It’s exactly a year since Fi Tomas published her piece on PWR’s new deal with TNT Sport to cover one match per round (www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2023/11/08/tnt-secure-premiership-womens-rugby-rights-deal/)
The contract was hailed by Belinda Moore, the then CEO, as a big breakthrough for women’s rugby, the first chance for club rugby to be viewed on live television on a regular basis. She admitted her ultimate target was to set up a twin structure offering both free-to-air and a commercial TV company. That sounds to me trying to get chalk and cheese to taste the same.
The only time rival TV companies are prepared to enter into a sharing agreement is to prevent a third party winning the contract.
Responses to Tomas’ piece were what you might have expected: a blend of “that’s good news” ,“nobody watches women’s sport” and “who’s paying how much?’
Moore said the ultimate aim was to encourage a free-to-air company to offer itself, but that hasn’t happened yet. As things stand, viewers are invited to pay TNT’s going rate to watch one match out of four per round. Previously, the BBC had offered matches on iPlayer. If discussions are still ongoing, they are taking a long time to come to fruition. Two vital details remain absent: what the TNT deal was worth and what the viewing figures are.
The mere fact the TNT don’t make those numbers readily available is proof enough to me that the arrangement isn’t working profitably.
In 2021 the BBC agreed to transmit Six Nations matches exclusively, the agreement to last till 2025. That looked like good news all round; the BBC was pleased with the viewing figures. Getting a similar response at one level down – club rugby – is proving much harder. We’ll get an indirect indicator of progress next summer when Auntie covers World Cup matches. Ticket sales have been highly promising, so the chances are the risk the cash-strapped broadcaster runs will be justified.
For the moment, my feeling is that three PWR matches per week remain unobserved, even unloved, beyond the committed few who attend the games. Furthermore only a handful of clubs are prepared to to publish attendance figures. Certainly they are growing; the problem is, they remain far too small for their own good. Cameras still have to stare across at empty stands, never a welcome prospect for TV executives.
This is a great pity when the product is so watchable.
No news is good news?
It’s also exactly a month since we heard news of Moore’s resignation. This came as a bolt from the blue, just as a new season was getting under way. We shouldn’t be surprised at the silence that has followed: finding a suitable replacement cannot be easy. PWR set itself very demanding targets that I’ve commented on before.
When the new appointee is in place, we may hear whether all the aims (within a 10-year structure) will be adhered to, or whether they will be watered down in the light of current circumstances.
