Just put some vampires in it: Netball coverage on television

The last minute deal for the Australian broadcasting rights to the ANZ Championship is a mixed omen for the future of international netball. On the one hand, Foxtel has come to the rescue like a benevolent corporate hero, with SBS as a dutiful sidekick. Channel Ten dumped the league at the end of last season because netball is, in their words, “insignificant” and “not a premium sport”. Foxtel and SBS have promised to screen all ANZ games live in Australia, in glorious HD.

Foxtel’s CEO Patrick Delaney labelled the deal as “a historic day for netball in Australia”, pointing out the benefits for Australian viewers. He’s not wrong. But when you read between the lines, it’s clear that the deal also highlights how far Australia is lagging behind New Zealand in capitalising on the ANZ Championship.

“Netball is Australia’s leading female sport showcasing electrifying athletes in a ferocious competition that has the potential to generate a very strong following on FOX SPORTS,” said Delaney, dutifully. He then quickly reassures “sports fans” that Foxtel’s still got the NRL and AFL, World Cup football qualifiers, and international rugby union and cricket tests.

SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid got in on it too. “This exciting new partnership demonstrates a commitment by SBS to supporting women’s sports in Australia and helping to grow the sports which connect our diverse communities,” he said.

To paraphrase, SBS and Foxtel are doing some community service. Here’s something for the ladies. Something for “diverse communities”, not something for mainstream audiences. We’ll even do some fancy pink graphics for you and throw in some lady commentators to discuss the players’ complexions and breeding programs for you. But don’t worry, Foxtel’s still committed to real sports and their adequately testiculated fans.

The real shocker came from ANZ Championship General Manager Andy Crook. Apparently the deal reflects the ambition of the ANZ Championship, and that ambition is “setting the benchmark for female sports leagues.”

Netball is played by an estimated one million Australians. The ANZ Championship is most prestigious netball league in the world, and it happens to be based between Australia and her sporting arch-rival, New Zealand. If Channel Ten couldn’t manage to scrape together a significant, premium sport when it was served to them on a plate, they should sack their entire marketing division. If the league’s management is only comparing itself to “female” sports comps, their heads should be next on the block.

It’s not sexism, either, it’s stupidity. A dose of misogyny is usually not a good thing, but at least sex sells better than charity. Australian netball fan Ammal Hannun summed it up when he said “There’s [sic] 14 attractive girls that run around in pretty little dresses for an hour on court and no one can promote it or market it in a better way than it’s been marketed?” Of course, in netball, for every player who is still “attractive” after a quarter of netball, there’s one who is bright red, sweaty, and sporting a truly fierce grimace. But hey. Some of us watch NRL for the tight little shorts.

The days when it was the role of the broadcaster to perform a public service are long gone. Today’s television networks sell entertainment. They tell us that we want to watch ‘reality’ TV, violent sexy vampires, and beautiful people in contrived comedic settings. We tune in, and then corporates inject advertising directly into our living rooms. Not only in the ad breaks either. In an age of TiVo, Austar and MySky, we’re fast-forwarding the dedicated adspace, and instead our favourite characters are getting paid to drink Coca-Cola, use Apple devices, and drive Toyotas.

Sport is no different. In fact, it’s better. We’ve got walking, talking, bona fide role models to slap logos on. You can sponsor an entire competition, a team, or even a single player – your business name is repeated over and over again in commentary and news coverage. You can buy a player to hock off anything from pasta to undies. You can plaster billboards next to the field. You can have every half-time break kick off to the sound of your jingle. Unless your property turns out to include a gambler, an alcoholic and/or an adulterer, you can’t lose. In fact, even then, Nike would suggest you might win.

People turn on the telly for entertainment, not to watch the networks cater dutifully to the fringes. By presenting netball as something that is good for the community – women’s sport, diversity, female sports league – Australia is missing out on a true money-making opportunity. Since when do people want their TV to be good for them?

So start selling netball as entertainment, Australia. If you don’t know where to start, just make like the kiwis.

NZ’s Sky Sports thrashes the Aussie networks in selling netball as a premier sport. They push netball in testosterone-fuelled onscreen ads that splash sharp graphics and angry music over sweaty athletes, in the style we’ve come to expect for rugby advertising. Sky Sport’s website has netball right there on their main menu, along with Rugby (union), League, Cricket and Football. Prime’s The Crowd Goes Wild sports commentary show has the “Harrison Hoist” in its opening titles.

Fox Sports’ website doesn’t even list netball under their “more sports” link – they sell motorsport, tennis, golf, and boxing instead. Google “Sky Sports” – go on, do it now. Right there, the ANZ Championship is listed along with the NRL, Super Rugby and the A-League as something that Sky Sports thinks might entice you to click on their link. Try Fox Sports. Hah! That’s right, fantasy NRL rates a mention ahead of real netball. Ditto SBS sport – you’ve got “Football, cycling and more”. Freaking cycling! (ND is not talking to you, cycling fans).

Herald Virtual and Fantasy Sport is on the same gravy train. Virtual netball is right there along with NRL and Super Rugby, and is kicking the basketball in popularity stakes.

Sponsors are loud and proud throughout our great country. The Southern Steel is the only New Zealand team that hasn’t had naming rights snapped up by a major international brand, settling for an Invercargill hotel. Haier is waving the Central Pulse around like a flag, while Kia, LG and EasiYo have picked up the Magic, the Mystics and the Tactix respectively.

New World has an obnoxiously infectious soundtrack for their telly ad, which somehow manages to annoy the crap out of a viewer yet subconsciously condition them to equate supermarkets with transforming young girls into fit, fierce women – in much the same way Nutri-Grain has dibs on triathletes.

The payoff is that netball isn’t just in the living rooms of female New Zealanders, it’s not something that represents diversity. Up and down the land of the long white cloud, there are blokey guys in their mancaves with netball on their MySky planners – maybe not instead of rugby, but as well as. There are families following the ANZ Champs, riveted to their cheap plasmas and selling out home games. There are groups of 20- and 30-somethings sitting at the pub, yelling “how was that a step?” and “held ball!” at the big screen.

Netball has the athleticism of NRL, but it’s faster than basketball, bloodier than 20/20, and more action-packed than football. If it’s not being sold as a mainstream sport, it’s not being sold.

ENDS

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