Broncos bridle at Friday night specials
BRISBANE Broncos will have Friday Night Fever for the next five years, with Channel 9 CEO David Gyngell adamant his ‘‘huge cheque’’ for the $1.025 billion TV rights buys him the schedule of choice.
League fans will rejoice over the move to fixed scheduling for the first 20 rounds of the competition.
But the reluctance to broadcast Sunday games live, the continuation of a delayed second Friday night game and a 7.15pm grand final kickoff will anger many.
Gyngell was unapologetic over his demands, adding he would like the Broncos to play every single Friday night because it sells best in Queensland.
‘‘Why wouldn’t they be on every Friday night in Brisbane?’’ Gyngell said. ‘‘ We just bought the game.
‘‘I don’t care (if the Broncos don’t want it), they’re going to do quite well out of the money they’re going to get from the deal.
‘‘I sit here unapologetically, when you pay this sort of money, to have the games you actually have to put programming into slots that you can commercialise.
‘‘We are broadcasters, we are not narrow-casters. Majority wins with us but niches don’t always win.
‘‘What the facts are is more people want to watch their local games and then can watch the second game later.’’
Brisbane’s Friday mortgage does not sit well with everyone.
Broncos chief executive Paul White will appeal for a ‘‘variety’’ of home games when the NRL seeks 2013 scheduling requests.
‘‘Like we’ve always done in the past, we will strongly request a variety,’’ White said.
‘‘It is the time for our club to make a statement that, like always, we will be strongly in there pushing for a variety in our scheduling which will hopefully attract and suit the needs of our current and new members.’’
Gold Coast chief executive David May said he would lobby to increase the number of Titans games on Friday nights, which has plummeted from 11 (in 2010) to eight (2011), then to seven this year.
He wants at least ‘‘eight or nine’’ F r i d a y games b u t a d d e d t h e preference was for weekend home games to help build crowds.
‘‘It’s a double-edged sword Friday night games. Some would be great, but equally there are some games I’d rather avoid Friday night,’’ May said.
– The Courier-Mail