Ratings fail to capture full picture of Grand Final viewership

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Oct-17

Two Roy Morgan Snap SMS surveys taken after the weekend’s AFL and NRL Grand Finals show that millions more Australians watched the two showpiece events than were captured by conventional "5 City Metro’ ratings figures. A Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey taken on Sunday showed that 8.4 million Australians aged 18+ (44.5%) watched the AFL Grand Final, which is much higher than suggested by the official Channel 7 "5 City Metro" ratings of 2.7 million. A further Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey taken on Monday showed that 6.5 million Australians aged 18+ (34.5%) watched the NRL Grand Final; again, this is much higher than suggested by the official Channel 9 "5 City Metro" ratings of 2.3 million. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan says the good news for Grand Final advertisers and sponsors is that millions of Australians watched the games on TV outside the traditional "5 City Metro" markets, and millions more watched the games at a friend’s house, in a pub or hotel, at the ground or streaming via an app or website.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED

6.5 million Australians watched the NRL Grand Final

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Oct-17

A special snap Roy Morgan SMS survey shows that 6.5 million Australians (34.5%) aged 18+ watched the 2017 NRL Grand Final and a further 1.6 million (8.5%) watched "Just the Highlights", while 10.8 million Australians (57%) did not watch the NRL decider. Of the 6.5 million Australians who watched the NRL Grand Final, 4.9 million (25.5%) primarily watched the game on TV, 330,000 (2%) watched at a friend’s house, 170,000 (1%) watched at a Pub/Hotel, 90,000 (0.5%) watched via an App/Website, 80,000 (0.5%) were at ANZ Stadium while a further 90,000 (0.5%) watched in a different way and 860,000 (4.5%) did not say. Analysis by State shows that 2.4 million people in New South Wales watched the NRL Grand Final, as well as 2 million Queenslanders and 1.4 million Victorians, while analysis by gender shows that more men (3.6 million) than women (2.9 million) watched the NRL Grand Final and a further 820,000 men and 830,000 women watched "Just the Highlights".

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

Never before, never again: Storm farewell era of big three with premiership triumph

Original article by Michael Chammas
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 2-Oct-17

Melbourne Storm have won the 2017 NRL Premiership, defeating the North Queensland Cowboys by 34 to 6. Melbourne had led the match, played before an audience of 79,722 at ANZ Stadium, by 18-0 at half time. Melbourne’s Billy Slater was named player of the match, winning the Clive Churchill Medal, while the game was quite likely Cooper Cronk’s last one as an NRL player.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Nine kicks a ratings winner with Origin

Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 14-Jul-17

Data from OzTAM shows that the Nine Network’s broadcast of the third rugby league State of Origin match boasted an average national audience of 3.66 million people on 12 July. This includes 2.49 million viewers in the five major capital cities and 1.12 million in regional areas. Nine lifted its audience share to 40.5 per cent as a result of the rugby league coverage, while Seven Network had a 10.8 per cent share of viewers.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

Finals football shows television is far from dead

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 4-Oct-16

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner says the high ratings for the AFL and NRL grand finals demonstrates the continued strength of traditional broadcast television. The Seven Network’s coverage of the AFL grand final attracted an average national audience of almost 4.1 million, while the Nine Network’s NRL broadcast was viewed by a national average audience of about 3.7 million.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, WESTERN BULLDOGS FOOTBALL CLUB, CRONULLA SHARKS, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Finals fever part 2: Storm and Sharks fans compared

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: online : 29-Sep-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks have very different-sized fan bases. As of June 2016, Melbourne Storm was the second-most popular team in the National Rugby League (after the Brisbane Broncos), with 836,000 supporters – no less than 15.1% of total NRL fans. In contrast, the Sharks’ 202,000 supporters account for 3.7% of the League’s total fans. While it is relatively small, the Sharks fan base is noteworthy for being composed of more women than men. Almost 65% of Sharks supporters are female. On the other hand, nearly 61% of Storm fans are men.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, CRONULLA SHARKS, BRISBANE BRONCOS RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED

1 in 15 AFL and NRL Grand Final viewers could be betting on the outcome

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-Sep-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 602,000 Australians aged 18+ (3.3 per cent) placed bets on AFL or NRL games during the year to June 2016, up from 520,000 (2.9 per cent) in the year to June 2013. Some 409,000 Australians bet on AFL matches in the last year, and 70 per cent used a website or app to place their most recent bet on the sport, up from 48 per cent three years ago. Meanwhile, some 306,000 Australians placed a bet on an NRL match in the last 12 months, with the proportion who did so online rising from 38 per cent in 2013 to 62 per cent.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Grand finals fever delivers TV networks ad bonanza

Original article by Darren Davidson, Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 26-Sep-16

New figures show that the Seven Network’s coverage of the 2016 Australian Football League finals has attracted an average audience of 1.14 million per match, with some 443,000 tuning in to Fox Sports’ coverage. The Nine Network also enjoyed strong ratings for its coverage of the National Rugby League preliminary finals. The grand finals of the two codes are expected to boast bumper ratings and advertising revenue for the host broadcasters, with a 30-second ad tipped to cost up to $A100,000.

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, WESTERN BULLDOGS FOOTBALL CLUB, SYDNEY SWANS FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, CRONULLA SHARKS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED MOTOR INSURERS LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY FOOTBALL CLUB, GEELONG FOOTBALL CLUB, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, JIM BEAM BRANDS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, KFC, NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS, CANBERRA RAIDERS

NRL clubs threaten breakaway over TV

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 19-Nov-15

The National Rugby League (NRL) faces a potential split over the issue of pay-TV broadcasting rights, with some teams warning that they could withdraw from the league if a deal is not finalised. The NRL had been negotiating a new deal with Fox Sports and Telstra, but it is believed to have canvassed interest from Singtel Optus, which recently secured exclusive Australian rights to English Premier League matches.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMMISSION LIMITED, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Nine may save by ceding Saturday night NRL

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 12-Nov-15

Fox Sports owner News Corp is continuing to hold talks with the National Rugby League regarding pay-TV broadcasting rights. The media group has indicated that it is willing to pay $A30m a year to broadcast the Saturday night NRL match, which Nine Entertainment Company acquired as part of a $A925m five-year free-to-air and streaming rights deal earlier in 2015. Nine is said to be seeking to have the cost of its deal reduced by about $A40m a year in return for relinquishing the Saturday night fixture.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE, OZTAM PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE