It is a deadset joke. Everything the NRL does is just so incompetent. I wish I had a product half as good as the NRL to market because this game succeeds despite itself, not because of itself.
Let's be honest here, watching the NRL live or on TV is basically exactly the same experience aside from the crowds and overpriced food. If the NRL was serious, they would turn going to watch a game live into an experience so that people want to attend.
Take rugby union as an example. They took it off free-to-air for a while there and lost a lot of viewers and casual interest. Without knowing any data at all, I would assume they are still suffering the consequences of that boneheaded decision. This attempt at taking the live game away from viewers who don't have access to their home TV will come back to bite the NRL since they haven't added anything to live attendance.
I remember last year (or the year before), I went to a Storm game where they had this fantastic pre-show booked in against the Broncs by just having some live music, projecting pictures of their star players and some limited pyrotechnics, etc. I think it was Slater's return game? There were also some classic Storm moments playing on big screens around the game. I could have a lot of wires crossed there but the point is, it was a spectacle and it wouldn't have taken much effort either really, just a bit of pre-planning. The crowd loved it and the atmosphere was absolutely electric after for the whole game.
I went the next game also and nope, nothing like it, back to the usual nothingness. Why not do something like that pre-game every time? I mean, it doesn't even have to be expensive. Just get some no-name local bands that can get a bit of a buzz going and use some projectors. Throw in a bit of pyrotechnics and boom! We have excitement and people want to attend for the 'experience' not whatever rubbish they have now.
Look at the AFL (as always). Let's be honest, the game itself is a glorified schoolyard lunch game that you play with your friends. BUT when you go live, the experience is SO much better than on tv. They have fan games, competitions, give-aways, those stupid team songs and so much more. Plus, they have a LOT of benefits for members. AND they don't take the game away form the fans by putting stupid restrictions on watching options, I wish they were running this sport.
Rant/Tant over.
