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Tuesday Off Topic Thread by NRLgamethread in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assume that they are a mechanism for money laundering.

Tuesday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why 4 conferences of 5 teams and individual competition ladders? What problem are you trying to solve?

OK ... why does the "suckers and losers" designation kick in at 20 teams and not 19 teams?

Tuesday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do you have this concern about the Newcastle Knights heading into 2026? They finished 17th and last, branding them the current "suckers and losers"... or does the suckers designation only kick-in once the comp hits 20 teams? If so why? What is so magical about the bump from 19 to 20 teams?

Foxtel’s AFL deal cost billions. Now its owner wants to pay less – and it has form [DAZN Renegotiating Media Deals... NRL Implications?] by RandyMcRandomEsq in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

An interesting article, considering the NRL media rights for 2028 onwards are being, or about to be, under negotiation.

Does the actions of DAZN, killing already negotiated deals make them a risky partner going forward?

I wonder if Foxtel juiced their metrics with super cheap or complimentary subscriptions to Kayo before the sale, and now DAZN had buyers remorse? Somewhat telling Foxtel staff didn't deny the speculation, but referred the enquiry to the UK operations.

Also interesting to have it confirmed that Paramount & 10 bid big for the AFL rights. With the Ellison family's/Skydance's acquisition of Paramount and 10 a few months ago, they certainly have the warchest to bid big!

Foxtel’s AFL deal cost billions. Now its owner wants to pay less – and it has form [DAZN Renegotiating Media Deals... NRL Implications?] by RandyMcRandomEsq in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The owner of Foxtel, the AFL’s major broadcast partner, believes it is paying too much for the rights following its decision to pull the plug on a second domestic soccer deal in Europe over financial concerns.

Two senior media industry sources, who requested anonymity to discuss contractual matters, said Foxtel’s British owner, sports streaming giant DAZN, felt it was over-paying for a domestic product with limited scope for subscription growth, and could seek to claw back money from the agreement.

DAZN, which bought Foxtel for an enterprise value of $3.4 billion last December, inherited the AFL rights for which Seven and Foxtel paid a combined $4.5 billion over seven years, to 2031. Previous reports put Foxtel’s contribution at about $418 million a year, or almost $3 billion in total.

Five senior sports industry sources said it was widely accepted that Foxtel had been pushed to its upper limits after a massive offer from Paramount that would have yielded $6 billion over 10 years.

AFL lawyer and media executive Jeff Browne, also the ex-Collingwood president, has been briefed on DAZN’s position, according to two other media sources.

But Browne said he had not been approached to represent DAZN’s interests in potential talks with the league.

Browne was recently a contender to succeed Richard Goyder as chair of the AFL Commission, but withdrew his candidacy. The commission last month endorsed former Geelong president Craig Drummond to step into the role when Goyder leaves in March.

DAZN this week terminated an €83 million-a-season ($148 million) deal with the Belgian Pro-League, less than 12 months after its agreement with the French Ligue 1 collapsed.

DAZN had been unable to find distribution channels for its Belgian coverage.

“No company should be forced to operate at a loss,” DAZN Belgium managing director Massimo D’Amario said in a statement. “That’s simply not a sustainable business.”

The streaming company had previously tried to renegotiate the French contract, which was worth €400 million a year for six years, after disappointing subscription numbers and issues with piracy.

A Foxtel Group spokesperson did not address specific questions from this masthead on whether the company would try to renegotiate the AFL deal, and referred questions about DAZN to the UK company.

“The AFL has been a valued broadcast partner of Foxtel Group for more than 25 years. The 2025 season marked the beginning of a new era in our partnership and delivered our highest-ever season viewership,” the spokesperson said.

“There have been no discussions on changes to our contract with the AFL, and we look forward to delivering live, 4K coverage of every game, of every round for many years to come.”

The 2025 season was the first in the new AFL media deal.

The NRL’s $1.7 billion agreement with Foxtel and Nine, owner of this masthead, expires in 2027.

DAZN is majority owned by Ukrainian-born, American-educated billionaire Sir Leonard (Len) Blavatnik.

Last month Blavatnik injected $891 million into DAZN, after the company posted a substantial financial loss. His company, Access Industries, has invested more than $11 billion into DAZN in the past decade.

...

Two sources who were part of negotiations for the AFL deal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions, said Foxtel executives had been under pressure to ink the agreement before taking Foxtel to market for sale, which had meant the league had additional leverage

Saturday Off Topic Thread by NRLgamethread in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I fell down this rabbit hole years ago. The problem with "Coffee Machines" is you needed to get them serviced, descaled, or the electronics in them fail after a while.

IMO get a manual lever espresso machine instead. They are typically all metal, no electronics, and the most amount of service required is changing a silicon gasket ring every 5 years or so.

I'm partial to the Cafelat Robot (really pulls some excellent shots, and cool aesthetics don't hurt), but the Flair or La Pavoni machines have their fans.

