Macca

And North Melbourne lost their first 4 games in 1975 and then won their first flag that same year Has there been a team with a worse start win the flag? And how about the team that lost their last 9 home & away games but still went on to win the premiership!!

You're not telling me anything I don't already know They'll just slash further and buy cheap products that the masses want to watch. And that includes the AFL & NRL even though it seems like a lot of money In a general sense the masses decide

Fair enough but that also means that FTA is somewhat saved by the anti-siphoning laws So it's business as usual except the FTA networks need to find ways to operate profitably Slashing staff numbers for starters. Investing less in local drama etc etc. Not great news but business is business

Ha ha This thread is usually 90% about the umpiring!!! Don't worry, you'll get your chance to vent soon enough!

So do the anti-siphoning laws save the TV networks?

I don't disagree but footy & rugby league is not going 100% cable or streaming in a hurry You talk as if all the commercial networks will fold within months Not going to happen despite all your doom & gloom. For instance, the current AFL broadcast deal extends to 2030. And that includes 4 FTA games per week plus all the finals. Same deal for the NRL

I'm not convinced that advertisers aren't paying a premium for Friday & Saturday evening NRL & AFL Sunday 3.20pm looks like it's being phased out but again, that can be related to the advertising dollar

The most watched show/event in 2023 on FTA was the Women's world cup Semi final between the Matilda's & England 7.32Million!! I hear all the doom & gloom but FTA just needs to adjust to survive. In the meantime, the NRL, AFL, Test cricket, Big Bash, Horse Racing etc etc are all still on TV, free of charge

I thought what fell through was that Paramount wanted all the games with none being shown on Ch10

Aren't most of the games broadcast on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings? And isn't that all prime time? Same deal for the NRL As for ratings, the AFL & the NRL get huge numbers watching on FTA

Yeah, fair enough 1 in 2 households have cable? And around 70% have some sort of streaming or cable But I've also read that more than 80% of Australians still watch free-to-air TV So there's a lot doing both The one advantage that Ch9 & Ch7 have is that they know that the NRL & the AFL won't go all-in away from FTA Not for the time being anyway Before the last deal it was rumoured that the AFL could have picked up a princely sum from Paramount but they would have had to go all-in with Paramount. Amazon the same? Go Lions!

But how many people have shifted away from FTA? A big number, I'd agree but Rugby League & the AFL still gets millions of eyes watching ... on FTA There has certainly been a shift and Free-to-air is struggling but it won't die. Not in the near future and certainly not with regards to the 2 big sports in this country And FTA is paying the NRL & the AFL $Billions for the right to broadcast the games They are not forking out that sort of money unless they are getting a decent return My view is that the FTA commercial networks needs live sport more than they ever did. Why else would the the last AFL broadcast deal go for $4.5Billion? But you won't see the commercial networks clamouring for the A-League in a hurry. Doesn't rate (although, the A-League is on 10Bold on Saturday nights and 5pm Sundays The main Ch10HD channel will be broadcasting an NBL every Sunday afternoon from 2.30pm (every week) throughout the summer AFLW gets heaps of live coverage on Ch7. 2 games every Sunday for starters So there seems to be more live sport on the FTA channels as there ever was Which can only lead to one conclusion ... that people are still watching FTA TV in large numbers (sports included) The overseas model paints a different picture but the overseas captive audience is enormous https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/06/seven-and-foxtel-to-keep-afl-rights-in-record-45bn-seven-year-deal

Yes, but prime time on weekends would still be a lot more expensive than non prime time slots for the advertisers (on weekends) Explains why there always seems to be a push for a twilight GF or night GF. It can't be assumed that the push is coming from the AFL The networks are looking for a larger, captive audience Rugby League went to the evenings for their GF (Sunday) for the same reasons Otherwise, if travel for the teams was the main reason, why not just have the game at 2pm instead As for FTA TV, the NRL & AFL will continue to be in high demand for the commercial networks. They need the 2 big sports to survive And both the NRL & AFL can't go all cable or streaming or they'd lose a large percentage of their audience. The captive audience just isn't big enough in this country For instance, on the weekends, people are more likely to be home in the evenings as opposed to during the day. There's local Sport, horse racing, kids sports etc etc on Saturdays and Sundays but mainly before 5pm Monday to Friday works the same way as most people are at work 9 to 5 (not all, but most)

