one live game on free to air... that aint the worst news

One game on fta is a joke. They need all games live streaming and on demand.

Five-year deal.
Every 2015/16 game broadcast live in HD
Games in primetime at 7:30 Eastern from Wednesday to Sunday
12 double-headers

Allowance for one game per week to be simulcast on FTA, subject to NBL arranging that.

Great news!

Okay, so I see this as some of the best news, or potentially best news, the NBL has had since I can remember.

Any 5 year deal with Foxtel that brings live games at prime time can only give the NBL a boost, end of story!

What we need now is to ensure the product is high quality, with great highlights and our games are not boring arm wrestles with holding, grappling and limited free flowing, exciting play.

So, please get the officiating right, please...

If the league didn't have a woeful off-season, would this deal still have been the "best ever"?

Am i the only one that is worried when it says "to be reviewed at the end of the 15/16 season"?

hope they don't pull a channel 10

Exactly how many other broadcast deals have we had that deliver all games, live, in hd? Yes its the best broadcast deal.

Hidden away, how?

Because only a third of the population have Foxtel. So yes, what they are offering is the best ever. What the league gets out of it may not necessarily be the best thing ever.

Its probably the best the NBL can get right now, but personally, I'm disappointed, because even though I live in inner city Adelaide, there is no cable in my street and so I can't get Foxtel!

I much prefer the live streaming model, but having said that, I freely admit the company running the live streams to this point has not been up to scratch.

Has anyone heard if Kestelman/ Fox will look into developing a PROFESSIONAL live streaming service in the next couple of seasons?

Its clearly hidden away. It's not like hundreds of thousands of people every week watch pretty much all of Australia's major sporting competitions on Fox Sports, is it?

I am not sure how anyone can complain about this deal. As stated in the Hoopla article, Kestleman actually shows great negotiating nous here

http://www.aussiehoopla.com/nbl-fox-sports-sign-landmark-broadcasting-deal/?utm_content=bufferd7aa8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

So summary

- People with Foxtel think it's the best news ever
- Those who don't have nor want Foxtel think it's the worst news ever

But from a 'What's Best For The Game' perspective

Pros - will be likely shown in pubs, better quality more reliable coverage than NBL.TV, serious sports fans with Foxtel+Sports might be more likely to embrace the NBL, all games are live on TV

Cons - None or only one game live on FTA means fewer viewership overall, no cheap streaming alternative, uncertainty of how many games will be shown live after the first year of the deal.

Overall I guess you could say it's far from perfect but it could be a lot worse.

Well said Crobler.

Another Con/uncertainty factor to the mix. The NBL is effectively putting their future in the hands of Fox. At the moment Foxtel are doing a huge campaign on the Rugby World Cup in a bid to drive up subscriptions. Hopefully Foxtel will put a decent effort into promotion of the game and hopefully it is successful. If they just sign up the NBL and sit back and do nothing, when they review the value of picking up the code, they might look back and go "well that didn't work, it's not worth it, lets cut some corners", that's a risk.

Beantown - I live in Woodville with no cable for Foxtel, but I have Foxtel by using a satellite dish. My understanding that this is the alternative when cable not available.

Anyone know if you can get HD channels with Foxtel Play ?

Yeah I get my Foxtel by Dish as do all people where I live : aint no cable.

I think this is a great deal. Im a Wildcats member but I do like watching Basketball games in general so am looking forward to seeing it on there.

Also any chance of getting Steve Carfino back for some commentating?

Viewing numbers are unlikely to decrease, they are starting from a low base, there are almost three times as many games being shown, the live reach goes from less than 30 games in three states to 112 everywhere, and it's on a channel with a strong audience of sports fans. Overall viewers will be well up, and it's possible average viewers could increase too.

Foxtel. Sounds good except I don't have and cannot get Foxtel (not that I would pay the $50 or whatever a month just to watch the NBL live). Apart from the Foxtel Play app (same cost, no hardware and uses my bandwidth) what other options do I have? I guess if I can find someone with Foxtel I can use there GO login? Does this give you on demand as well or do I have to watch live?

^Boti has suggested "more news to come". Streaming service perhaps?

" Does this give you on demand as well or do I have to watch live?"

