The emerging 'dark horse' in the NRL's TV rights battle

With several media companies in a multi-billion-dollar battle to broadcast the NRL, Scott Keenan believes there is a surprise contender that may emerge when the final deal is signed.

Having been the only TV rights holders since the competition's inception in 1998, Nine and Foxtel (now owned by DAZN) have become synonymous with the NRL and its fans alike.

But with the TV rights contract concluding at the end of next season and Peter V'Landys seeking a $4 billion deal over five years ($800 million per year), there has been plenty of speculation on where it will be televised beyond 2027.

According to the AFR, Nine has reportedly expressed interest in becoming the league's exclusive broadcast partner, with all nine games featuring either on free-to-air or on its streaming service, Stan.

As a result, the same publication reported Foxtel were looking to buy all the rights with the intention of either partnering with Channel 7 or 10 to show matches on free-to-air to meet anti-siphoning laws.

But there's also been interest from streaming giants Amazon Prime, who Keenan, the host of the Moneyball podcast, believes could emerge as a dark horse, as they look to grow their Australian audience.

“I think they're a real dark horse here,” he said on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“I was a bit dubious, a few weeks ago, I was thinking that it was really going to be about Nine and Fox and how much money the NRL could get out of them.

“But you gotta remember, Amazon is a big, big company and they've built their business on subscription, and it's not just on video subscription.

“They want people into their business for shopping and buying stuff online and getting people into their ecosystem, with that subscription and getting into video.

“Prime Video is a big way to do it, and Jeff Bezos is one of the richest blokes in the world.

“The company has very deep pockets, one of the most valuable companies in the world, and they have a history over recent years, of going after products like this.

“In Canada, they've got NHL one night a week. In America, they've got the NFL one night a week, and in Europe, they have European football, some of the Champions League, they cover that there too.

“So, them coming in for the NRL wouldn't be out of the question.

“They're also not inexperienced in Aussie sport. They've done documentaries on the Australian cricket team; they have dipped their toe in the water, on cricket, here in the past, and so, I don't think it's out of the question.

“They want Origin. They also potentially want one night a week as a product so that we get into that routine of watching Amazon Prime for NRL and to buying that subscription so that you're in their ecosystem for TV but also for shopping with them and their products.”

A decision on the NRL's TV future is expected to be made in the coming months.