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NRL Grand Final in HD

GEM will play the NRL Grand Final in HD, but not this weekend's Preliminary Final.

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GEM will be playing the NRL Grand Final in High Definition on October 3rd.

Pre-match entertainment will begin at 4:30pm AEDT and the game plays at 5pm in Sydney and Melbourne.

It plays an hour earlier in Brisbane, half an hour earlier in Adelaide and thre hours earlier in Perth due to Daylight Saving.

Some readers have noted that NRL is not played in High Definition on GEM this weekend despite Nine’s initial Press Release: “GEM will be a mix of new content, classic comedies, cherished drama series, all-time favorite movies, and all of Nine’s sport coverage in high definition.”

The match will also be aired in 3D on digital channel 40.

17 Responses

  1. The only reason I watch half of the shows I watch is because they look unreal in HD. It even makes watching home and away with the Mrs bearable but at the minute they all look crap and I feel like watching a movie or turning the TV off altogether. I don’t follow the AFL but I will probably be watching on saturday and if that game and more importantly to me the NRL grand final is not shown in HD that will just about do it for me.
    We’re supposed to be showing more in HD but now they are cutting back?..
    Please, the only people I’ve heard say they don’t care if things are in HD or not are people who own a CRT TV or my wife.. until she see’s how much better it looks.
    Get your act together Free To Air and get back to having a dedicated HD channel without all the re-run crap ruining it.

    Matt

  3. I actually purchased tickets for the 1st semi final @ Suncorp just so I don’t have to be forced to sit through the eyesore of watching sport in Standard Def, not having it in HD is a joke, for what a repeat of getaway!

  4. GEM – for chicks, except when there’s something important on!

    @Stevie, during the digital transition by law the networks have to simulcast on their main digital channels (i.e. their main SD channels) any programs they show on analog. This makes it difficult to run potentially big rating first run shows on their specialist secondary digital channels (whether HD or SD) as they then have to forego broadcasting them on analog and thus miss out on ratings points. TEN seem willing to risk it with ELEVEN and The Simpsons, Neighbours, etc. but probably not Nine or Seven. Until the end of analog transmissions in 2013 we’re stuck with this state of affairs unfortunately.

  5. “They have to show the sport in HD by law” – where’d you get that from vinny? But on your (possible) clarification at 10.16, it wouldn’t be because of the annual quota that they’re showing the Grand Final in HD on GEM (rather than normal programming), but rather in part because it’s logical and also because imagine the complaints that the network would get if they didn’t show it in HD, especially after showing all their games this year up till now in HD (definitely wouldn’t be a positive look for the network).

  6. im a south australian living in QLD, league’s ok but i get put off by league fans comments about AFL, they need to grow up, they really need to get over themselves and their self-obsession that league ( and kinda union) is the only sport thats worth going to/watching

  7. Why can’t they use the digital channels for first run shows. Take not channel 9. We don’t need another channel like TV1. The same goes for 7mate. I think ten’s eleven will show them all how it’s done.

  8. Absolutely disgraceful that there will not be HD coverage of this Saturdays big Preliminary Final match between the Dragons and the Tigers.

    The sooner that the Rugby League broadcast rights are up for grabs to other networks the better.

    Nine has taken them for granted for way too long

  10. Yay, Adelaide is getting the NRL Final live, which is great for me cos i’m expectign the Titans to be there. Is there any chance Nine can play the pre-lim this Friday night live into Adelaide??

  11. It’s definitely not about providing the best coverage of the semis to the viewer. It’s all about getting one up on Seven by launching their hastily cobbled together channel first. Your new channel is crap, nine. I’d rather have HD content than ancient movies and endless reruns.

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