Interest in this year's Super 14 has been on a steady decline in Australia and New Zealand, which is worrying SANZAR as they prepare a proposal for a new broadcast deal.

SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia Rugby) needs to have competition options available by June 30 and the broadcasters then have 60 days to respond. The current broadcasting deal is worth $323 million but the decline in Super 14 television ratings and crowd figures in Australasia, could diminish SANZAR's bargaining power for more money.

South Africa generates the most revenue off TV coverage while crowd attendance have been better than their Australasian counterparts. In New Zealand, there has been a decrease of almost 55,000 spectators in the opening eight rounds this season.

The Waratahs' biggest game of the season, against the Crusaders, only just made the 20 most-watched programs on pay TV that weekend while the Force's attendance in Perth have continued to fall in recent seasons, and Brumbies and Reds home crowd figures have also fluctuated.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive and SANZAR board member John O'Neill told the Sydney Morning Herald that pay TV ratings this year had been "average ? and clearly the broadcasters in any re-negotiation will be looking at how the product has been tracking".

"The TV ratings haven't fallen out of bed by any means, but they are soft and not as strong as last year," O'Neill said.

"They were good last year and we were hoping that trend would continue, but it has been pretty flat. No one's ringing alarm bells, but there is a re-negotiation coming up and we're not sticking our heads in the sand. Rugby is a very valuable pay TV product, especially as a lot of people only have pay TV because of the rugby. Still, clearly you would like your ratings growing, not plateauing.

O'Neill recently attended a CEOs' meeting of the tier-one countries, where they talked about the effect of the recession on rugby's finances.

"The global economic crisis has also had an impact on the game. People are being more selective with their discretionary dollars," O'Neill explained.

"The three big risk areas are sponsorship, corporate hospitality and match-day revenue. What they've found in the UK is that corporate hospitality is down 20 to 30 percent and more sponsors are looking to 'back-end' their payments, where they pay the bulk of the money at the end of the deal.

"Our markets in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth are very different. But the two big markets - Sydney and Brisbane - are so important for us."

Meanwhile, due to the constant conflict between SANZAR partners, a Super Rugby back-up plan is gaining momentum. While SANZAR officials were reluctant to confirm the alternative plan, it has emerged that and Asia Pacific trans-Tasman proposal is being worked on.

Another SANZAR working party meeting is planned for April, before a board meeting in May.

* Should South Africa pull their franchises out of the Super Rugby Tournament?