I don't see how that makes any difference? Under the current structure, if a current Championship team replaces Catalans in SL, then they'll have done that on merit by winning games in the 8's and maybe the MPG. For the next season they would be a SL club, and Catalans would be a Championship club. Sky will still pay to televise the SL games regardless of whether they're showing Catalans or not. I also don't see that the 30-50k viewers only watch on a Saturday just because it's Catalans that are playing - it's more than likely that viewing figures would be slightly higher as there would be more local interest from paying Sky subscribers.

I get the point about selling TV rights to foreign TV companies, but it all depends how well the deals are negotiated.

Whilst not disagreeing with your point. The problem is that clubs rely/want supporter's on season tickets. And they can't really sell the game for 2 different prices.

Though I do think they should do more, kids for a quid, more things happening at the ground (food markets, bouncy castles, a French day etc). Instead of accepting a low crowds and hoping the other games will allow them to get away with it.
You only have to look at what York & Toronto achieved for there 8's game with successful marketing.

Great contribution.

But there would be no games on the Saturday so we would lose 500,000 viewers a season. That would no doubt affect future TV deals and League sponsorship.

Can you imagine the RFL going to Sky in 2020, yep we have lost you 14 live games a season and half a million viewers. But its ok because we have replaced them with Leigh who will take 500 fans to Wakefield on a Friday night. How about an extra XX million our new broadcast deal!

They are also self sustainable club which is rare in our game.

Truth hurting Sinny?

In that case,It's imperative that Catalan must never be allowed to be relegated.
I will inform the RFL that the new structure for 2019 must state this when it is implemented . What a pile of rhino goons on here.

There would be nothing to stop Sky televising games themselves on Saturdays as well if they want to. Presumably Sky have to pay French TV to show the games in the UK anyway, which means the financial equation probably isn't so straightforward.

Self-sustaining means "maintaining or able to maintain oneself or itself by independent effort". I'm sure like all other clubs, they're very happy to take the Sky money every year, and I suspect that Catalans directors have put some of their own money in as well.

To be honest, Catalans are in SL on merit now (albeit they nearly lost their place this last season), but they shouldn't get any special treatment (as they did when they originally joined SL), and neither should any other clubs whether they're from the other side of the Atlantic or a small town in Yorkshire.

If the MPG next year has the same participants as this, but with a different result, then the clubs should swap places in the league. That is what team sport is all about.

Don't talk such rubbish, absolute nonsense even for you.

Are you stating that English S.L. clubs get a share of the French T.V. deal, I wasn't aware of that.

One thing Catalans has going for it ATM is that its the one foreign team in SL. If Toronto and other North American teams enter SL then the interest in Catalans will decrease and they'll become yesterday's news.

They do not produce games on Saturday because it costs SKY money. At the moment they can show 14 extra games for very little cost.

The question you asked was what Catalan bring to the UK game, the answer is a alot.

For those who don't know this, the French based BeiN Sports gets a feed of the two Sky televised SL games every week, which it shows at its own convenience (sometimes live, sometimes not). Having the BeiN Sports video feed of Catalans games on Sky would be partial payback to Sky for Sky's service to BeiN.

If Toulouse gets promoted to Super League, its home games will be on BeiN and also available for direct feed to Sky.

If you took the Catalans home games away because Catalans were demoted from Super League Sky would not be happy.

The best outcome for Sky would be to have both Catalans and Toulouse in Super League. That way it could be guaranteed a French Super League home game every Saturday night, and for minimal cost.

That's right,let's make sure the French teams are exempt from relegation,stuff the rest.Yer not reet int yed thee.