Comments on: Are we fed up with televised football?

By: Dogs Ugliest Dogs German Shepherd Puppies

Dogs Ugliest Dogs German Shepherd Puppies — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:07:54 +0000

Dogs Ugliest Dogs German Shepherd Puppies…

I didn’t agree with you first, but last paragraph makes sense for me…

By: Gervase Greene

Gervase Greene — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:34:43 +0000

Has not a point being overlooked here (and no, I’m not referring to a scorer’s error or any other bashing of officials, however in vogue that may be).
TV ratings are down this year because the result is known in advance. Another reader noted that viewers may be watching the football’s competition. Actually, they are search for ANY competition. If you know Geelong will win, you will switch over to the opera. Everone prefers a close contest, except here in the West, where ratings declined by 20% because their teams were hopeless.

By: mattb

mattb — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:09:52 +0000

I’m surprised no-one, including the author, has mentioned or analysed the impact of that other code of football, aka soccer, on NRL and AFL. It’s no secret that Channel 7 tried to kill the NSL back in the 90’s (you don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to think this, just read the C7 courtcase transcripts). NRL, AFL (and Rugby) were always worried about what would happen if football in Oz ever got its act together, which it has started to do in the last 3 years with the new A-League.

As far as I know, the A-League is the only local football comp *growing* right now, in terms of viewing figures on Foxtel and attendance figures at games. That’s definitely not the only reason NRL and AFL are suffering (yes, people in Sydney don’t give a toss unless the Swans are winning everything in sight) but it’s got to be a factor.

By: JasonWilson

JasonWilson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:14:33 +0000

I’m an NRL fan – I’m sick of watching games at ANZ with 10,000 or fewer spectators.

By: John Ryan

John Ryan — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:12:11 +0000

Did it ever occur to you AFL people that Sydney and Brisbane don’t really give a fig about AFL, one finals game got clobbered by an Iron Chef repeat.
If 7 and 10 had there way AFL would not be shown until after midnight as it does not rate,so if you want to watch the second rate code get pay.

By: Shane Nixon

Shane Nixon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:30:21 +0000

The elimination final was $20 per head more expensive in Sydney than the games in Melbourne or Adelaide. That would account for many not attending. The Saints V Pies game might have been seen as a dead rubber. The expectation is that the GF will be between Geelong and the Hawks so who cares about the lead up games.

Why doesn’t Seven put the Friday night matches on live in Sydney and Brisbane on one of their other digital channels? They have at least 3 plus the HD channel. As much as it I hate to give credit to Nine they have been doing the right thing by us northern footy starved fanatics by putting Footy Classified and the AFL Footy Show on LIVE on Nine HD. So kudos to Nine for that. Even Seven puts the AFL match preview show Sunday mornings live on the HD channel. So why can’t they do that with the footy? At least it isn’t siphoning off to pay tv which some of us can not get. Almost anyone can get digital for free.

By: colin.rigby

colin.rigby — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:16:29 +0000

I agree with Trevor. IMHO the SWANs have been very patchy and their style of football is not endearing to fans. Neither is North Melbourne’s. Such is Geelong’s and Hawthorn’s power the other finals teams have been reduced to ‘also rans’ status which deters viewers from tuning in to watch another flogging. On top of this, the standard of sports commentary seems to have fallen away on both Channels 10 and 7. It is often embarrasingly amateurish, particularly on 10. Some of the half time analysis is diabolical and this lowers the viewers respect and desire to suffer through another game. To create drama and make the TV viewing experience more real we now get to observe and hear pre match discussions before teams come out destroying some of the aura and mystique viewers like to build up about their teams. Constant cut aways to the coaches boxes to observe reactions after a goal is scored or missed seems gratuitous, adds nothing to the experience of watching the game and appears to have been created as another opportunity for product placement ads such as mineral water. Finally, inserting advertisements after each and every goal destroys any sense of spectacle for the viewer. Indeed, the ads suck so much attention out of the game the football match is in danger of turning into a support act for a shopping channel program.

By: Trevor Stanning

Trevor Stanning — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:13:06 +0000

The fall in attendances at Finals is due to an AFL miscalculation of what the market will bear for ticket prices at the 2008 Finals.
The fall in watching TV audience has quite a different cause. Factor analysis will reveal the patchy performance of the SWANS in the largest, but fickle, market, accounts for most of the drop.

By: Trevor Nowak

Trevor Nowak — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:57:29 +0000

I think it’s a sports overdoes and will come around every four years. Maybe two depending on when World Cups and the Olympics are scheduled.

By: leigh@crikey

leigh@crikey — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:12:27 +0000

Only when Carlton play, Thomas