Footy supremo Peter V’landys has some bad news for NRL fans: the league is looking at selling off the broadcast rights in piecemeal fashion for its next TV mega-deal, with streamers like DAZN, Netflix and Amazon in the frame to grab a slice of the pie.
After boasting that the code has taken over from Aussie Rules as the most-watched sport in the country with 153.7million viewers last season, the Australian Rugby League Commission chairman is hopeful of securing $3billion on its next broadcast agreement.
But it’s what the league is prepared to do to hit that marker that should have fans worried.
Last month V’landys confirmed the NRL is considering dividing parts of the game and selling the rights separately in order to create a bidding war involving not just free-to-air TV stations and pay television, but also streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon and DAZN.
As things currently stand, only Channel Nine and Fox Sports hold the rights to air the league’s matches.
Approaching the streaming services would follow the model used by leagues such as the NFL, which sold its Thursday night games to Amazon in 2021 in a first for gridiron.
NRL fans are already lashing out at the possibility they’ll have to fork out eve more to watch stars like Brisbane’s Reece Walsh (pictured) under the league’s next TV rights deal
While NRL fans are used to paying to watch stars like Nicho Hynes (pictured) play on Saturdays, the league’s plan for its upcoming negotiations is already being slammed
The NFL also sold some games to Netflix, which is making a huge investment in live sport, with fans who want to see every game the league has to offer reportedly having to shell out a total of $2500 to do so.
‘We have to look at all formats and that’s one of them,’ V’landys said.
‘The jewel in the crown is State of Origin and there’s other channels [interested].
‘Ideally, we’d like it all in one package, but if you look at the NFL and how they do it – and they’re very successful – we’ll analyse it and watch it.
‘Whatever maximises our return.’
V’landys tempered that by stating the league doesn’t want to make the sport ‘unaffordable for the fans’ but the NRL is also hoping to score a whopping $3billion from its next rights deal, with negotiations reportedly set to begin within the next two weeks.
That would be an immense jump from the current $2billion deal, which expires at the end of 2027.
Should the NRL be successful in parcelling up big attractions like State of Origin and selling them separately to streaming services, cash-strapped fans could lash out like their counterparts in the AFL.
Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V’landys (pictured left with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo) has flagged selling off pieces of the code’s schedule to streaming services
The foreshadowed change is already going down like a lead balloon with footy fans
Fans of Aussies Rules and greats of the game have lashed out in anger this season now that supporters in Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory will have to pay for a Fox Sports or Kayo subscription to watch live footy on Saturdays for most of the season.
Legendary player and coach Paul Roos blasted the AFL’s decision.
‘That is as crazy as I’ve heard coming out of the AFL for many, many years,’ he said.
‘I know it’s a business, we know they have to pay so many stakeholders – but I don’t know … Am I on the wrong track there?
‘How can you not service the football public that has paid so much money and particularly at the moment when things are tough, this is a disgraceful decision from the AFL.’
Foxtel boss Patrick Delaney said Australians ‘see as normal paying for content these days’ but the fans’ reaction to the extra cost during the current cost of living crisis flies in the face of that.
NRL fans have had to subscribe in order to see Saturday footy for years, but news of the league looking at streaming options that could cost them even more is already going down like a lead balloon.
‘Horrific idea. NRL isn’t big enough and nobody’s paying for 3-4 different streaming services in the current climate,’ one fan wrote on X.
‘Cutting up the broadcast rights into multiple streaming services will be to the detriment to the fans who will have to pay even more to watch games. NRL is not the NFL,’ another added.
‘A decision to split games amongst different streaming platforms will significantly reduce the number of viewers per game. I’m sure there are some fans like me who’ll be silly enough to subscribe to them all, but we’ll be a minority. Reduced eyes means reduced interest. Poor idea!’ wrote a third.
