Channel Nine could look to cut ties with the NRL in favour of a return to the AFL if revised broadcasting negotiations continue to stall, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Foxtel joins the Nine Network in hoping to close a newly assessed and reduced contract for the fractured 2020 season.
Nine chief executive Hugh Marks has warmed to the idea of severing ties with the NRL in favour of the AFL in 2022, when both codes end their current broadcasting contracts.
The AFL had reportedly begun negotiations with current network partners Channel 7 and Fox Sports for a contract extension until 2024, meaning Nine's hopes of returning to Aussie Rules may face a delay.
Marks spoke at a Macquarie Australia Conference 2020 on Tuesday, revealing Nine could renounce their partnership with the NRL as they continue to struggle through the negotiating process.
โโItโs not a given that NRL has to be part of our future,โโ Marks said. โโIt has to just pay its way like all of our content does, and if it doesnโt, well ... again, we are less reliant on that as a revenue source.โโ
The Sydney Morning Herald have reported that sources close to negotiations have revealed that Nine are looking to further reduce their price following on from their original $28 million cut from the $118 million contract for 2020.
Nine have opened to aiding long-term services and security for rugby league, extending its current rights deal until the end of 2025.
โโCOVID has changed how you need to consider sports rights and evaluation of sports rights for the future because if we donโt take that change now like we are in all other aspects of our business and we wait until the contract expires in two years ... everyoneโs in for a rude shock in two years,โโ Marks said.
โโNowโs the time when we need to make the changes necessary to make these sports rights more sustainable. The future of our businesses is in aggregated video consumption. Weโre a business that actually is now less reliant on live sport and the reason for a lot of sport and its being was its volume contribution to free-to-air advertising.
โโBut as you move and you create profitability and revenue and other mediums which are not reliant on sport, all of a sudden as a business weโre able to be a lot more analytical and perhaps a lot more disciplined around those decisions. And thatโs where I think weโve really been quite hard on that NRL discussion.โโ
Amateur hour at 9 to be spilling like they have. Thereโs absolutely no reason to be sharing commentary on negotiations unless they are simply trying to condition NRL for a lower price. Hope it backfires, because 9s coverage has been falling way behind that of Foxtel for a long time. The supporting cast is aweful. I dont need another Billy Slater or Jonathan Thurston cross ever again. Somebody needs to check Andrew Johnsโ pulse to see if heโs still there. Get him a red bull or something.
Channel 9 commentary has been woeful for a long time.
I only ever watch the footy on Foxtel.
Would be very happy if channel 10 or 7 took over.
Channel 9 say they want to walk away because there is no money in sport and that their business model is in โaggregated videoโ aka repeats of repeated shows not repeated more than twice in the same day and yet they are now supposed to be going after AFL instead.
Does not compute.
If Ch9 does go the no sport route (which I doubt) and does focus on aggregated video well lets see how that works with the big advertisers. Instead, I suspect that 9 is trying to manipulate the NRL fans through the media as it has done oh so many times before.