It would be great if we were in a strong enough position to launch our own streaming service as well as provide content for FTA TV stations, but currently we live hand to mouth and have sold ourselves to SKY.
If the money goes down next deal, we will need to look at other ways to promote the product and that might be by streaming championship games on a pay to watch model.....but FTA TV is the key to growing the audience.

To be fair the only competition that could launch a streaming service in the UK and be successful is premier league football. Everyone else would fail!

80,000 people paying £1 a pop to watch St Helens v Wigan would cover the costs of the OB set up etc.....but it's getting RL fans to part with a tenner a week for 4 games on a subscription model that would be the problem.
Unless SL start offering a central ticketing system, a collective shirt manufacturing deal and a cohesive and central marketing strategy, then the game is in trouble, because the Likes of Wigan and Saints will soon tire of dragging around the deadwood clubs.....

The Tonga squad to face the Aussies looks strong, will any UK broadcaster show this game? https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/09/19/mat ... kangaroos/

The Tonga squad to face the Aussies looks strong, will any UK broadcaster show this game? https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/09/19/mat ... kangaroos/

Thats the Nfl model. They have shared revenue streams like merchandise and sponsorship. I Pay £140 a year for full Nfl season pass, that enaboes me to stream every live fame every week what ever team i chooose. I stream all the Dolphins games and occasionally other games. Plus sky have Nfl.
If sky stopped showing RL i would cancell all my sky packages. Full stop. I would then subscribe to whoever had the Rl rights. Sky no this and will pretty much at keast match any competition for RL rights. But seen has for 25 years nobody else has had any real interest in RL and sky have paid us pretty much what we are worth to them, why would RL switch from sky unless somebody comes up with stupid money.

I've just watched Huddersfield v Wigan on my cell phone for free here in NZ.

I've watched free sport for over 12 months now and the future of Sports streaming will be advertising content targeting the viewers, because it's impossible to "protect' streamed content so eve the subscription model has a shelf-life.

TV still has a place and will continue to be the dominant medium for sports content for some time to come.

As for the advertising, Sky is already delivering individually targeted advertising based on user demographics to its Sky boxes through it's AdSmart platform. The ads that one viewer sees will often be different to what another viewer (watching the same channel at the same time) sees.

At the moment, it doesn't do it for live TV content, but that is coming (and IMO, it won't be good news for RL).

What you are describing for avertised free streaming, well is that not simply the same as terrestrial Tv. Free streaming has all bar a few hyperboled artists ruined music, so if you are watching free streamed sport then yoy are inviting disaster for RL. I kniw severel Fev fans who complain about sky money not being fairly spit and Rfl not supporting heartland clubs etc, but they have dodgy sky/streaming boxes and don’t even pay, but they just think thats ok, and don’t get that that will affect future funding, because they jyst think every thing should be free.

AUSTRALIA’S rugby league Test match against emerging international giants Tonga in Auckland next month has become a box office smash hit.

The game at Mount Smart Stadium will be the first sellout of a Kangaroos Test match in recent memory with as many as 25,000 tickets already sold for the game on October 20.

The phenomenal interest is almost three times that of the Test match against the Kiwis at the same venue the weekend before which has sold only 9000 seats. Mount Smart Stadium holds 28,000.

Hopefully sky don’t miss out on this massive game.

England should be playing a series against the Tongan’s instead of the rubbish Kiwis

International broadcasting update.

Tonga v Australia - Sky Sports
New Zealand v Australia- Sky Sports
England Knights v PNG - Unknown
England v France - Unknown
England v New Zealand - BBC

England Knights squad announced, still no mention whether or not the games will be shown by a broadcaster. www.rugby-league.com/article/536 ... -adventure

England Knights squad announced, still no mention whether or not the games will be shown by a broadcaster. www.rugby-league.com/article/536 ... -adventure

Sure I read somewhere that they're available on Our League.

I agree. But it begs the question why we are paying a big wedge to Brian Barwick: all he seems to do is stand behind the guest celebrity thn the challenge cup is being handed out.