How long is the current Super League contract with SKY?

And what would happen if they decided not to bother with Rugby League any more? and decided against renewing the deal.

Until the end of 2016.

The same as if Sky pulled out of football, cricket, rugby union, darts etc. Another broadcaster would take it up on largely reduced terms.

It'd stop people asking this question.

It almost seems worth it.

We would all be watching Rugby Union instead.

No we wouldn't. It's still sh|te

Despite the regular panic on this subject, why would sky pull out of the sport with their second highest viewing figures? which they pay significantly less for Than either football or rugby union. Sky should be begging the RFL to sign deals on these terms. This is so unlikely its barely worth a theoretical discussion.

What do you think would happen?
What would you want to happen?
And how likely do you think it would happen?

What would happen if my Auntie had testicles?

She'd make a fortune on the after dinner speaking circuit?

The following would happen*, in this order:-

1 - We'd try to get another deal for the same money.
2 - If we got a deal for roughly the same cash, things wouldn't change much.
3 - If we got a deal for less cash, the sport would contract.
4 - If we couldn't get a deal at all, the sport would contract massively.

*if Sky did one, I'm unware of the impact of impact your Aunties new balls may have on professional RL in this country.

Some jealousy on the part of certain players who's balls have been lost to the sport?

TBH, the loss of one of the biggest revenue streams into the sport would seriously harm the game as a whole. There would be those club's who's sugar daddies would keep them ticking by, but it would likely mean the other clubs reverting to semi-pro status.

That does not mean, however, that I feel the RFL should be going cap in hand to SKY when the contract comes up.

To be honest being from Yorkshire I'd be more shocked to find she hasn't

1.3 million off the income column would destroy half of SL immediately.......the likes of Bradford, Salford, London, Wakefield, Castleford, HKA and Widnes would see between 20-35% of their income gone in a flash.....not many of their current owners would be keen to double their investment in the hope that supporters would continue to attend games.
You may end up with an 8 team Superleague made up of Wigan, Leeds, Catalans, Warrington, St Helens, Hull FC, Huddersfield and Toulouse, all backed by wealthy owners with strong business plans in place.....5 year licences with the leage expanding to 10, once those outside have found their footing as semi-pro and put together full independently audited business plans in their applications.

I'd give the BBC or any of the other FTA channels for that matter, free TV rights for 2 years, then once the ratings are seen to be good and growing,put them on the market for no less than 20 million a year.

Before I get fans of clubs outside this new set up whining, this is just hypathetical......I have no doubt that "your club" would be better placed to be in this new league, but in reality, the clubs named above are all pretty much heading in the right direction whilst the first group are at best treading water if not teetering on the edge.

If the RFL wanted to continue insisting on expansion in the south east/London, then THEY would need to own that franchise until it was self sufficient and an attractive proposition to potential investors.

Free for 2 years, have you had a tap on your head

No sport of note in the history of modern TV has given away the rights to broadcast to joe public for no financial reward, by doing so if someone like the beeb said, thanks for that freebie, we've recovered enough to pay for something more popular and leave us in the cack. The next lot of potentials would expect the same and you'd be completely bolloxed.

The whole thing is so implausible it's not worthy of discussion. This thread is just an excuse for the Fax fan to try and convince himself that SL is about to fall over. It isn't, Sky make too much good, easy money from RL.

Fair enough....just that ifSky were to feck off, then I doubt there'd be a stampede to pay for the rights.........and if there was no RL on TV, then the gap between TGG and other codes would widen further IMO.

SKY coverage is not seen as extensive enough by sponsors though. Currently no sponsors are in place for Super League, Challenge Cup, Championships and the World Cup.

What an absolutely ridiculous and illogical idea.
If you give something away for free, it doesn't go UP in value.

Can you imagine the uproar for this after clubs complained about going from £1.2m per year in sponsorship to £0 and advertising in trucks?! I'm sure giving away a TV contract worth £18m per annum will go down better! And I'm sure clubs will just be able to borrow money from the bank for two years to make up for the £2.4m lost in TV payments...

Utterly utterly ridiculous idea.

I think he is considering the option of no TV coverage, or coverage for relative small payment on say Premier sport or ESPN, compared to a FTA coverage?

So if say Premier were willing to give 3/400 grand per club for 2/3 games per week, would you take that over being on the BBC?

Unlikely I know

Ah I see. Apologies if that's the case then.

I'd look into sacking my media manager if that was the case! £300-400k per club is still a lot better than knack all. Giving it away for free takes the value of the contract completely away.

Bang on buddy.

Apart from early rounds of the Challenge Cup - none of these tournaments have played without a sponsor yet, so it is unfair to criticise them just yet.

If the situation is the same this time next year, then it is worthy of criticism.

Why this time next year? These sponsors bar WC maybe should be in place by Feb 1st at the very latest. How can graphics be prepared by SKY. How do the teams get the logos onto playing shirts st this late stage. There aren't even any rumours of sponsors names.

I wish people would understand that the BBC aren't interested in taking on RL. It's seen as a regional sport and they are a national institution so under what argument can they say that it is in the public interest to broadcast a sport which, bar a couple of teams, is entrenched in the M62 corridor? That's like broadcast the Oxford boat race...

With Rugby League being the 2nd most watched sport on Sky they are hardly likely to pull the plug on it any time soon. The mystery remains is to why we can't get big paying sponsors, or even medium paying sponsors.

We would end up back on council house TV which would really play into the hands of the northerners.

The presentation and quality would be similar to that poor RL show they have on Sundays with Harry Gration, which they refuse to play in the south.