The NRL is putting its multi-billion-dollar broadcast rights up for sale in a move that could see the game broadcast across Paramount’s Network 10, Amazon or even Netflix.
Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chairman Peter V’landys confirmed the potential sale with a mid-year target for finalising the next arrangement that would commence from 2027 when Foxtel and Channel Nine’s deals end.
V’landys confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that the NRL is on the verge of beginning negotiations for the deal. “We will be negotiating the rights this year,” he said. “They don’t start until 2027 but you need to give yourself a couple of years’ lead time”.
“We hope to have something done in the middle of this year.”
Back in 2020, V’landys engaged in what is believed to have been a $1.7 billion deal with Foxtel and Channel 9 – a move that proved instrumental in pulling the game out of the ashes of the Covid-19 crisis.
Since then, the sports broadcasting landscape has changed drastically, and the cost of broadcast rights is much higher than they were in COVID-19 times. In 2022, Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra signed a huge deal with the AFL to see the trio hold the broadcast rights for another seven seasons in a deal that was said to be worth $4.5 billion.
Streaming has made a huge impact on this landscape, with Netflix paying around $240 million (AUD) to stream the Christmas Day clashes between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. This came just a month after 60 million households worldwide tuned in live to watch Jake Paul square off against Mike Tyson live on Netflix.
Prime Video also entered the sports game recently. At the end of 2023, it secured the Australian rights to the next cricket World Cup alongside a range of other tournaments run by the International Cricket Council (ICC) until 2027. The deal was, at the time, reported as being the most significant sports deal ever to go to a streaming service without an attached free-to-air partner.
Foxtel’s sale to UK-based streamer DAZN further muddies the waters. The $3.4 billion deal, announced in December 2024, is expected to wrap up in the second half of fiscal 2025, pending approvals. DAZN—often called the “Netflix of sports” and pronounced “da zone” if you’re wondering—is backed by billionaire Len Blavatnik and has made waves by securing major global sports rights. As part of the deal, News Corp will get a six per cent stake in DAZN and a board seat, while Telstra will receive a three per cent stake, allowing both companies to refocus on other growth areas like digital real estate and publishing.
Despite the uncertainty for Foxtel, V’landys was certain that the sale would not influence the price of a deal. “I don’t think it will make any difference,” he said.
While Australian free-to-air channels are expected to be in the mix alongside Foxtel, the NRL is expected to attract interest from across the globe. With NRL in Vegas considered a huge success in 2023, and 2024 set to be even “bigger and better”, the game’s popularity in the international market is only growing.
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On Australian soil, viewership of the game is improving year on year. In 2024, NRL kicked off its season in Las Vegas with the Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs game, exclusive on Fox League, followed by the Roosters v Broncos game. Both games smashed viewership records and are the two most-watched games of all time across Foxtel Group platforms. The coverage, which was Logie-nominated, also drove the biggest single day of sign-ups on Kayo Sports.
The momentum continued throughout the season, with Magic Round delivering the highest-ever audience for a regular season round across the Foxtel Group. The nail-biting Sharks v Roosters game during the round was the third most-watched game of the season. Overall, the Broncos, Storm and Roosters were the most-watched teams.
“2024 was record-breaking season in many ways. From Las Vegas to Magic Round, right to the final whistle of the regular season, with the Knights v Dolphins game determining the last spot in the top 8, we have enjoyed bringing the very best of the sport to audiences nationwide. Congratulations to the NRL and teams on a successful year,” said Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley.
“This season, we supercharged the Kayo Sports experience with the introduction of 4K for our exclusive NRL games. Combined with our ad-free during live play proposition, expert analysis and commentary and world-class Fox League coverage, this brought more fans than ever to our platforms as they discovered the incredible value we offer,” said Kayo Sports chief executive officer Julian Ogrin.
Nine also had a substantial sporting year. In a year dominated by the Olympics, the NRL made up four of the top five rating programs on free-to-air television in 2024.
As a rights deal commences negotiations, the NRL is hoping to capitalise off the game’s surging popularity in the last five years.
“We have got the most valuable rights in Australian sport. Last year we were the most viewed sport in Australia,” V’Landys said.
“It will also depend on if someone else wants the rights and there will be plenty of parties wanting the rights.
“The way free-to-air TV is going – sport, reality TV and news is their whole ball game. They are not competing for the other content anymore.”
The potential addition of a Perth team, alongside the already confirmed Papua New Guinea team, entering in 2028 and the growing interest in the NRLW is expected to grow the game’s audiences across broader parts of Australia and the Pacific.
For the 2025 season, the NRL’s broadcast rights remain firmly in place with all games, including the March 2 NRL opener being broadcast across Foxtel and Kayo and a number on the Nine Network.
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