans, we automatically look for news about our sport and it sometimes can feel like we don't get the attention or exposure we deserve. In reality, we get a pretty fair amount of exposure for the size and reach of the sport.

Ah the small pleasures of no longer being a mod.....

The Foes list does stop endless arguements over nothing.

I think I posted on the first page of this thread thinking it wouldn't stretch to two.
Wondering why we are now on page 16 with over 12,000 views I got curious as to why only to find the same antagonists talking about the same poop. Why can't people follow my example.

it isn't for the CC.

It kind of is and kind of isn't with internationals because they run on a different cycle, the world cup in 2017 is the bbc but for the 3 years after its on sky and 2021 WC hasn't been sold yet obviously.

I hope so. It would be great to have it on both. I get the impression the BBC might only be interested in the final? Hopefully they'll show some rounds too.

It stops nothing......it just stops you having to read them! Someone let him know this please...I suspect he won't see it otherwise

Another bit of a "first" from the RFL with the announcement of a season launch event open to the fans in Manchester, complete with a live band and players in attendance.

Good to see them trying something innovative to build interest ahead of the new season.

Didn't they share the CC QFs a season or so ago? From what I recall the BBC exposure wasn't too bad but Sky's side of things didn't hold up too well.

They haven't really got into the CC yet have Sky and not always bothered showing games when they could've BUT previously they had second choice on games after the BBC and really most rounds only feature 1/2 stand out ties. From their point of view why make a big deal about or even show the 3rd best tie of the round (which won't even be that great) when you won't even get to show the semis or final?

That was the theory, although for reasons that entirely escaped me at the time, the BBC passed over Fev v Cas which was, by most peoples' reckoning, the tie of the round.

The most puzzling and frustrating thing for me was that after showing Fev beat Cas in that game and then give us (Wigan) an almighty scare in the next round that Sky declined to show any cup ties in the years since.

To clear up any confusion on what the BBC will / won't be showing: www.prolificnorth.co.uk/2015/01/ ... w-returns/ Quote BBC Sport will also show highlights of both play-off semi finals and the grand final on BBC Two, plus there will be live coverage of the 7 Challenge Cup games on BBC One and BBC Two. There will be additional coverage on the iPlayer, Radio 5 Live and local radio. - See more at: www.prolificnorth.co.uk/2015/01/ ... fJx7P.dpuf'"

To clear up any confusion on what the BBC will / won't be showing: www.prolificnorth.co.uk/2015/01/ ... w-returns/ Quote BBC Sport will also show highlights of both play-off semi finals and the grand final on BBC Two, plus there will be live coverage of the 7 Challenge Cup games on BBC One and BBC Two. There will be additional coverage on the iPlayer, Radio 5 Live and local radio. - See more at: www.prolificnorth.co.uk/2015/01/ ... fJx7P.dpuf'"