Channel 9’s savaging of the NRL was to ensure they get the best deal when the game returns

Let’s not lose sight of the fact Channel 9’s attack on the NRL was also a tactical play. It’s part of the culture at the network established by Kerry Packer, writes Phil Rothfield.

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Long-time Channel 9 sports boss Steve Crawley tells a great story about the late Kerry Packer and the network’s culture of commercialising sporting content.

It was NRL grand final morning of 2004. Packer rang the now-Fox Sports Head of Television with a conversation that went along these lines, minus the colourful expletives.

“I don’t care about the colour and the atmosphere.” Packer said. “Just make sure you run all the commercials.”

So, during the game, Channel 9 took seven ad breaks in what was normally a commercial-free grand final.

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As long as the ads were played Kerry Packer was happy.

Anything to keep the boss happy, even if the ads hadn’t been booked and paid for.

Such was, and still is, the culture at Nine. There’s no question the network was within its rights to criticise the terrible financial mismanagement of the NRL and the fact hundreds of millions of dollars of broadcast money has been squandered in recent years.

But let’s not lose sight of the fact this is a tactic by Nine on the eve of negotiations for a new TV deal for the remainder of the season. They want more for less.

Simple as that. The network’s investment in rugby league is all about the commercial returns and revenue.

Todd Greenberg’s days as NRL CEO appear to be numbered. Picture Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Not the players, the clubs or the fans.

Remember the last time Nine had control of the NRL schedule. We sat up every Friday night until midnight watching a replay of the second game.

One night, I actually counted 77 ads in a game — Coles, Big W, IGA, Bunnings, Mitre 10, KFC, Hungry Jack’s, Oporto, Holden, Nissan and Toyota.

It was painful. I wrote about a 2015 Bulldogs-Tigers golden-point thriller finishing at 11.43pm, long after the next generation of fans had been tucked into bed.

Then on Sunday, they’d replay the 3pm game an hour later and fill it with ads to run into the 6pm news.

Hugh Marks still has a working relationship with NRL Commission chair Peter V’landys. Picture: AAP Image/James Gourley

This newspaper then successfully campaigned for every game to be shown live.

There is no doubt Nine still wants — and needs — rugby league. They can’t lose the major winter sport in this country two years after losing the cricket.

They’re just using the coronavirus crisis and the downturn in the economy to get a better deal. Whatever happens, the network’s statement is the death knell for Todd Greenberg.

Never before has a major partner been so brutally critical of the CEO of the game.

There’s no doubt the NRL will be back on the park in the next couple of months.

Channel 9 will be there too, knowing how much it means to sport-starved supporters and with the potential for huge television ratings.

Whether Greenberg will be there too is the big question.

Originally published as Channel 9’s savaging of the NRL was to ensure they get the best deal when the game returns