Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has revealed the NRL's next TV deal will break the sport's record.
Negotiations are yet to open, but the NRL is now the most watched sport in Australia, and with more teams set to enter during the next broadcast cycle, the value of the rights deal is set to expand again.
V'Landys, speaking to News Corp confirmed negotiations will commence as soon as the exact number of teams are known.
โAs soon as we know the exact number of teams, we will start broadcast negotiations," V'Landys told the publication.
โI would say it will be in the next few weeks.โ
V'Landys claimed the NRL will be able to reach a record deal on the back of becoming the most-watched sport in the country.
โIt will be a record deal,โ V'landys said.
โI won't discuss specific figures but it will be our biggest ever broadcast deal.
โWe have worked very hard to get the game to be the most-watched sport in Australia. It's a strategy. Now, naturally, we want to be rewarded for that."
The report suggests the NRL have internally discussed a broadcast TV deal that could bring multiple partners to the table, both Australian-owned, and those from the international streaming market, with the likes of Netflix and Amazon potentially getting involved.
Disney have also expressed interest in the NRL, with V'Landys confirming all options are on the table.
It was previously reported that the NRL were at the very least considering selling State of Origin as a separate product, but it now appears match timeslots from week to week, finals, and the grand final, as well as end of year internationals, could be sold separately to bidders from around the world.
โDisney has come out and said they are interested (in the NRL)," V'Landys confirmed.
โThe NFL have broken up their products between free-to-air, cable and streaming. They have given a little bit to everybody.
โSo, for five bucks a month, you might be able to watch NRL on Amazon or Netflix.
โI'm not saying that's necessarily what we are going to do, but it's an option."
The current TV set up with the NRL - as has been the case for decades - has been all games live on Fox Sports, and a handful of games also simulcast on Channel 9, a free-to-air TV channel.
