General Question About Game Times

[JJohnson]

American here - traveling to NZ for the Round 20 game. Pardon the ignorance, but maybe someone can help me understand. The Round 20 matchup has a local start time of 2pm - but the Livestream doesn't start until 4 hours later. (If you aren't aware, the NRL broadcasts all league & Origin games overseas live on the internet - what I'm saying is that the Round 20 matchup doesn't seem to be live, they seem to be delaying the internet broadcast by 4 hours...anyone know why this might be?). Some friends and relatives were going to watch live, but if it's 4 hours later, that makes it nearly the middle of the night here...

 

[gREVUS]

round 20 is sunday the 28th, kick off 2pm. The only thing I can think of is that the NRL has given the game to channel 9 to play, they play it and the NRL cant play it live. I know this happens on Friday nights and the other week I was forced to watch it delayed here in Melb, because Nine had the broadcast rights. Nine also don't play it live and they play it with adds on a Sunday unlike a Friday night game.

But im only guessing

 

[tajhay]

Something is definately wrong with that page mate (https://new.livestream.com/nrl) It even has warriors playing two games the same day.

All games should be live, if that is the same service that is supplied by the NRL to the smartphones/tablets to watch games.

 

[Hitman82]

Just a side note, I think it's awesome to see an American making sure they can catch a live game while in the country!
JJohnson Is league known by many people in the USA?

 

[gREVUS]

I have a friend who used to skipper Super Yachts based out of Miami and he reckoned that he would always be able to watch a warriors game at yacht clubs any wehre in the world. Possibly due to the high number of Kiwi's on boats, or maybe yachties are just mad sports men at heart.

 

[tajhay]

You are lucky you are on the west coast JJohnson, i was on the west coast earlier this year and the game was at 4am!

I know the NRL Live app (for smartphones/tablets) show all games live, regardless if its a channel 9 game on sundays. I would be hoping that livestream would be following the same edict.

 

[mt.wellington]

My brother follows the Warriors from Frisco and all games are live. Like Taj said it doesnt matter about the Channel 9, think it only affects the Australian market...

 

[JJohnson]

Thanks all for the replies - sounds like the Livestream page is just incorrect. (And yes, I did schedule my holiday specifically to be in Auckland next Sunday...I can't wait).

Hitman82 - it's not very well known in the US. Most people here have some familiarity with Rugby Union - but not League. I think League is a much more American-type sport (the speed of the game, in fact the concept and gameplay is not unlike American Football in a lot of ways). But to me, and probably many other Americans, Union is terribly boring. It's much more like soccer where you can watch for long stretches and no one really gets close to scoring at all...nothing American about that! I'm biased, but I think if League were marketed properly in the US, it'd be quite popular.

 

[Hitman82]

Thanks all for the replies - sounds like the Livestream page is just incorrect. (And yes, I did schedule my holiday specifically to be in Auckland next Sunday...I can't wait).

Hitman82 - it's not very well known in the US. Most people here have some familiarity with Rugby Union - but not League. I think League is a much more American-type sport (the speed of the game, in fact the concept and gameplay is not unlike American Football in a lot of ways). But to me, and probably many other Americans, Union is terribly boring. It's much more like soccer where you can watch for long stretches and no one really gets close to scoring at all...nothing American about that! I'm biased, but I think if League were marketed properly in the US, it'd be quite popular.

Yeah ever since I watched NFL as a kid, I've always seen some basic similarities between the sports. Intense one-on-one confrontations, re-setting defensive lines, wrestling etc. League is like a cross between UFC and gridiron hahaha.

But yeah I share your thoughts that, marketed correctly, league could be very popular in the States. It's a very clean game to watch with defined points of attack and defense, not sullied by constant kicking or strange man-huddles of the scrum, maul and lineout.

And what self-respecting steak-loving beer-swilling Yank could resist the pure brutality league offers!?

Sadly we are sullied by our name and geographical association to rugby union.

 

[mt.wellington]

Never get sick of seeing this meme...​

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[Marshthedarsh]

Also - just look at the running time. Rugby League is 80mins - and you get 80mins. The Superbowl was about 4hrs - and they played for I think 12mins.

In America its not so much the sport, but more the idea of the sport.