Originally Posted by
Gray77
I know you were, hence me saying that I disagree with your analysis that the play offs are great for the sport and great for attendances. The success that you ascribe to the play offs only really applies to the Grand Final, not the play offs as a whole. Crowds aren’t great for pre GF play off games.
For example, our Semi with Wire last season was only our 6th highest home attendance of the season for what was easily the most important game. If the play offs were such an unbridled success we’d be selling out for a home Semi final against a big local rival.
Look at TV ratings for games as well. That Semi Final was only the 8th most watched game on Sky last season, and was the only game (other than the GF) in the entire second half of the season than topped 150k. A play off Semi Final, knock out game, nobody else playing that night, and it pulled in over 50k less than our home league games with Cas and Leeds (with other games on at the same time) and our Good Friday game with Wigan when nearly everyone was playing that afternoon.
Indeed, most of the best rated games Super League gets on Sky are in the first third of the season up until just after Easter, when fans are full of excitement about the season. Once the season settles down and everyone comes to terms with the fact that games mean a lot less than they should they tune out. And they don’t tune back in when the business end kicks in, as evidenced by play off Semi Finals pulling in less viewers than a March Fri night Saints v Leeds game.
So, as I say, I’m not knocking the Grand Final at all. We are far from the only sport that decides a title with a one off showpiece game. But the play offs are not a success. They don’t attract TV ratings, they don’t attract great crowds and they don’t attract any outside attention. And the fact that they exist pulls down interest levels in the second half of the season in terms of TV ratings and crowds as well. Those are the numbers, not my opinions.