I'll wait until the NRL have negotiated the Fox Sports, Sky & Digital deals before judging whether or not they got the most value. The former and latter is of particular interest, because there's word that the NRL could receive it's own channel again for the first time since 2002 when they had a deal with Optus and could make for some great coverage. However, if they can't get that off the ground, they maybe getting a weaker deal since Fox Sports will receive one less game each season.
From a fan perspective, I believe it's a good deal. I wouldn't go as far to call it great just yet, as we'll see how fair the NRL is in terms of scheduling sides but the idea of 4 FTA games, a fairer Origin period and a competition conscious (as opposed to ratings conscious) schedule is a good win for the fans.
From a Broncos perspective, I can still see the team receiving a lot of FTA games, but I think we'll see them less and less on Fridays. Hopefully it means more Saturdays and Sunday games but it will probably mean more Thursdays which is a negative.
I could give or take Monday Night Football. Some of the best games took place on Monday Nights and I thought the Fox Sports coverage was first class, but there was definitely a fatigue factor there as a viewer. Personally, I like a day to reflect on the round that was, where people fire up on the call-back stations and you get all the judiciary, injury & referee reviews out of the way. As it stands, it sort of feels like that happens, we put it in the back of our minds while we wait for the final encounter which at times can be really important, especially if it's teams like Melbourne, Souths or Manly playing (as they tend to receive a lot of Monday games).
