Quote: SmokeyTA "The game will apparently be available streamed on line for a fee and not live on the BBC who wanted to screen it which is about dumbest idea I have ever heard.
RL is completely locked in a mindset of squeezing a bit more out of the same people and doing nothing to attract new fans. Few existing fans are going to pay for this game, attendances are being propped up by subsidised away travel, SL is locked behind pay tv.
International RL is the easiest hook for a new fan. Whether they have seen a game or not they already have an affiliation. It should be spread as far and as wide as we can. FTA live broadcasts get us audiences of millions. It is our greatest possible marketing tool.'"
Do the BBC already have the rights to broadcast international friendly matches?
If not, were they willing to pay for the broadcasting rights?