The Big Deal Weekly: Did Opening Round work? NRL's US ratings revealed, Brayshaw's payout, Aussie interest in The Hundred, Kestelman sells United share, Caitlin Clark breaks 25-year record & more
Newsletter no.74, 14 March 2024
Opening Round has been and gone and from all reports was a rousing success. But, could more have been done?
The ratings battle between the NRL and AFL showed plenty, while AFL clubs will be awaiting the result of Angus Brayshaw’s contract payout.
All that and more in this week’s wrap.
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OPENING SUCCESS?
Opening Round has been a massive success going by the AFL’s metrics, with media coverage, attendance and broadcast numbers up in the growth markets of New South Wales and Queensland.
The hype into Round 1 is next level, but did the AFL miss a beat by leaving the Sunday timeslot vacant?
NRL v AFL
Foxtel was a big winner with the NRL’s Las Vegas round, with viewership breaking records.
The Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs and Roosters v Broncos set records for the two most-watched NRL games in the history of the Foxtel Group.
The AFL also did alright out of their Opening Round, with the first game between Sydney and Melbourne reaching 2.15 million viewers at an average of 702,000.
During the AFL’s Thursday night opener however, the NRL drew 1.3 million viewers to its own Thursday night game between Newcastle and Canberra.
With neither NRL side being based in Sydney, it left the Sydneysider footy fan open to the Swans match.
OTHER FOOTY TALKING POINTS
The Angus Brayshaw contract payout
Brendan Gale set for Tassie?
Gather Round’s ‘hot properties’
NRL’s BIG MONEY MOVES
St George Illawarra Dragons’ Francis Molo is in the sights of three rival clubs for 2025.
Molo’s deal expires at the end of this season, and is yet to sign a new contract.
He reportedly earns around $600,000 per season after signing his three-year deal at the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, they Dragons have also declined a request from Parramatta to open negotiations with Zac Lomax.
Lomax is reportedly open to the move and is currently earning $800,000 a year.
Reports say he has been frustrated in pre-season ahead of the club’s 2024 campaign, and decisions by coach Shane Flanagan.
AUSSIES EYE THE HUNDRED
A significant gap between Test matches in 2024 has seen Aussie opener Usman Khawaja eager to jump into the T20 market and nominate for The Hundred.
The Aussies won’t play another five-day game until next Summer against India, and Khawaja is eyeing The Hundred, alongside former opening partner David Warner.
In the Hundred, the top players earn £125,000, while the highest women’s players earn £50,000.
LARRY SELLS UNITED SHARE
NBL owner Larry Kestelman has sold a 10 per cent stake in Melbourne United, which values the club at $40m.
The deal is with Melbourne entrepreneur Aaron Sansoni.
Kestelman is also hopeful of finding buyers for Hobart-based and grand final bound Tasmania JackJumpers, hoping for around $30m.
LATEST ON MILLS, SIMMONS
Patty Mills has already done some damage for his new team, the Miami Heat.
After being waived by the Atlanta Hawks, Mills scored 13 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons’ future is still up in the air, with his nerve damage impingement continuing to cause issues.
He had signed a five-year, $270 million AUD deal with Philadelphia years ago, and is still owed $61 million AUD from it.
CAITLIN CLARK EFFECT ON RECORDS
Women’s basketball is big.
Caitlin Clark’s Iowa faced Nebraska and secured a three-peat in an overtime thriller.
However, attendance wise, roughly 109,000 fans witnessed the sold out Big Ten tournament, while viewership smashed records.
The title game averaged more than three million viewers on CBS, with 4.45 million tuned in for overtime.
It made it the most-watched women’s conference tournament game of all time.
It’s also the network’s most-watched women’s college basketball game since 1999.
SAUDI ARABIA EYEING TENNIS
Saudi Arabia has reportedly made a mammoth $3 billion AUD offer to unite the men’s and women’s tennis tours.
The offer was tabled to the nine APT Masters 1000 tournament bosses last week and reportedly has a 90-day expiration date.
The deal, according to The Telegraph, would see Saudi Arabia host a Masters 1000 tournament in the first week of the season, which would directly rival the mixed-gender United Cup team competition in Australia.
Watch this space.
GUNNERS GUNNING ON
Arsenal secured €91.28m in prize money by reaching the quarter-finals of the UCL. A record result in the club's history.
It’s the first time since 2009/10 the Gunners have made the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier competition, when they also beat Porto in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, for Aussie Ange Postecoglou and Arsenal’s fierce rival Tottenham, qualification is important this season.
Every club that qualifies for the group stage is handed €15.64 million ($16.77 million), and can add more based on results.
As well as three points, €2.8 million ($3 million) is the prize for winning a match in the group stage, with one point and €930,000 ($997,335) on offer for a draw.
The prize money gradually increases by the stage.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER SUCCESS
World number one Scottie Scheffler eased to victory at the PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational, capturing his first tour victory in nearly a year.
With the win, he claimed $4m USD in prize money.
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