Masked Eagle
Bencher
Jono said:I agree with everything you said DSM. Expansion is now a must. WA is now a must. CC is a no no. I would open up the NZ market more with a 2nd team there or put another team in Brisbane.
I would love us to get that much. Seven aren't out of it yet. Leckie is a League fan and he wants league as well. Its not going to happen but Seven will make bids to get Nine's price up a bit. Ten pulled out pretty suddenly so I'd say they will go after the NRL rights now. This should also push it upwards.
Its Gallop's fault from the lastt TV deal why we are so far behind. Because we are now almost 700 Million behind the AFL over 5 years (That's 140 Million a year, or 9-10 Million PER CLUB!!!) we have to try something different.
I think what this deal should be is 800 Million - 1 Billion for 4 years. What they get out of this is expansion into the Perth Market in 2013, expansion in Brisbane (or to Central Queensland or NZ) in 2014. What we get is 5 fold: 1) we get to choose who plays when, 2) we solidify the company under an independent Commission, 3) we get the new teams settled in and start building in their markets, 4) its enough time to axe Gallop so that he doesn't negotiate the next deal; and most importantly 5) We get the NRL in front of the AFL on the next negotiations. A new contract starting in 2017 would put us on par with the AFL. This would mean that all negotiations will happen together and we could attempt to get the jump on them. Even a 3 year deal so that our contract ends a year before there's means we could make sure they don't get as much on their next deal while we get $1.5 Billion.
I like bagging Gallop as much as the next man but you do realise how hamstrung he was in the last TV rights negotiations. To think anyone else could have altered the outcome under the same situation is fanciful.