Premier Sports have all the games on catch-up online

Thought the BBC TV commentary for England Ireland was terrible today, cliché ridden, patronising - second half I turned the sound off and put the radio commentary on! Must be Chapman's influence as I usually do the same for (round ball) football but have never felt the need for Rugby League.

I was tempted to start a new thread discussing TV coverage until I discovered this one.

I would like to know how people feel the attendances of the games would have been affected, if at all, if the tournament had been broadcast by a free-to-air channel (such as across the BBC television network or even the ITV platform) rather than as it has been by a limited viewing audience channel such as Premier Sports with only the England games live on the BBC?

Do you feel that more people would have stayed at home to watch matches on the TV rather than attending in person, or is it purely the fact that well attended RL matches would have been watched by a potentially larger audience across a free-to-air TV channel?

Would people really have switched across to BBC4 (or ITV3) to tune in to watch Tonga vs Cook Islands live? Or have the BBC got it right by choosing to just show the England games as they are the ones that generate more interest to the not-so-die-hard-RL- fans?

Also, speaking ‘media’ broadly, it also spoke volumes that of the two English Rugby Teams that were in action over the last weekend, it was the Union boys’ victory over Australia that was reported on more than the excellent performance of the League boys who competed in a WORLD CUP tournament in front of a sell out John Smith’s Stadium.

Some of the best games have been group c d and only seen on premier, its a real shame I have been asked by lots of folk where they can watch it and most of them have not even heard of premier.
poor decision by the rfl, a bigger selection of the games should have been offered to free to view

Whilst channel flicking, I paused on the half-time of the Wales-Tonga RU game and nearly fell off my chair when they ran a promo for our World Cup. Sleazeball Inverdale did the talk-over, too! I imagine he did so through gritted teeth, but fantastic to see the Beeb promoting RL in the midst of other sports for a change.

Well I'll go t'th foot of our stairs! Hope someone puts that on Youtube, would love to see Mr Smooth having to say something nice about League!

Yeah would love to see it can somebody share it?

I have to say that I think tht the BBC's coverge has been about average which is about par for the way they treat RL as a whole. Their coverage of the Challenge Cup Final is poor and the fact that they spoke over the opening of this World Cup - with no pictures of it - was nothing short of disrespectfull. The Whole of that opening ceremony should hve been shown. I bet they show the whole opening rubbish for the RU World Cup next year.
Premier Sports coverage is a breath of fresh air and is way better thn SKY's in my opinion. Forget ll these fncy graphics. Put knowledgable, entertining commentators on and thts it. The pictures are great - a damn site better thn the BBC's - so they get my thumbs up.
Last note is, big thumbs up to Stu Bunce - boxing pundit - on Radio 5Live's Fighting Talk on Saturday morning. He rightly said that last weekends quarter final between England and New Zealand was that finest sporting specticle ever to grace a stadium in this country. I'd be glad to take you to a game and sit with you at Leigh any time you like Buncey. Top bloke.