The record ratings for the National Rugby League grand final have "effectively killed off any hope of the game being returned to a daytime slot," according to Adrian Proszenko of the CANBERRA TIMES. The decider between South Sydney and Canterbury was a "ratings
bonanza for the Nine Network, which secured a five-city average
audience of 2,597,000 and a peak of 3,098,000." Those figures are the
highest for an NRL game "since OzTam ratings began." The governing body is "locked into staging the grand finals at night
until the end of the current broadcast agreement," which expires at the
end of '17. There have been calls from fans to "revert to the daytime
slot, which would make the match more accessible for young children." NRL Commercial & Marketing Dir Paul Kind, however, said that the "early evening kick-off ensured the biggest possible audience." Kind: "This year's grand final attracted the biggest television audience ever for an NRL match. So, while the grand final will be part of the discussions
for the next rights deal, it is clear that we reach more people by
staging the game in the early evening." The grand final will "remain in Sydney" until at least the end of the '19
season, as there is a "contractual agreement to stage games at ANZ
Stadium for that period." NRL CEO Dave Smith "floated the prospect of
taking it out of Sydney for the first time at some point." With the
exception of the '97 Super League decider, which was held in Brisbane,
"every grand final in the 106-year history of rugby league has been held
in Sydney" (CANBERRA TIMES, 10/9).
