In a time where people don’t ask questions, they go to
Google; where people don’t buy DVD’s or CD’s, they download them from a multitude
of platforms; where radio stations are online, you would think that the NRL and
it’s accomplices would do what it can to maximise it’s exposure and reach by
utilising the wonderful technology known to roughly 99.9% of the world.
The Internet.
Sadly though, it seems those involved in making decisions
regarding the exposure of Rugby League across the internet are part of 0.01%
who have no idea what an internet is.
Last year the NRL introduced an amazing concept whereby
anyone overseas could log onto the NRL official site and get a live stream of
any NRL game.
Oddly though, people outside NSW and QLD were unable to
watch any NRL content on Channel 9 until, at best, midnight or after.
The TV rights deal in August ensured that the game must
be shown live nationwide.
And league fans nationwide rejoiced.
In NSW and QLD on Friday nights, fans could watch the
games in the order scheduled for Nine’s main channel, or they could watch their
digital channel GEM and watch the second game live there (instead of after the
other game had finished).
Brilliant.
Alas, outside NSW and QLD there are still issues. The
main channel does not telecast NRL games live, only the GEM channel does. Which
means if you want to watch the second game live, you can’t.
People in Papua New Guinea, Kazakhstan, Peru, Tonga,
Hawaii, anywhere, you can watch any game live.
But if you live in Perth, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide
etc, you have no option.
You’d even be lucky if you can tune in to listen to the
game on the radio. The only radio you could hear it on is via the internet.
The Internet.
The place which also has live streaming, most of it
illegal, of sports events from around the world.
The NRL’s inept vision and completely inept ability to
think with any logic whatsoever regarding such simple, obvious and basic things
means that those passionate fans who want to see their team play live on Friday
nights have to resort to illegal measures.
A game that strives to have their players and
administrators behaving with utmost respect and professionalism is the same
game that forces its own fans to break the law just to watch a game that they
are already streaming live around the world.
What exactly is the NRL going to lose by allowing people in
Australia who live outside QLD and NSW, to watch the game on the same live
stream that they allow people in Reykjavik to view?
There’s no reasonable or rational explanation for this
obscene oversight. One person running the NRL Live streaming site could rectify
this issue in a few hours.
If the NRL won’t do anything regarding live streaming for
those Australians not living in NSW or QLD, then the NRL should make Channel 9 broadcast
the game nationwide on it’s two channels the exact same way as it does in NSW
and QLD.
This is not complicated stuff to do in today’s
technological age.