There is 'Catch Up' feature on Foxtel Go, Some NRL games and motorsports are currently on the Fox Sports category.

There is a feature on Foxtel Go that you can rewind live tv back 30 minutes, so you don't need to be live, just need to start watching within 30 mins of the game starting.

The pub thing won't hurt but isn't really a huge advantage. Been to pubs many times and had to beg for them to show basketball rather than replays of historic AFL games.

If they can find a partner for a live Sunday game (even if just in the East), that's a decent bonus.

Have they defined live for those of us in SA and WA?

Just had another look, there are actually a lot of full games on catch up (Netball, Union,F1, V8 Supercars), so I would say 90% chance the NBL will be on catch up as well.

"Have they defined live for those of us in SA and WA?" Foxtel only broadcasts in one timezone (so if something is on at 7pm in eastern states, it starts at 5pm in WA). So live means live everywhere

Matthew -
Also any chance of getting Steve Carfino back for some commentating?

Please no!

Carfino god love him would just kill it for me, need new blood. Flare for the dramatic types that get you pumped up. Keep it simple but effective.

Im planning on signing on to the absolute mininmal $$ for full NBL coverage. Seems they have a no contract thing going at moment too, perhaps could come in handy for those not keen on having fox for off season??

Now, can we start speculating on who the commentators will be?

Bill Woods would be my pick for NBL host. But there would have to be a team of local commentators for each venue.

This deal Fox is offering right now for Sports pack- 100 set up plus 50 a month without a contract- is that all you pay?

NOt sure but ill call to find out tonight, thats fine with me, will def start following every team much closer!

For those who are considering getting Foxtel. May I also suggest checking out the Whirlpool forums Pay TV section. There is an entire thread dedicated to negotiating Foxtel packages.

Gaze will be in commentary defs and prob dave bashir and i thnik dave talbot?

Need someone with some flair to do it though, maybe spud frawley?

Thanks for the tip Crobler.

sorry John Casey not dave talbot

We shouldn't be worried about reviewing the deal after a season or so. The league has to work hard to ensure its product is briliant, spectacular, relatable, exciting.
If the product can be proven to be al those things but viewership is too low then LK will be asking FOXTEl to look at their level of promotion and the quality of their production.

The 1 game of FTA is what gets this over the line for me ( plus the fact its a 5 year deal).
This is the NBLs chance to catch the casual channel surfer.
LK will be looking for real prime time - Friday night basketball, and I reckon any channel that takes it will promote it, couldn't do any less than 10 did.

NBL needs packed venues to create atmosphere to hook TV audience in.

Thanks Crobler. That's good news.

While not Ideal for some (Including me) this is good news....could have been much worse ;)

Okay, just a small reality check for some bloggers out there who may be thinking about Foxtel and getting some great deal or other fanciful ideas.

Whatever they offer you remember one simple thing, their deals are many and they will try to confuse you to entice you into signing with their clever tactics and complex mix and match offers.

Not that this should discourage anyone new from joining, just be aware that even with a first up deal you will have to pay and after a while any offer will expire and you will be on the normal price for whatever it is you have signed up for.

Now, this isn't a doom and gloom post, I have Foxtel and have enjoyed it for years, the NBL deal for me is a bonus and I am looking forward to it.

What I don't get is the drama about paying for the privilege of pay-for-view TV!

That's what it is, it is set up for you to have what you want in addition to free to air and you have to pay for it, just like you have to pay for your 55" HD Samsung TV, if you want to watch sport on a big, clear screen...

The Foxtel deal is a great deal for the NBL, I can watch all games, invite who I want (even HO can come over if he brings some bourbon) to watch with me, I can watch it on my lap top using the Foxtel GO app' and I can record any games I miss along the way to watch later on.

Even better, I can also watch heaps of college games and heaps of other sport, I can go nuts on sport overload if I want and it's all on HD, so if you can afford it, don't hesitate, if you can't and don't want to outlay the cash go and find a friend who has (and remember to bring the booze)!

Bear, you're certainly a rare kind if you can find the time to watch that much sport.

I'm guessing there are a lot of people in my category, time strapped and contemplating whether or not it's worth it to sign up to Fox when realistically I'll watch 1-2 games of NBL a week and that's it.

