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Free-to-air boost for Canberra in NRL draw

3 minute read

Grand finalists Canberra will have more of their NRL games on free-to-air television in 2020 than any other season in a decade.

Raiders coach RICKY STUART
Raiders coach RICKY STUART Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Canberra will have their greatest free-to-air television exposure this decade after being rewarded for a captivating run to the grand final in the 2020 NRL draw.

The Raiders were on Tuesday given eight free-to-air games on the Nine Network, their highest number since the current broadcasting structure began in 2007.

It marks an increase on five regular season games from 2019 for a club that became arguably the story of the NRL's finals series.

It also comes after years of frustration at the Raiders regarding their commercial exposure, given they had as little as one game on free-to-air in 2013.

"Most of our sponsors are very loyal, they have been with us through the hard times," said Canberra chief executive Don Furner.

"We've always only averaged two or three Channel Nine games a year. To get seven and possibly more is a reward for them.

"Moving forward we will get that reward commercially, because your sponsorship strip is worth more. Down the track we will capitalise on that."

The Raiders were a feature of the draw announcement, with their grand final rematch against the Sydney Roosters to be played in Perth in round 11.

The bulk of Canberra's free-to-air games will be played on Sunday afternoons, after the club requested to stay away from the freezing Thursday and Friday night home slots.

The Warriors have the fewest free-to-air games with one, while the Gold Coast have just two. Newcastle have the next lowest, with seven.

Brisbane against have the most with 18 - with 10 of those in the Friday night prime time slot.

"There is always a balance between making sure your broadcasters partners get the strong ratings and return on investment, while also making sure fans can get to games on the weekend," NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said.

"There will be clubs who will desperately want to be on Thursday nights on Nine where lots of people watch that game.

"It's a massive ratings night, and there are other clubs who want to play Sunday afternoons to get a crowd in."

Parramatta will open the season against Canterbury on March 12 at Bankwest Stadium, and have a golden start to the year with six games against 2019's bottom-eight sides in the first two months.

Manly coach Des Hasler will return to Belmore in round 10 with a clash at his former club Canterbury's suburban ground.

The Bulldogs and South Sydney will play the last game at ANZ Stadium before it is closed for redevelopment.

Allianz Stadium and Cronulla's Pointsbet Stadium are also out of action for the season, further muddying the process for the NRL after it began planning the draw in January.

Meanwhile, there is also a slight reduction in five-day turnarounds for teams from 26 to 25 overall, well down on the peak of 46 in 2015.

Cronulla, Melbourne, Parramatta and South Sydney each have three five-day turnarounds, while Brisbane and the Gold Coast do not have any.

The grand final returns to the SCG on October 4, the first time the venue has hosted the premiership decider since 1987.

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