TV coverage a bad deal for regional fans

While the NRL celebrates the announcement of a new $1.8 billion broadcast deal; fans have once again been let down by the immense disparity in Free to Air coverage in the 2016 draw.

On Friday afternoon, ARLC chairman John Grant and Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks lauded the announcement as a win for fans, with league coverage spanning up to five days per round.

On the surface this decision appeared to benefit supporters, with a permanent Thursday night fixture replacing the Friday night replay. Similarly, the final five Saturday nights will see Free to Air coverage on Nine in the lead up to Finals Football.

For many league fans, Friday's announcement was seen as a step forward for clubs; but in many respects not much has changed.

For years Brisbane have dominated the Free to Air market, consistently featuring in more than half of the regular season. Once again, the Broncos received significant airtime with 12 matches on the Nine network.

Sydney-based sides the Panthers, Eels, Dragons and Roosters all received between 8-9 matches on Nine, while Bulldogs supporters will no doubt be pleased by 10 matches announced on Friday.

But as has become custom for supporters of the Warriors, Raiders, Titans and Knights; coverage on Free to Air has been all but absent, with less than 10 matches between the four clubs combined.

Despite all four clubs boasting some of the most entertaining players in the NRL including Shaun Johnson, Blake Austin, James Roberts and Dane Gagai; Nine's decision to all but ignore regional clubs shows a lack of intention to provide supporters unable to attend matches with exposure to their teams.

With news that Nine had secured a fourth Free to Air match in the original broadcast deal, fans were not only pleased by the increased coverage, but also the likelihood of teams such as the Warriors and Raiders, sides renown for their flamboyant attacking styles, reaching audiences far wider than subscription services.

However, with Friday's announcement it is abundantly clear that sides outside of Sydney and Brisbane will continue to be ignored due to Nine's fears of poor ratings.

To highlight the enormity of the disparity, South Sydney have been handed 14 matches on Channel Nine; with 10 of their first 11 matches broadcast on Free to Air.

In contrast, 2015 Wooden Spooners Newcastle received just one game in the first 20 rounds against fellow cellar-dwellars Wests Tigers.

While some may argue that Free to Air coverage is a reflection of strong results, the Tigers, who avoided finishing last through for-and-against, received 9 games compared with the Knights solitary Round Six fixture at Hunter Stadium.

For many league fans based outside of capital cities, Channel Nine is seen as a primary source of NRL action with tremendous coverage, expert opinion provided from the likes of Peter Sterling and Phil Gould, as well as commentary from Ray Warren, one of the greatest broadcasters in Australian history.

While there is no better atmosphere than attending games live, for many supporters the reality of attending every match is often unrealistic, leaving Free to Air coverage as the only way of seeing Rugby League on a regular basis.

For over 20 years the Nine Network have delivered terrific Rugby League coverage and will continue to do so for years to come, regardless of who is playing the quality of the broadcast cannot be questioned.

It would just be nice to see all clubs treated equally...