I have some bad news for many of you... Steve Carfino is on Sportsfan Clubhouse on Thursday's show so it means he s back in the country so I am guessing he will be the face of the NBL once again.

I don't like this deal very much as I don't have Foxtel and nbl.tv was great moreso for it's on demand feature so I could watch after others went to bed.

If I want to watch live I will use remz.ca which has everything from the Foxtel feed and ESPN and Fox Sports in USA

Yes its great for the fans...but what does it mean for the league? No $$$ have been mentioned yet, there is risk of less exposure than before (depending on how you creatively calculate viewing numbers) and the last time the league had Foxtel, their insistence on midweek games led to a big drop in crowd numbers in major markets which is not what is needed right now.

Not at all LV, I wouldn't imagine many people would watch every game, not would I have the time to do this, I was just implying that the Foxtel option isn't exclusive.

I know it isn't for everyone, but sometimes if you really want something you can make room for it, sure pay TV isn't possible for all but there is always a way if you are resourceful enough...

Ever heard of local a 'Foxtel Network'?

Yeah one of my best mates lives 600m away and he has Foxtel with sports....Is that where you're going with this?

I think in actual fact I may get it. But it's a step back from last year in my eyes, without a doubt. NBL TV wasn't great but it was watchable most of the time. And FTA had 2 games anyway.

Boti says there is more news to come. Could be streaming, or could be more specifics about the FTA game.

"To the guy who said fox crashed the league last time with midweek games that was a very long time ago and consumers have changed. We now live in a 24/7 ' always on' world.
The wildcats experienced no decline in the Thursday night home game this past year and more recently afl had a series of Thursday games with crowds as good as if not better than average"

There are about eight things wrong with in paragraph.

This deal is better than good, a Friday Night live game on Free To Air would cap it off superbly. If the NBL grows and gains some respect and power, then they can try for more FTA games and better independent streaming services.

Typical NBL fans saying that this new deal is the 'death of the league' on Facebook. We can't have any good news without negativity...

"Typical NBL fans saying that this new deal is the 'death of the league' on Facebook. We can't have any good news without negativity..."

It's not the death of the NBL. It is just the end of the NBL for negative people who don't want to spend any of their own money on it. Only a fool could think the Ten deal is better than this one/

The one year review period is not for fox to reduce live games but to give nbl more flexibility to sell to fta networks

Roy Ward on Twitter:

Main reason for Yr1 review in @NBL FoxSports TV deal is Fox demands Brisbane team in Yr2. This is why NBL promising new Bris team. #HardBall

Roy Ward really gets detailed with his tweeting huh
:p

Smartarse!

I think that is great Isaac, very noble of you and of course you are free to do with your time what you like because that is your choice.

I have hobbies and am very active in many things I do to support young kids in basketball while also working, raising a family and plenty more keeps me busy, not just the TV.

I also like to have the option to watch what like on my TV however, so I subscribe to Foxtel.

I didn't enjoy watching the NBL last few years, crappy time slots and it just didn't offer much for me, but I think I will enjoy it more this season, we will see...

In the end, it is a matter of choice, choose what suits you but no one has to obey what others think is the righteous thing to do with their time.

lets see what else I can whinge about on a great day for the NBL I know that hashtag hardball just doesn't sound too good. Get over it honestly

So much to be happy about and still NBL fans find as many minor negatives as possible. No surprise anymore, just sad. Will be great to see the 36ers away games on tv, every single one! Haven't been able to say that for ever.

Great news for a struggling sport.

The slogan is, err okay. It murders "bring it". I guess they are very similar slogans, though. It could be much worse. Out of every thing that the NBL has done well this off-season, the slogan is such a petty issue.

The biggest problem I have with it is that a search for #HardBall barely returns any NBL results on Twitter, which makes it less useful. #NBL16 would've been better. You can keep the slogan, just don't use it as a hashtag.

http://m.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/nbl-fox-sports-strike-tv-deal-that-includes-creation-of-brisbane-team-20150903-gjen3b.html

"Fox Sports also has the digital rights for NBL games and will stream them to subscribers via its digital platforms, but the league has retained the right to have a third party create a subscription streaming product for people without pay-television."

