I read somewhere that this new deal, is 40% less than the previous deal, this has not been officially announced, but if this is true, then I’ll hang my balls in Hammonds window, what kind of negotiation is this, Was Ken sucking on his Werthers originals when he brokered this deal, we have a fabulous working relationship with Sky, too right we do, problem is it’s a one way street.

Surely this means most clubs, can’t spend to the existing salary cap,

there is going to be some serious belt tightening across Super league. And perhaps the days of the marquee player are gone, get those kids playing as soon as possible, because more than ever, they are our future.

Pearson and Davey were the negotiators......well has run dry finally, just hope bbc get some free to air as Adam mentioned a few weeks back, may give a bit more value when the next deal is being discussed as viewing figures are pretty strong on the beeb

The more I see & read about the new deal the more it seems that it isn't a bad deal when taking everything in to account in terms of SL.

Its clear the landscape has changed in terms of fans through the gates for all sports globally. I don't doubt that fans will come back eventually but it will take time and there will of course be some that decide to no longer go for a number of reasons due to the enforced extended break.

I don't think there has ever been a more important time to promote and sell the game to a wider audience to not only entice regular RL fans back but also people starved of watching a live sporting event and entertainment for over a year than now. The RFL with SL and Championship must work together to try and expand the audience and with the football season coming to an end if done right the game could really steal a march and make some real progress in this if they are able to use more platforms than under the previous SKY deal.

There is a need to have some games on free to air channels and the possibility of the BBC doing a prime Saturday afternoon slot would certainly help to reach a much greater audience, which would help to generate interest in the sport then filter down to people wanting to go and see a game live.

Seems a decent deal in the current circumstances for SL clubs, they wont get much less money, plus the rumored deal with the BBC.

It will be the lower league clubs that will suffer, they really need to negotiate a TV deal, to help them survive.

I don't think we are far off a closed shop, I'd be amazed if there was relegation this year, if not this year, they will close shop if and when Tolouse come up and Leigh go down which I think will happen this year.

we dont want tolouse in,they should be in a strong french league,along with catalan.

You have a strong French league lying around do you?

Catalans have added something to SL in my view so I am willing to give Toulouse a go.

The prime terrestrial TV slot in my opinion has to 18,30 on a Sunday when there is nothing worth watching and other S/L live games have finished.
My main concern is if one or two channels pick up Championship or League 1 matches many of the stadiums look poor on TV and it doesnt give the right image to new viewers who know little about the game.
As an example i watched London v York in an earlier round of the C/C and it looked like it was played at a park pitch.
Contrast that to Yorks new stadium and the game looks totally different.

To be honest bonaire there's bog all worth watching on the TV on a weekend either Saturday or Sunday currently.

Agree re the Championship or League 1 in terms of coverage and it needing to look right and come across well rather than looking like its on playing field. So do you then say to have a home TV fixture your ground has to be of a certain standard? Its certainly a difficult challenge as I certainly think the there is a real opportunity but it has to be done right and not half cocked which would do more damage than good.

Absolutely. Broken habits are a concern for getting crowds back into the ground also. For some going to the Rugby is part of a bigger night/day out going to the Pub before and after, picking mates and/or family up etc. I'm sure we've all had it in life when one mate stops doing a hobby or moves jobs, moves away and stops taking part etc and then everyone else stops doing it too.

In the short term reassuring people that the Staidum is 'safe' and isn't a lengthy faff to get into (that is a concern for me, the KCOM turnstiles are a slow joke even with an 8k crowd and no Covid measures) will be a priority. There will be an initial buzz about being back but an hour long queue outside the ground will get old quick, particularly if we aren't playing well.

Be interesting to see what Union do next. They gave the rights to BT for more money but they don't have as many viewers as SKY, but gave 5 games a year and the highlights to Channel5. I know the highlights haven't done well and Channel5 wanted to move to a dead slot but can't because Union are smart and put it in the contract that it must be on at primetime (I dream of the day RL thinks of stuff like that!) I believe the live games have done well though and they have given Channel5 prime games such as Boxing Day to maximise the audience.