Because England football games draw huge ratings which means advertising revenue.

What a pity the BBC aren't showing the non-England semi-final. That is likely to be Australia vs France/Samoa/Italy/Fiji. Though Australia should win it comfortably the point is that it would whet the appetite for the final since then the BBC viewers would probably be seeing both final opponents for the first time.

Incidentally, though I would like to see England in the final, I wonder how many people will watch the final if England isn't in it. i.e. Australia vs New Zealand.

My only other regrets are:
(1) There is such a long time gap between the England vs Australia game and the quarter final. I hope that some BBC viewers of the first game, who are not regular rugby league fans, will be interested enough, even excited perhaps, to go watch some of the pool games on Premier Sports.

(2) The BBC didn't take the Wales vs Italy game. It will be a good game with Anthony Minichiello, Mark Minichiello, Craig Gower, Aiden Guerra, Anthony Lafranchi, Vic Mauro and Cameron Ciraldo probably playing for Italy.

I will be amazed if we have access by the time of the World Cup. Either way, it's still a tiny channel that means pretty much nobody apart from RL fans will see the tournament.

I'm not too bothered about matches like Cook Islands vs USA being exclusive on Premier Sports but 9 games is way too many, especially if that includes knockout matches and even a semi-final (which I'm struggling to comprehend if so). Hopefully they can get another broadcaster on board for the important games not involving England or the tournament is going to be a flop. It's nonsense after all the promotion and build-up that they would hide this tournament away on a channel where nobody will see it, the only saving grace would be an hour-long nightly highlights show on the BBC in a prime-time slot.

I think saying it's a flop is a bit OTT. I do agree it is a shame that most of the tournament will be hidden away on a tiny channel, but i would rather England be on the BBC and the rest of the games on the"tiny channel" rather than SKY having full rights, the "big games/England games" are what are going to showcase our event.

The RFL HAD to get the England games on terrestial TV, unfortunately looks as though SKy won't interested in broadcasting the rest so prem sports got it.

BBC is great news......Premier Sports on the other hand smacks of SKY not being prepared to "gamble" on the numbers of viewers they will get for the so called "smaller" games.....and to be fair, basic economics says that they are probably right to have passed.
Still, it gives the BBC an opportunity to grab a decent amount of audience share at a time when SKY TV are normally at thei strongest, with wendyball in full flight and the other lot entertaining their southern cousins over the month of November. I wonder if any of the financials will ever become common knowledge, because I doubt Premier Sports will have paid a lot....nowhere near the 60million ITV paid for the rights to the RWC's 2011 and 2015.

Up to the RFL now to ensure that all the games are well attended......nothing worse than half empty stadiums on FTA TV...

totally agree, the 2000 World Cup started on the BBC with John Inverdale sat smugly in a studio in some Irish backwater with 300 people and a couple of dogs in the stadium.

Can you post the minutes seeing as you were obviously in the meeting.

I think a small positive on the lesser games is that it may come across better in a highlights package to the uninitiated as a highlights package than a live game. Lets face there are going to be a few games which are a procession, there always is. I would hope that a well produced highlights package shows a couple of games in a better light. That all games will at least have a highlights package is a good thing.

The bbc also have the option of a further 13 games, I hope they go for them, I think having 19 games over 6 weeks live on the bbc, even if some of them are only on bb3 or whatever, would be great. I also hope they show the Italy wales games which kicks off the tournament and the 2nd semi-final.

Also, just so people are aware, Sky did bid for the tournament, they did want it. Their bid was rejected.

How do you know that information?

word on the street innit



I don’t know if it has been reported anywhere. Ill have a look for you though

The three non-BBC quarter finals and the non-BBC semi-fiinal will not be "lesser games."

They may not be "lesser games" but dependant on who is in them they could well be very one sided and so not likely to create much enthusiasm, particularly the semi final not involving England. If the draw throws up an interesting tie like Wales v Ireland/Scotland or Fiji v PNG that is likely to be close and/or entertaining then I would expect said ties to be taken up by the BBC (as part of the optional extra ties they have). Watching Australia or NZ hand out an 80 point hammering to amateur/ part time players would not make good tv or a good impression to the curious non RL fans watching.

The other thing they should do is work with the BBC to get RL stars on other BBC shows in the weeks leading up to the World Cup. Get the players on the One Show, the endless shows about Cooking, buying houses, buying antiques and the rest of the tat the BBC shows during the day...just one mention of 'I'm an RL player and I'm playing for England in the world cup next month' gets us exposure to millions of non-RL fans and should help viewing figures if not ticket sales. Its in the BBC's interest to promote the World Cup this way too.