I wonder what this means exactly ? If the NBL is able to set up a decent live streaming product without having to get Foxtel then they would have done extremely well. It would almost be a perfect deal if they get one game on FTA also.

The #hardball slogan was reported in the media as a depiction of Aussie basketball, I believe partially riding on the back of the way Delly played in the NBA finals, portraying tough and gritty play as our style.

This is a worry for me, I love tough and gritty, but I prefer this in a system of play based on intensity and an understanding that Aussies don't flop!

Now, the problem I have seen is this, the NBL has intensity, it has grit and it has toughness, but because we don't generally see open offensive play because of the heavy focus on defense and our officiating allows so much holding and illegal contact, unfortunately players have to flop to get a call.

So, what we generally see as a byproduct built up over recent years and probably don't like so much, is this perception by officials that players and spectators like to see basketball that is tough, physical and has plenty of contact.

To a point I also like tough and physical basketball, also I am not without the knowledge that contact occurs, however there is a line and if we stay on the wrong side of it, allowing all the illegal stuff like we tend to and like I believe the new slogan is referring to, then I think we will be in trouble.

Just my opinion based on how I see players and coaches getting frustrated at no calls, then bang, some obscure call that no one saw any different to the 6 missed before it resulting in anger and officials getting short fuses but not understanding that it is their inconsistent officiating that starts the problem in the first place...

#hardball = #frustration

Libertine

"Great news for a struggling sport"

how about....

"Great news for a struggling League"

Thanks for that link Train.

That's very good news to hear!!

Now the big question is when/if the league will announce a streaming partner?

Foxtel has a no-lock in deal at the moment that ends on 3 October. Season starts 7 October. Hopefully we'll know way before then!

I think we need to acknowledge to commitment to show EVERY game live is HUGE. It's not like every game is played around the corner. This means FOZ sendign crews to Cairns and Townsville 114 - 15 times each. That in itself is huge!

Lets hope we get the Friday game is the one that gets on FTA - prime time for TV.

Re setting up for Foxtel - from what I can see its a minimum of $50/ month pus $10 per month to get in HD plus $10 - 15/ month for Foxtel "on the go" which is the streaming option - to see everygame, in HD, anywhwere.

I don't see that there was much choice in the matter, either we have exposure and pay for part of it or we go back to the old way we did it!

At least now we have potential for decent exposure, isn't that what we all wanted and though the NBL needed?

Starting points like this can be a catalyst for building on everything, but we needed a starting point and we seem to have it now...

Swish,
It is $50 for the sports combo package and $10 for HD, foxtel go is part of the first cost. $100 setup fee.

Look up Foxtel Play, that's Foxtel's streaming service which costs $50 a month including access to Fox Sports, ESPN, Footy Play etc.

"If they sold a service with solely NBL games, I'd go for it." Aah, live streaming then. Ditto.

Would be great if NBL negotiate with Foxtel so that any new subscribers - who mention NBL, get set up fees waived!

Now that's partnering!!

We could just capture and torrent every game....

Thats what the NBL needs. People stealing!

ha, you're right, terrible idea.

Cain't hear a lotta what TV Commentators are sayen
when court announcer yells out deefence over a mic
a hundred times.....I just get bored. Hard to watch a full game.

i'd like to see something like this:

» All games live & in HD on Fox Sports including streaming though Foxtel Go for subscribers
» Streaming of all NBL games for non-Foxtel subscribers for a fee of around $50-60 a season
» A live game of the week nationally on GEM/9 or 7mate/7 OR even better, each state showing a live game of the week of the home team on GEM/9 or 7mate/7

NBL should look at producing a show made out of highlights of games similar to the English Premier Leagues weekly highlights show, it doesn't require anything but a quick narration and throwing to cuts of the broadcast coverage of each game. Surely the cost would be very minimal and could *hopefully* be broadcasted by either Fox Sports or even better, an FTA channel.

In terms of coverage and commentators, i'd like to see it done like the way channel nine did the Boomers v NZ match.