Prime time advertising rates begins at 5.00pm. At least, that was how it was traditionally And prime time rates are at least 4 times those times that are outside prime time Follow the money

NFL Picks Week 3

8 part series (Podcast) from the BBC Confessions of a Match Fixer

For the winners, the highlights Falcons @ Eagles Jets @ Titans Packers vs Colts

bleacherreport.nfl-power-rankings-where-does-every-team-stand-entering-week-3 1 - KC 2 - Houston 3 - Bills 4 - Saints 5 - Lions 6 - 49ers 7 - Bucs 8 - Vikings Others ... 9 - Eagles 12 - Dallas 16 - Jets 17 - Atlanta 19 - Packers 23 - Rams 24 - Bears 27 - Jags

It has for some, including this season already There is often a trap game, but predicting those occurances is tricky Last year (and the year before) we had 2 x 4 week stretch's where no one gained a point In fact, 2 seasons ago 2 participants failed to gain a point at all! But we've changed things a bit where 1 point is awarded for 2 out of 3 (ain't bad)

@Gorgoroth @Go the Biff @DeeSpencer @titan_uranus @Clintosaurus @Dee Zephyr @Dr. Gonzo @DemonDave @BDA @layzie @Dappa Dan @ElDiablo14 @JV7 Leaderboard Tipping Comp (this week's awarded points in brackets) 7 - DemonDave (3+1) 4 - Go the BIff (1), DeeSpencer (1), layzie (1), Macca (1) 2 - JV7 (1), Gorgoroth (1), titan_uranus (1), Clintosaurus (1), Dee Zephyr (1), BDA (1), Dr. Gonzo (1) 1 - ElDiablo14 (0) On to next weeks games ... Surely the 49ers bounce back! Surely! Vegas are a bit cold on the Vikes The Packers new found running game might get them over the Titans? Can the Bears beat the lowly Colts? Eagles favoured @ New Orleans? Not sure on that one The Lions should win @ Arizona, if they're going to be a realistic threat It's a tough week but nearly all of the top match-ups are on Sunday (early & late games) 7Mate games - 3.00am Houston @ Minnesota 6.25am 49ers @ LA Rams Bleacher Report Power Rankings out tomorrow (See Below) 'Guess the Lines' with Bill Simmons & Cousin Sal

Huge W for the Falcons Season definer! Is that 10 road wins? So much for home crowd noise!!

Billings accumulates possessions but his disposals don't stand out and are not dynamic And he freezes in front of goal. Depth only but how many depth players does the club need? The issue with depth players is there is often very little upside and they often can't play an effective role But to single out Billings alone would be unfair. We've got about 10-12 players in a similar vein (some have upside and not all are midfielders) In a good team there isn't room for too many depth players but it must be said that we are no longer a good team. We're an ok team which once had a stellar midfield Now that same midfield is B- at best and bottom 6 material Watching the finals highlights how far we've fallen away with regards to midfield strength Retirements, injuries, loss of form, age, lack of leg speed, effort, energy, application and endeavour are all contributing factors And our midfield teamwork has dropped right away. As well as that, our delivery forward is often below standard It's time for a midfield rebuild as Gawn & Viney are getting old, Brayshaw is finished, Oliver is well below his best (2 years now) Sparrow hasn't come on and who knows with Petracca? Rivers has been good and Kozzie could be an effective midfield weapon but we need an injection of new midfield talent Windsor & Tholstrup look to have bright future's but both are in the development stage Ideally, 2 midfield additions in the upcoming draft but that means we have to get hold of another top 10 pick

The Bleacher Report: NFL Week 2 Top Takeaways for Every Game

It seems like Alvin Kamara has been around for well over a decade but he's only in his 8th year. Certainly had a day out with 4 TD's and big yards

If Kirk Cousins can find his best form you're at least a chance of competing well The Eagles are a good team though. Error free and you can match them (easier said than done)