They might still be on the BBC yet.

Superb idea!
Why even wait till the few weeks beforehand? Get them on now! Send our best looking lads out to the One Show, saturday Kitchen et al.
Strike whilst the irons hot!

absolutely. Look at whats his face on 'Take me out'. The only one to ever have no lights out. Thats a league player for you, use em.

Jordan James. I think he was the last one on in the series though, probably had some girls leave their lights on for a free holiday as it was their last chance

SL: has one of the best sports channel viewing figures which gets SKY interested because of advertising revenue it can attract

WC: SKY have the real viewing figures from previous events and there just aren't enough big games (add to that England don't do well) to attract advertisers and therefore Sky aren't prepared to pay big money

Overall it may be good for the game as 'free' certainly removes one barrier to getting the audience. Also good for the BBC as, lets face it, they are fast running out of major sports to cover.

Not sure how much the BBC/premier sports will have paid to broadcast games, but it seems the RFL have got £750,000 from the Welsh for playing the opener in Cardiff, great work These are the funds being used to pay part of Andy Powell's wage. www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... ds-newsxml

Not sure how much the BBC/premier sports will have paid to broadcast games, but it seems the RFL have got £750,000 from the Welsh for playing the opener in Cardiff, great work These are the funds being used to pay part of Andy Powell's wage. www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... ds-newsxml

Proof?

The semi final where Australia played New Zealand at Huddersfield produced a 20,000 crowd and extra time. A couple of semi finals between England and Wales produced good crowds and fairly close games.

Looking at possible 4th teams for the semi finals to go along with the big three, Samoa, Italy and Papua New Guinea and not forgetting last competitions semi finalist Fiji, all seem to be reasonably strong teams which will have a decent contingent of heritage Australians and could produced a competitive semi final and Wales, Ireland, Scotland or Tonga might make a decent fist of it in quarter finals.

The only teams that might be completely outclassed are USA and the Cook Islands but it is great for them that they get a chance to play in the competition and their presence shows to the world the expanding reach of international RL.

Quote ="Wales for super L"Not sure how much the BBC/premier sports will have paid to broadcast games, but it seems the RFL have got £750,000 from the Welsh for playing the opener in Cardiff, great work These are the funds being used to pay part of Andy Powell's wage. www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... ds-newsxml'" Suddenly the decision to stage the opening game there makes sense!

Quote ="Wales for super L"Not sure how much the BBC/premier sports will have paid to broadcast games, but it seems the RFL have got £750,000 from the Welsh for playing the opener in Cardiff, great work These are the funds being used to pay part of Andy Powell's wage. www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... ds-newsxml'" Suddenly the decision to stage the opening game there makes sense!

Samoa are playing tonga this week in a warm up, not sure if it is on TV?

=#FF0000They produced close semi finals in the days when the likes of Davies, Devereux and Gibbs were in the Wales teams. They now have a team made up largely of championship 1 and Aussie minor league players. Last year a meeting between the two ended in an 80 point thumping.

=#0040FFThose nations may have "reasonably strong teams" but they are not reasonably strong when compared with Australia or NZ who they may have to face in the knockout games. They will almost certainly get a pasting against those two (England have had a few of those and they are ranked 3rd best). RL is not like soccer or RU where a weaker team can stifle their opponent and just keep the ball to keep it close. Where one team is clearly better than the other the winning margin is almost always massive. That won't look good on tv and casual/new to RL viewers will lose interest and turn off. They won't care about the classy full back play of Slater or the brilliance of Marshall as they won't know of those players beforehand so won't have tuned in to see them perform. All the new viewer will see is one team getting torn apart and a rapidly decided result. Those games that are likely to be one sided will come across better when edited for the highlights shows.

As I said in my earlier post if the draw throws up what looks like a close, entertaining game such as Fiji v PNG and the BBC have the option to show that game then they will take up that option and the free to air audience will see it. The games the BBC have chosen will show the tournament in its best light to the new, curious viewers of the sport that make up most of the BBC's audience. The games they have not chosen (as yet) are likely in the main to only expose the gulf in class at international level and make our WC look like a sham. The other games are better kept largely out of the full public glare.

This. Though I have the feeling this is one the RFL couldn't win, even if every game were screened live on every channel.