Have up the top of the stadium in a studio prior to the game (or for smaller stadiums on the court like ESPN used to do for Finals games) an anchor (Bill Woods type) alongside one or two of the people about to special comments commentate (like Gaze/Heal/Carfino/Sapwell/Maher) and then prior to the ad break throw to the lead commentator courtside for a brief spiel (John Casey/Dwayne Russell/Anthony Hudson). Then after the adbreak it's game time and you've got commentary (say, Casey/Gaze/Heal)

Channel 7 used to do something similar on Friday night footy with Dennis Cometti, it worked a treat.

KET, those commentators sound horrible...

Let's start by saying that this is a good deal for the NBL, but with all the grand statements in the announcement, the talking points that have been distributed to all the NBL players and the negative comments by some in social media, what has been lacking is some clear analysis of the pros and cons of the deal to explain why it is good and what is the way forward.
What we know about the deal so far:
• The Broadcast deal runs for the next 5 years in total;
• There is a review option after at least the first 2 years;
• All games will be broadcast live and in high definition;
• There is provision in the deal for a limited number of games to also be broadcasts on free to air television;
• Foxtel has comprehensive streaming and digital services for all their sporting properties (although not specifically announced it would be unusual for the NBL not to be available via these services).
It has also been reported that there is a monetary benefit to the NBL for the broadcast rights. The value of this remuneration has not been disclosed but it would be safe to assume that it is greater than anything on offer from a free to air or digital provider.
The Pros
The advantages of this deal are clear, the most important is that it puts money in the pocket of a league that needs investments and has limited funding sources. The 5 year length gives the league a median term financial security it has not had in recent times. The review options give the league flexibility to re-negotiate the deal should to position of the NBL improve.
But as a diehard NBL fan (which I am) there are some very tantalising aspects. All games live and in HD (excited squeal) and access to games across multiple platforms at a high quality (cue drooling sound).
It has not been announced but it is highly likely Foxtel will also produce news and analysis programs to support their NBL broadcasts, as they do with their other sporting properties. Which is great for NBL fans that have been starved by the limited NBL coverage and analysis available.
The Cons
There are however some reason for caution in the celebrations. Pay TV is a closed market which limits the ability for the league to attract new fans and grow the league. Penetration for Pay TV in Australia hovers around 30% of television viewers. This is similar to the penetration that existed in the 2000s when the NBL was last on Pay TV and it has been argued that this contributed to the decline of the NBL in the public consciousness.
Some commenters have been breaking down the cost of Pay TV to a weekly or daily number to suggest that this service is within the reach of everyone. However, this diminishes the impact of people’s limited entertainment budget. A basic package with sport and installation will cost close to $700 in the first year and that will require some hard choices in most families’ entertainment budget. The proof in this is demonstrated by Pay TV penetration remaining close to 30% for over a decade.
While a random game on free to air will help, new fans are not attracted to the league as a whole they start by following a team. To attract new fans they need easy access to their team to solidify their interest, without a large financial outlay to set up Pay TV.
So it this good for the league?
The simple answer is yes, as long as we view the deal as a positive first step for the NBL to get where they want to be. If this deal remains the same by the end of the 5 year contract the NBL is in serious danger of repeating the crisis that overtook the NBL in 2008-09. But this deal has the provisions for the NBL to grow past the confines of PayTV. These include the review option and the ability to broadcast more games on free to air.
The best case scenario would be in two years’ time the NBL reviews the deal from a stronger financial position, with more teams in the league - therefore more interest from free to air television and a stronger digital presence.
This is not the end goal for the NBL and should not be treated as some great return, but Larry Kestelman and his team should be praised for making a fantastic first step in getting the NBL back to a primary place in the Australia sporting landscape.

If Carfino is back I'm not.... so painful.

From what I read, it seems like this:

» 5 year deal between Fox and the NBL
» Up for "Review" after the 2015/16 season
» Review includes conditions/looks at how expectations are met regarding a new Brisbane team, product on court, product off-court, viewership numbers (a pessimist would suggest this provides potential for the contract to be easily withdrawn from or altered - an optimist would say it gives the NBL potential to bargain for more if it suddenly gains momentum and become a valuable product)
» No financial details were disclosed, but the broadcast productions costs are being "shared" - this would probably suggest the NBL really isn't getting any money from the deal
» All games will be Live and in HD for 2015/16 - referring to the season specifically and not over the term of the broadcast deal, the further years are not clarified (potentially because of the "review")
» Games will not be broadcast over multiple Fox Sports channels meaning the scheduling can only allow for one game at once (although for the few times in the schedule it clashes, perhaps they'll use the red button for viewer's choice?)
» Games will be streamed via Foxtel Go
» NBL retains the right to stream via a third party
» NBL retains the right to have a free to air channel broadcast "a game of the week" in simulcast with Fox (no information regarding whether it has to be a specific timeslot)

Games will not be broadcast over multiple Fox Sports channels meaning the scheduling can only allow for one game at once (although for the few times in the schedule it clashes, perhaps they'll use the red button for viewer's choice?)

