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Rumours surround NRL Footy Show “refresh”

Is a slimmer, trimmer NRL Footy Show about to cut the fat from Fatty & co?

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Nine’s NRL Footy Show is set for a “refresh” in 2018.

Yesterday Footy Show staff finished up duties triggering rumours the show may not return -that’s despite Nine’s Upfronts this week confirming a return with Paul “Fatty” Vautin, Erin Molan, Beau Ryan and Darryl Brohman.

Late yesterday Nine’s own Wide World of Sports site indicated “the format, look and feel and line-up is set to be shaken up” adding “appearing talent is still to be determined.”

“Nine will be broadcasting 23 Thursday night NRL games in 2018 and so the NRL Footy Show will have a new look and feel to reflect the games the audience have just enjoyed watching,” Nine said in a statement.

With modest ratings in its 10pm slot Nine may be weighing up the show’s costs, despite its continued NRL contract. With David Gyngell no longer CEO at Nine, the show has also lost a key supporter in management.

It isn’t clear if the changes could mean a trimmed down version, similar to The Sunday NRL Footy Show or AFL’s Footy Classified, with no studio audience, a slimmer crew and staff plus a big saving in production costs.

11 Responses

  1. I reckon (for once) Nine may indeed be serious about any NRL programming retool. Remember: Nine’s got a Monday night panel show in the works, which could remove part or all of the “week that was” stuff from the NRL Footy Show, esp. if it now starts at 10pm at night.

    I could possibly see Nine reviving the NSW/QLD Footy Show split (last seen in the mid 1990s), for a post game show for Thursday Night Football, branded as “The Footy Show”, with limited links to the former product: e.g. run the Brisbane/Sydney products from the current news sets (esp. as QTQ now has a native HD studio), and lead from there.

  2. The Footy Show is past its time. The sexism and yobbo behaviour is not what most footy fans want. We want more news on our clubs. I am also sick of constant references to “our game” its the peoples game, because without the people to pay admission then there’s no big dollars to pay the players. Let’s move into the 21st century and add a bit more class. I am sure more people will watch!

  3. This time every year for the last 10+ years, articles appear on many sites that a new Footy Show will return in the new year. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen and the same old returns.

    I am hoping that a new shorter version returns in 2018. With the Thursday Night Football appearing for the whole year, and the game finishing at 10pm, the Footy Show should be a shorten one-hour episode so it can finish at 11pm. Most episodes this year aired for a good two-hours!!

  5. Each year at this time we see stories saying that Paul “Fatty” Vautin will get the boot from the NRL Footy Show but it never happens for one very good reason. Fatty is a personal friend of the Nine sports director and he has been personal friends with each boss back to when the show first began. Indeed one of the Nine sports directors is actually godfather to one of Fatty’s children.

    Apart from that, there is nobody else who can fill the void if Fatty goes. Likewise, scrapping the show altogether and replacing it with one of the Fox Sports shows is out of the question since the poisoning of relations between Nine and Fox during the last NRL TV deal which saw Nine grabbing the exclusive live rights to the Grand Final, leaving Fox with just replay options.

    So the NRL Footy Show and Vautin aren’t going anywhere. Again. Move on, nothing to see here…

  8. I haven’t watched this show for years, but I still occasional stop here when channel surfing and I can never last through more than one commercial break, it is absolutely dreadful. I wonder what the NRL thinks of it representing its brand.

    I assume that it has always been a “variety” show and I accept that. It is just not to my taste, so I avoid it. But occasionally I do like to hear some half intelligent discussion about rugby league and this doesn’t do it, or I am unwilling to put up with all the crap to hear the occasional 5 minutes of thoughtful football analysis.

    I though the SBS World Game show did a great job in this area. Whilst not a football fan, I could at least watch this show and gain some insight and appreciation into the game, without the juvenile going ons that is the NRL Footy Show.

  10. Something has to change…. it’s so tired a format now… if they trim it down… it could open a door for a true variety late night show… like it’s been trying to be….

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