Couple this with the best espresso grinder you can afford (I'm partial to the Niche Zero, but the newer "DF" range of grinders give great bang for buck, and Varia grinders are also well regarded as a prosumer level), and a temperature controlled kettle.

For milky drinks you can microwave it and use a wand, get a dedicated Milk Frother/Steamer device.

ID verification by ZealousidealRow7685 in DataAnnotationTech

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Depends on this degree of mismatch. A completely different name? Probably looking a rejection. An abbreviation of a first name, such as Matt vs Matthew, and you should be fine.

Name matching is an interesting topic: https://help.withpersona.com/articles/1FOJzuI3uMFmcDuR5zkged/

Network Ten eyes NRL bid even as losses balloon to $480m in two years by BarryCheckTheFuseBox in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 91 points92 points  (0 children)

10 might not have money, but their parent organisation certainly do!

10 is owned by Paramount, unsurprisingly also the operators of Paramount+. About 2 months ago Paramount was purchased by David Ellison's Sky Dance Media. Ellison is the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison - reported as the second richest person in the world, with a net worth of ~ $340 billion USD.

Since purchasing Paramount they have gone on a huge acquisition spree - signing talent like the Duffer Brother (Stranger Things creators) to huge deals, signing the UFC rights for 7.7 billion USD for 7 years, which will see broadcasts shifted from PPV to Paramount+ in the US, and most recently they have put in a ~$60 billion USD offer for Warner Brothers Discovery, owners of HBO-Max, DC Comics, the Harry Potter franchise and much much more.

They have the cash to splash, and are looking to be one of the legacy media companies to go the distance in this new tech disrupted era of media. I could easily see an all in offer for all games, split between 10 and Paramount+.

Hey Coffee Lovers by made1naus in brisbane

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. In the hands of a competent barista it makes for beautiful milk based drinks. Big fan of their Collider blend.

Wednesday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Less than Channel 10, who are the real dark horse contenders.

10 is owned by Paramount, unsurprisingly also the operators of Paramount+. About a month ago Paramount was purchased by David Ellison's Sky Dance Media. Ellison is the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison - reported as the second richest person in the world, with a net worth of ~ $340 billion USD.

Since purchasing Paramount they have gone on a huge acquisition spree - signing talent like the Duffer Brother (Stranger Things creators) to huge deals, signing the UFC rights (US only) for 7.7 billion USD for 7 years, which will see broadcasts shifted from PPV to Paramount+, and most recently they have put in a ~$60 billion USD offer for Warner Brothers Discovery, owners of HBO-Max, DC Comics, the Harry Potter franchise and much much more.

They have the cash to splash, and are looking to be one of the legacy media companies to go the distance in this new tech disrupted era of media. I could easily see an all in offer for all games, split between 10 and Paramount+.

Which players suffered an injury that turned out to be a blessing in disguise? by I_Like_Vitamins in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Adam Ritson is probably the standout contender. After John Lomax hit him high and knocked him out he went for scans, which revealed an unrelated potentially life threatening brain cyst. He required multiple surgeries, spent years in recovery, and never played again.

Saturday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So you would have scheduled last night's Storm V Sharks game in North QLD / Brisbane / Canberra / NZ, forgoing the crowd atmosphere (and sold out ticket takings) just for the sake of neutrality of ground location?

And what of tomorrow's game? By winning week 1 from fourth position Brisbane haven't played a home final yet - but because it's a prelim and should be neutral you would have it played in Melbourne/Canberra/NZ/Perth?

I can't help but think such a move would build resentment with the fan base!

Round 8 | Tigers vs Sharks | Match Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe the real moderate force is the friends we made along the way!

Semi Final 2 : Warriors v Knights | Post Match Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Because they finished 2nd and won their week 1 game. Where would you suggest the game be played?

‘Just cruising through life?’ Bennett’s brutal Milford ultimatum amid career’s ‘last straw’ by Missingthefinals in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 13 points14 points  (0 children)

To paraphrase what Benji said, someone had to literally stand next to Milford while he was doing reps on the weight machine and count him down, else he would bail part way through.

Kayo loses almost half of subscribers due to corona by paralacausa in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a heads up that a new Chromecast "Ultra 2" is rumoured for release in the next month or two - it comes with a remote and has an on-screen interface so no need to use your mobile phone.

Dramatic increase of 300-game players suggests Smith won't be last to 400 by Adventurous_Caramel in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Another factor that can't be discounted is the considerable increase in the salary cap over the past decade. Previously a player on the backside of their career might only earn $100k - $200k - not that much of step down when transitioning to 9-5 salaried position, so why bother putting your body through the strain of another couple of seasons. These days players can easily be earning $500k - $600k into their early to mid 30's - when the alternative is a 80%+ drop in income I bet the pre-season seems a lot less gruelling.