Quote: Ronniequin "Sky have announced that next season they will show the obscure Celtic Rabodirect competition in Rugby Union. They already show the Aviva Premiership, Heineken Cup, Amlin Cup, LV Cup, Super Rugby, Autumn internationals, international sevens, National Leagues, and above all the forthcoming Lions tour. Contrast this to their dropping the RL Championship, NRL and any involvement in the RL World Cup. Why should this be? It's an interesting question as Sky are one of the most hard nosed of organisations purely interested in what generates revenue.
To me this signals the loudest possible alarm bells for the future of Rugby League. Anyone connected with raising sponsorship will tell you the millstone round the neck of Rugby League is that it is Northern and Working Class. Any attempts to change that, as Sky did in creating Super League has failed. So instead they now emphasise the down to earth qualities by using people like Mc Dermott and O'Connor to front their presentation. However that has severe limitations in national appeal, as anyone supporting RL in London will tell you. A case in point was the joint venture of Harlequins and London Broncos. Quins are sponsored by Etihad, an international global airline. After a league game I asked a Quins fan who watches Broncos regularly why Etihad didn't also sponsor the then Harlequins RL? He said take a look at the people around you- how many of them are serious users of executive travel? He was right of course, very few.
With the likely reduction in player quality in Super League, defections to NRL, no more big signings from Union, no more top class Australians, what will Sky decide is best for their business? Whilst they need the separate airtime to fill their 4 sports channels then fine. But what if they decide that a merged entity would create more synergy and a super product with greater appeal than the combined effect of 2 separate competitions? If Sky ever reach that conclusion then the future for Rugby League looks bleak, and you will find Leeds and Wigan playing in the Aviva Premiership.
I speak as a RL supporter for 50 years and I have never before felt that our destiny lies in somebody else's hands.'"
Sky and ESPN and lost the rights to the Aviva Premiership next season, the games will be shown on the BT sports channel which will have such a small audience, it seems such an idiotic move considering there's a world cup in this country in 2 years time. I do believe BT where trying to get a deal for a new European competition format which again would be shown exclusively on their sports channel. Without the domestic English union league being shown I sky I suggest they would be more inclined to focus their attention on the super league.