Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) has agreed new domestic broadcast rights deals with Foxtel and Channel Nine on revised terms.
The deals, which were confirmed shortly before the competition’s return to action on 28th May, will see pay-TV network Foxtel continue to air NRL matches until the end of the 2027 season, while Nine has committed to showing free-to-air coverage until the end of the current rights cycle in 2022.
For the remainder of the 2020 season, Foxtel plans to air all eight matches from every round while Nine will broadcast three matches each week, as well as showing exclusive coverage of both October’s Grand Final and the three-game State of Origin series in November.
According to reports in Australia earlier this month, the new deals are worth close to AUD$2 billion, although financial terms have not been formally released. The original agreements, which covered the period 2018 to 2022, were reported to be worth AUD$323 million (US$213.5 million) per season.
The NRL had been suspended for two months before its resumption, with the league and its broadcast partners having been locked in negotiations over reworking their existing deals throughout the coronavirus-enforced stoppage.
Both Foxtel and Nine had reportedly been seeking reduced terms as part of any extensions. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in April that Nine was looking to reduce its payment from AUD$118 million (US$76.9 million) to around AUD$90 million (US$58.7 million). Foxtel, meanwhile, was reportedly seeking to save AUD$30 million (US$19.5 million) on the AUD$190 million (US$124 million) it was originally due to pay.
In a statement issued to the Australian Stock Exchange on 28th May, Nine indicated it expects to save an average of AUD$27.5 million (US$18 million) in both 2021 and 2022 as a result of its reworked NRL contract, as well as further cost reductions in 2020 due to the NRL’s shortened 20-round season.
The new deals were approved by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), the governing body for rugby league in Australia, whose chairman Peter V’landys thanked the bosses of Foxtel and Nine “for reaching an outcome that puts the fans and the game’s future first”.
“Our negotiations were tough but always in a spirit of goodwill and shared ambitions for the betterment of rugby league,” V’landys said.
“We could not have reached our 28th May restart ambitions without the teamwork and collaboration of our partners. These deals provide certainty to ensure our 16 clubs remain strong and that we can continue to invest in grassroots rugby league across our communities.”
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) has agreed new domestic broadcast rights deals with Foxtel and Channel Nine on revised terms.
The deals, which were confirmed shortly before the competition’s return to action on 28th May, will see pay-TV network Foxtel continue to air NRL matches until the end of the 2027 season, while Nine has committed to showing free-to-air coverage until the end of the current rights cycle in 2022.
For the remainder of the 2020 season, Foxtel plans to air all eight matches from every round while Nine will broadcast three matches each week, as well as showing exclusive coverage of both October’s Grand Final and the three-game State of Origin series in November.
According to reports in Australia earlier this month, the new deals are worth close to AUS$2 billion, although financial terms have not been formally released. The original agreements, which covered the period 2018 to 2022, were reported to be worth AUS$323 million (US$213.5 million) per season.
The NRL had been suspended for two months before its resumption, with the league and its broadcast partners having been locked in negotiations over reworking their existing deals throughout the stoppage.
Both Foxtel and Nine had reportedly been seeking reduced terms as part of any extensions. In a statement issued to the Australian Stock Exchange, Nine indicated it expects to save an average of AUS$27.5 million (US$18 million) in both 2021 and 2022 as a result of its reworked NRL contract, as well as further cost reductions in 2020 due to the NRL’s shortened 20-round season.
The new deals were approved by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), whose chairman Peter V’landys thanked the bosses of Foxtel and Nine “for reaching an outcome that puts the fans and the game’s future first”.
“Our negotiations were tough but always in a spirit of goodwill and shared ambitions for the betterment of rugby league,” V’landys said.
“We could not have reached our 28th May restart ambitions without the teamwork and collaboration of our partners. These deals provide certainty to ensure our 16 clubs remain strong and that we can continue to invest in grassroots rugby league across our communities.”
