NRL return rates well with viewers
‘‘You’re going to see a very smart, open game of football. And that’s the product we want.’’ Ricky Stuart
The NRL’s ambitious push to emerge from the Covid-19 shutdown has paid off after attracting its biggest television audience for a regular-season game in more than six years.
A combined 1.273 million people tuned in to watch Parramatta pummel Brisbane 34-6 in the first live Australian sport played since March.
It is understood to be the highest figure since 1.284 million watched the Broncos lose to the Sydney Roosters in round three in March 2014.
Almost one million watched on freeto-air broadcaster Channel Nine, including 615,000 across the five major metropolitan areas.
The bulk of that number, not surprisingly, stemmed from Sydney and Brisbane, with fans in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth tuning in via Nine’s secondary channel, Gem.
Foxtel drew an audience of 355,000 for the match.
The league also earned positive reviews for its radical new six-again rule, which was designed to eliminate the wrestle in the ruck.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart said the new rules had renewed his faith in rugby league.
‘‘I was getting annoyed watching rugby league because I thought there was just too much mess in the actual collision or after the collision,’’ Stuart said yesterday.
‘‘The game is still all about collision, you could see that last night.
‘‘If that’s the theme now, I think you’re going to see a very smart, open game of football. And that’s the product we want.’’
The game’s administrators also made a bold claim about international TV viewership. They say that over this weekend the NRL is expected to be viewed in more than 70 countries.
Coverage of the NRL’s relaunch will be accessible in countries such as the United States, Netherlands and Angola, resulting in the potential of an extra 30-40 million spectators watching from home at a time when there is limited live sport around the globe.
But fans were divided over the game’s use of fake fan noise. Suncorp Stadium was devoid of supporters under Covid-19 restrictions but that didn’t mean there was a lack of noise for TV viewers.
Not surprisingly, Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould praised the artificial sound.
‘‘I must say that the crowd noise in the background is brilliant. It’s been expertly used during the match. After a while it will just sound like a real crowd. Great atmosphere,’’ he wrote.
But noted Canberra-based sportscaster Chris Coleman was on the other side of the divide as he tweeted: ‘‘I love sport because it’s real. The skills. The contest. The genuine measure of one person’s [or team’s] skills against another.
‘‘Fake crowd noise is the antithesis of this. It’s not real. It’s bulls***. Get rid of it.’’
Artificial fan noise has been used for the return of German football’s Bundesliga and the NFL in the United States intends to do likewise.
There is more illusion in store with the NRL confirming they will trial cardboard fans to make the images look more realistic.