Posted: Jul 17, 2019 3:08 am
A sport isn't going to get a heap of media coverage unless it has an audience, so some sports like Korfball really are only ever going to attract niche coverage.
Our family's main participation sport is (field) hockey, and it's got a lot of the issues you mention. It's an Olympic sport, but media coverage outside the Olympics, and to a lesser extent the Commonwealth Games is fairly low. Hockey has a higher media profile in Netherlands and Belgium, but even in other countries with high-ranked hockey teams, like Australia, England, and Argentina, it's not considered a major sport by media outlets.
There are some things that are changing that, though.
First is the move to specialised sport streaming services. In Australia we have a streaming service dedicated to sport (Kayo, a Fox offshoot) which is keen to attract subscribers by offering a large number of sports. Hockey Australia has picked up a new coverage deal for both international and domestic leagues from Kayo.
Secondly, and hand in hand with this, sports need to consider how to make themselves media-friendly. Hockey has responded to media complaints that the fast nature of the game makes it hard to include replays or advertisements in coverage by moving from playing matches as two halves to playing in four quarters, allowing media coverage a break in play in each half of the game. There's been some pushback as this change has filtered down to grassroots levels, but old buggers like me actually appreciate the chance to go get a drink three times per match, so it has its upsides
It's also a handy coaching opportunity for juniors to have a short quarter- and three-quarter-time break.
Also here, our domestic interstate competition has moved from a week-long intensive tournament in one city to a two-month-long home and away league with weekly matches, which provides a better offering for a streaming service.
Thirdly, sports need to have good media skills to take advantage of any opportunities to raise the profile of their sport. With the rising profile of women's sport generally, Hockey Australia is making efforts to cash in on the fact that hockey has had gender-equal participation here for decades, unlike sports such as cricket, rugby, Australian Rules, or football. The new domestic league here is taking advantage of that by playing all interstate matches as double-headers of one men's match and one women's match back to back (often in that order). The first season of the new league is still ten weeks away, but it's clear this is going to be a selling point.
But at the end of the day, the sports news is still going to be dominated by football, and (here) cricket, rugby league, and Australian Rules. Even though hockey, netball and basketball have high participation, they just don't seem to break through with media organisations that can take an easier route with the even bigger sports.
It doesn't seem even to have much to do with the quality of the product. Looking at motorsport, coverage is dominated by Formula 1, one of the most batshit boring sports for spectators ever invented. Meanwhile, the FIA also oversee the spectacular World Rally Championship, and don't market it at all in comparison. Go figure.
Our family's main participation sport is (field) hockey, and it's got a lot of the issues you mention. It's an Olympic sport, but media coverage outside the Olympics, and to a lesser extent the Commonwealth Games is fairly low. Hockey has a higher media profile in Netherlands and Belgium, but even in other countries with high-ranked hockey teams, like Australia, England, and Argentina, it's not considered a major sport by media outlets.
There are some things that are changing that, though.
First is the move to specialised sport streaming services. In Australia we have a streaming service dedicated to sport (Kayo, a Fox offshoot) which is keen to attract subscribers by offering a large number of sports. Hockey Australia has picked up a new coverage deal for both international and domestic leagues from Kayo.
Secondly, and hand in hand with this, sports need to consider how to make themselves media-friendly. Hockey has responded to media complaints that the fast nature of the game makes it hard to include replays or advertisements in coverage by moving from playing matches as two halves to playing in four quarters, allowing media coverage a break in play in each half of the game. There's been some pushback as this change has filtered down to grassroots levels, but old buggers like me actually appreciate the chance to go get a drink three times per match, so it has its upsides
It's also a handy coaching opportunity for juniors to have a short quarter- and three-quarter-time break. Also here, our domestic interstate competition has moved from a week-long intensive tournament in one city to a two-month-long home and away league with weekly matches, which provides a better offering for a streaming service.
Thirdly, sports need to have good media skills to take advantage of any opportunities to raise the profile of their sport. With the rising profile of women's sport generally, Hockey Australia is making efforts to cash in on the fact that hockey has had gender-equal participation here for decades, unlike sports such as cricket, rugby, Australian Rules, or football. The new domestic league here is taking advantage of that by playing all interstate matches as double-headers of one men's match and one women's match back to back (often in that order). The first season of the new league is still ten weeks away, but it's clear this is going to be a selling point.
But at the end of the day, the sports news is still going to be dominated by football, and (here) cricket, rugby league, and Australian Rules. Even though hockey, netball and basketball have high participation, they just don't seem to break through with media organisations that can take an easier route with the even bigger sports.
It doesn't seem even to have much to do with the quality of the product. Looking at motorsport, coverage is dominated by Formula 1, one of the most batshit boring sports for spectators ever invented. Meanwhile, the FIA also oversee the spectacular World Rally Championship, and don't market it at all in comparison. Go figure.