It’s the obvious one isn’t it. For too long Channel 7 has been treating AFL fans with contempt. The Grand Final is our biggest showcase of the year and with Channel 7 holding exclusive rights to the match they continue to broadcast it live in standard definition.
Did you know Channel 7 were the only broadcaster in the world to show the game in standard definition? Meanwhile on their HD channel 7Mate we were treated to a 2010 motorcycle race…
I’ll admit, I have been against this idea for a long time now but I’m starting to concede that it might be the best idea going forward. Twilight seems to be the happy-medium time that fans could get used to. It allows everyone to enjoy the build up to the big game while still being able to light the BBQ and have a kick in the Spring sunshine.
With the sun going down it will only add to the half time show experience.
Let’s get things straight, the AFL won’t be able to match the NFL’s half time show in the foreseeable future. However when you get a record 114 million Americans tuning in to watch the Super Bowl you realise that they’re not all there just to watch the game.
The AFL need to turn the half time break in to something that will draw viewers attention and importantly draw people who might not ordinarily watch the coverage at all. This goes back to my last point too, a twilight Grand Final allows for light and pyrotechnic displays at half time. Something which could really draw viewers.
I’m not an NFL fan, I’ve always thought it resembled something closer to a soap opera tv series than it did a sports match. I saw this graph on twitter yesterday showing the percentage of actual gameplay in a typical NRL match. Only 8.3% of the coverage was gameplay.
Commercials made up a whopping 24.5% of the coverage! I’m not sure what percentage they would take up in a standard AFL match but watching the Super Bowl yesterday you could really notice the commercials impacting on the experience.
It happens every year, footy fans watch the Super Bowl and expect to see something similar from the AFL. It will never happen, well not unless the AFL can draw 114 million viewers and sell their tv rights for billions every year.
But if the AFL is listening, all we really want is for the game to be shown in HIGH DEFINITION!
