OORB

For me this is a relevant topic and it was well presented by Madam de Sousa- on Media24.

Methinks that SARU should rethink their current visual distribution channels-maybe a hybrid distribution- partly sponsored by Supersport, SARU, SABC- even SABCAfrica & Lotto- as proposed, can be a working formula.

The large international audience should also be reachable via podcasting- yeah I know what the hurdles are- but clearly, there is an untapped market out there- surely Murdoch can see that as well.

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Rugby 'limited to the elite'

29/11/2005 09:24 - (SA)

By Serena de Sousa

I am not one of those women who automatically develops an interest in everything her boyfriend enjoys. In fact, in the past, I used to take great pleasure in the quiet time I had to myself when he was off watching the rugby, in which I had no interest. However, over time, my disinterest eroded. Some girlfriends of mine started going with their boyfriends to watch. The appeal of a drink or two at the Jolly Roger in Parkhurst, where they make damn fine pizza, also proved to be quite a strong drawcard. What initially started out as me enjoying a good gossip with my friends and knocking back a couple of Savannahs soon evolved into a small spark of interest. Part of this evolution was as a result of seeing my usually unflappable boyfriend getting himself very worked up about rules and bad playing. Somehow, this level of excitement started to spark something in me, and instead of paying great attention to my surroundings, I started to notice what was happening on the screen. I am still not a great fan of the sport. If rugby was made illegal (not a bad idea, actually, have you seen what those guys go through?), I wouldn't be devastated. But now, when there's a decent international game on, I make a point of watching with my boyfriend.

This past Saturday when the kickoff was at the absurd hour of 22:00, my friends and I were hard-pressed to think of a place to watch the game. We didn't feel like going to a bar at that time of night and competing with puking 13 year olds wondering why the karaoke had been cancelled. We don't have DStv at home, since the only thing we really watch is the sport, and it's mostly fun to go out to a bar and enjoy the vibe. Eventually, we settled on going through to the house of the mother of an old friend who is quite keen on the rugby. We were warmly received. But this search for a rugby-viewing venue got me thinking. In a country where a vast portion of the population doesn't have access to DStv, how are we supposed to ever develop the South African rugby legends of tomorrow from a representative portion of the population? People aren't born loving rugby. Like me, they may come to appreciate the game from watching it on television, from being around others who understand the rules, who cheer the players on, from being caught up in the passion of watching the game. They're not going to come to love it as an abstract concept, watched by those privileged enough to afford a satellite. Why should a national sport that is supported by the Lotto be limited to only an elite few?

Solution: I don't know where the solution in all of this lies. If the SABC would fork out the money to broadcast the game, I'm sure it could beat DStv's viewership to make it worthwhile. I'm sure that the associated advertising and sponsorships would provide a return on investment. Even if they didn't, surely the national broadcaster should be supporting a national game? Perhaps some Lotto funds could be channelled into subsidising the broadcast of the game. Or perhaps I should accept that the majority of the population doesn't have access to a television, and just be grateful that radio stations broadcast the rugby for the disadvantaged masses.

Serena de Souza is thinking about getting DStv again.

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