NRL boss Peter V’landys is tired of throwing barbs at the AFL, having set his mind on going global after signing a record-breaking broadcast deal worth $5.3billion.
Rugby league will continue to be shown on free-to-air broadcaster Nine Network, Foxtel and Sky NZ from 2028 for seven years, which is when the PNG Chiefs will join the competition after the addition of the Perth Bears in 2027.
Nine will retain exclusive rights for the NRL grand final plus the men’s and women’s State of Origin series, while Foxtel has been guaranteed two more exclusive matches – up from five once the 20th team enters the competition.
V’landys declared the deal was still being negotiated ‘late last night’ and said streaming service Amazon was also in the running for the rights.
‘We will be getting $5.3billion in media rights. Most of that is cash, 95 per cent is cash,’ he said on Tuesday.
‘This hasn’t been an accident, this has been achieved by some very hard work.
Footy fans will keep tuning into Nine and Fox to see stars like Brisbane Broncos fullback Reece Walsh (pictured) under the NRL’s new TV rights deal
Nine retains the rights to the State of Origin series (pictured) under the new agreement, which will swell the code’s coffers by $5.3billion
NRL boss Peter V’landys (pictured) used the announcement of the new agreement as a chance to put the boot into the AFL again
‘In the past five years, we have changed the game, effectively doubling the audience.’
The NRL’s broadcast deal trumps the AFL’s seven-season extension, signed in 2022 and worth $4.5 billion.
But V’landys said beating the league’s main competitor wasn’t a driving force for him.
‘I just wanted to maximise for our game, just that it’s a billion dollars more than they got over the seven years is a bonus,’ he said while calling the AFL the ‘FLA’.
‘Don’t listen to what other people tell you, especially down south, we are the No.1-viewed sport in Australia.’
The deal comes as the NRL’s viewership numbers have surged in recent years, with coverage on Nine up 15 per cent year-on-year, with game two of Origin the most-watched Origin match ever, attracting 4.3 million viewers.
Nine will pay the NRL $145 million annually over the seven-year agreement in cash, offset by $10 million in committed annual advertising spend by the NRL and a further $15 million to be provided.
It comes after the network aimed to secure every right, while Foxtel looked to get Origin and the Grand Final along with their bid.
But V’landys said the NRL had to strike the right balance and they wanted the matches to be shown on Nine.
The free-to-air broadcaster also has rights to the Women’s State of Origin, three live NRL matches each week, 33 NRLW matches, men’s and women’s Test matches played in Australia and the NRL and NRLW Finals Series.
Most importantly for the interim chief executive, Foxtel’s matches will also be shown on Kayo as well as the global streaming platform DAZN, which bought the company last year.
It means the NRL will tap into an international market with DAZN boasting about 400 million subscribers across 200 markets, fuelling the boss’s long-term ambitions to grow the game beyond the Pacific.
Reports have emerged the NRL is keen to buy into the English Super League while also hosting a global round in which competition games are played in different countries, such as the US, the UK, France and Japan.
‘We believe that the 5.3 will increase substantially once we start our global ambitions,’ V’landys said.
‘The world’s our oyster … that (global expansion) ambition has not changed, and more so now that with the deal that we’ve done with DAZN.’
V’landys also ruled out moving the grand final from Sunday evenings despite calls to host it earlier in the day after the success of last year’s Sunday afternoon finals fixtures.
Origin will also continue on Wednesday night, although he didn’t rule out Monday night football when the league expands from next season.
He did add, however, the idea could struggle to come to fruition because of short turnarounds for players.
V’landys said the players will be rewarded along with a boost in the salary cap and further investment into the competition’s asset base to future-proof the league, which currently stands at around $400 million in assets, including cash.
