Channel Nine will continue to broadcast the NRL until at least the end of the 2027 deal.

Their current deal with the NRL was due to expire at the end of 2022, and while Fox Sports and Sky Sports New Zealand were already locked in long term, the NRL have today confirmed Nine will be the NRL's free to air partner on a five-year expansion.

The deal commences alongside the new collective bargaining agreement, as well as the arrival of the Dolphins to the competition.

It's understood the deal is worth $575 million over five years with Nine, coming in at $115 million per year with a further $15 million of contra and other non-cash services to be provided, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Nine Chairman Peter Costello told the publication that it was a "major deal."

โ€œThis is a major deal for our business to bring this exciting sport to the Australian public across our platforms,โ€ Costello said.

โ€œThe negotiation has been constructive and in the spirit of partnership across our businesses, and we thank the NRL for the positive engagement in the process for an outcome that benefits all Australians and fans of the game.โ€

Under the deal, Nine will broadcast three matches per round, as well as every finals match. They will also retain the rights to all State of Origin games exclusively, as well as the grand final. They will also continue to receive a fourth match every week in the five weeks prior to the finals.

The three Origin games will shift back to Wednesday nights, ending the representative weekend off, with more rugby league expected to be played during that period of the year with the Dolphins joining the competition and extra matches needing to be scheduled.

The NRL also confirmed 2GB and 4BC - owned by Nine - will continue to hold radio rights for the competition, with the combined value of the three broadcast deals as well as radio being in excess of $400 million per annum.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys said in a statement that it was a great outcome for the game.

โ€œToday is an exciting day for our fans with the free to air broadcast deal of the NRL Premiership, NRLW and State of Origin locked in until the end of 2027. This is more than a broadcast deal, itโ€™s a partnership to grow rugby league using all of Nineโ€™s media platforms โ€“ television, radio and print," V'Landys said.

"It was a priority for the Commission to secure the long term future of the game. In doing so it was important to ensure that a long term partnership reflected the Commissionโ€™s desire to grow the game at all levels, to invest in innovation and to ensure we have a partner that can help grow the game from participation to pathway competitions and premierships.

โ€œI want to thank Nine Chairman Peter Costello and Chief Executive Mike Sneesby for their commitment to rugby league and loyalty to our game, the most watched sport in Australia this year.

โ€œNine has been a loyal partner for 30 years and Iโ€™m delighted that that partnership will continue until at least 2027.

โ€œThe Commission has now secured increased commitments from all three broadcast partners until the end of the 2027 season. These long term deals highlight the strength of our game and the confidence broadcasters have in investing in rugby league.

โ€œBroadcast deals generate the largest revenue for our game and having all three broadcasters committed until 2027, at a record level for the game, provides long term financial certainty to invest and plan for the gameโ€™s future and the futures of our clubs.โ€

1 COMMENT

  1. What the report does not say (and in this respect it’s no different to the NRL’s own site’s report) is what arrangements will be for the radio broadcasting of League games by anyone other than Nine.

    “2GB and 4BC – owned by Nine – will continue to hold radio rights for the competition”. What does that mean?

    Are 2GB and 4BC to have exclusive radio rights? If not, what will be the arrangements for ABC, SCA etc? Or are these going to be negotiated when the existing radio deal runs out (which I believe is the end of 2022)?

    I can see why the NRL would want to talk only about the Nine deal – because that is what has just been signed – but it would not jeopardize their new “partnership” to have added a couple of sentences to clarify the status of the rest of the game’s free-to-air broadcasting.

    It’s understandable that the deal also covers the NRLW. I suspect Nine has no interest in it (other than as a mechanism for promoting its woke credentials) and would have taken it on sufferance rather than actually _paying_ anything for it.

    My take is that the $2 billion – rather than $1.8 billion for the last five year deal – should be a clear message to the clubs that they need to throw out any ideas of big windfall profits from the new deal. Covid costs and expansion costs are probably going to eat up most of that extra $40 million a year.

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