“Break all records”: NRL interested in adopting US style broadcast deal

With the NRL in the midst of negotiating its new TV rights deal, News Corp’s David Riccio believes that the league is looking at adopting a US model to its broadcast arrangement.

Currently, Channel 9, Fox Sports and Sky NZ have the rights to broadcast the NRL, having paid about $2 billion since 2023.

However, with 2027 being the last year of the existing five-year deal, ARLC Chairman Peter V’Landys is said to want the broadcast future of the competition sorted sooner rather than later, while ensuring a record-breaking price towards the $4 billon mark.

“Peter V’Landys wants to get this resolved,” Riccio told SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“But at the same time, they know how significant it is, and they want to break all records as far as TV broadcast rights are concerned.

“There is no doubt that meetings were held in Vegas.”

One of the parties reportedly having meetings is Channel 7.

The current free-to-air TV broadcaster of the AFL have expressed a desire to expand its offering into Rugby League having secured the rights to this year’s Rugby League World Cup whilst launching their new show The Agenda Setters: Rugby League from next Monday.

With an interest in taking up Monday night football, this could see the competition partially broadcast on Australia’s two biggest free-to-air TV channels in Channel 7 and 9, with the DAZN-owned Fox Sports and Sky NZ likely to have every premiership match live on pay TV.

But it’s not the only NRL product that Seven is interested in, which could result in a broadcast deal not dissimilar to how US-sporting leagues like the NBA, NFL and MLB have done their TV arrangements by selling the rights to marquee events and certain time slots within the overall deal.

“I think the interesting player is Channel 7,” Riccio continued.

“They are seriously interested in picking up a game at least.

“And as we expand as a competition with the addition of the Bears and the Chiefs, the NRL will have to look at Monday night football returning.

“Unless they find another slot over the weekend, be it another Sunday game because we’ve already got three (matches on) Saturdays (and) two (matches on) Fridays.

“I have got no doubt that they want to have a crack at State of Origin as well.

“And the divvying up of different broadcast partners, this model is very much a US model. The NRL are very interested in it.”