This is from John Stensholt from the AFR:
Another broadcasting option is one match per round on free-to-air television, rumoured to be a Wednesday night on Network Ten. Loeliger said the NBL had been in discussions with all three commercial networks and believed a deal would involve a rights fee rather than the league effectively buying air-time via sponsorship.

You'd think Network ten wouldn't be interested considering they have the Big Bash that runs through the same period weekdays+weekends. Channel Nine with Australian Cricket team also has that, so you'd doubt they'd be interested as well. Although since the Big Bash is primarily on Channel Ten, I suppose we could see it on OneHD. IMO, Channel 7 would be the best option, particularly if they were willing to show it on their main channel. Although going up against sports on the other networks, they would favour themselves to do well not broadcasting sports in the summer.

What I don't understand is what the "rights fee" means. Surely Network Ten would have zero interest in giving the NBL even a single cent? Or does it mean a "rights fee" for air-time meaning NBL pays Network Ten for the right to a timeslot, in which case that's essentially saying the NBL are struggling to find a sponsor to help fund that.

Just to recap the article as well:

The title of the article is "NBL becoming more attractive to sponsors after Fox Sports TV deal"

» Apparently potential sponsors are calling up as a result of the new broadcast deal
» Sponsors have been waiting to see what the TV deal would be like first
» TV deal is "slightly back-ended" (whatever that means in this context?)
» Some of LK's $7m is going towards paying for the Fox Sports partnership (ie, NBL is paying Fox for broadcasting expenses probably)

Here's the other important part
» Some of LK's $7m is going towards a league-wide marketing & television campaign
» Advertising begins after the AFL finals
» Adverts will be tailored to specific markets promoting those team's star players

@KET - Ten could be interested. Don't forget Foxtel took a stake in Ten worth 15% and in return Ten took a 25% stake in Foxtel's sales arm giving advertiser access to Ten, Foxtel and Telstra.

Seven would be mad to air a Wednesday night match on the main channel.

Rights fee could mean Fox/Ten pay the NBL or get NBL sponsors to pay Ten for the coverage. Ten doesn't have to give much to the NBL and Foxtel could top up the money for them to gain the rights and it would be like Foxtel or Ten for that matter saying on the mics over and over again to get Foxtel "every game of the NBL Championship is live on Fox Sports"

Indeed, there's no chance Channel 7 would put a weeknight match on their main channel. I suspect they would on 7mate or 7two, although it'd be better if Channel 7 showed a saturday night or sunday arvo game live on their main channel.

Big Bash is on every day between December and January, so those two months the NBL couldn't be on Network Ten's main channel.

--

In other news:

League GM Jeremy Loeliger today confirmed there would be live streaming of the matches from Townsville at the preseason Blitz for the Loggins-Bruton Cup.

"It will be of lesser production quality than the TV product which will be screened (during the regular season) but it means fans will be able to see the Blitz games," Loeliger said.

BASKETBALL Australia remains confident it soon will reveal an exciting new television deal for its flagship WNBL competition, which would combine free-to-air and online coverage.

"We're in the midst of approaches to a number of advertisers, in discussions with all the free-to-air networks and with several production companies."

@KET - think the AFL TV deal even though its completely completely finalised there is a good chance that Ten will get the AFL. Foxtel would want Ten in the deal as it will force more people to subscribe to the pay tv giant and in return its a good deal for ten. I see the WNBL on Ten and Foxtel.

In regards to the NBL article, it all looks very good. I just wonder how much of LK's 7 million will be left at the end of producing a complete live season, and whether he is willing to dig a bit deeper, or whether maybe some of the sponsors are picking up the slack on that front?