Rugby Australia Broadcast Negotiations

[Beaussie]

With the “exclusive negotiating period” now over, Rugby Australia is free to talk to other potential broadcasters.

Rugby back on Kayo? Free to air still on Channel 9?


Broadcast bucks

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-unio ... 5kyxj.html

Rugby Australia’s broadcast deal with Nine Entertainment/Stan expires at the end of 2025, and the parties are currently in talks about extending for another five-year period, between 2026 and 2030.

RA and Nine (the publisher of this masthead)/Stan are in an “Exclusive Negotiating Period” (ENP) through to December 31. From January 1, Rugby Australia is free to talk to other potential broadcaster partners, but a deal could be struck before the end of the year.

RA chairman Daniel Herbert told this masthead earlier this month there is appeal to the “certainty” of extending with Nine/Stan, but only if “the price is right”. The current deal is worth $30m a year.

“Nine have been a great partner and we have a great relationship, but they got us a number of years ago at the lowest ebb,” Herbert said.

Whether there are other suitors for Rugby Australia’s broadcast offerings – primarily Test and Super Rugby matches – is the multimillion-dollar question. Reports surfaced this month that giant sports streaming company DAZN, backed by British-Ukrainian billionaire Len Blavatnik, is in talks with News Corp about buying Foxtel.

Whether that would translate to competitive tension for RA remains to be seen, but the governing body has made no secret of the need to secure an increase in broadcast revenue for the new five-year cycle.

Rugby Australia had paused contract talks with leading players, including Fraser McReight and Len Ikitau, in the last quarter of this year, waiting to get a picture of its likely broadcast revenue.

While a domestic deal will represent a majority of broadcast revenue, there are other global deals expected to bring in additional monies for RA. The Nations Cup competition, which will see the top 12 ranked nations competing for points in each July and November Test window before a weekend of finals, is set to begin in 2026.

Jointly run by Sanzaar and the Six Nations, the aggregation of global broadcast rights for the July and November Tests is expected to see an uplift in broadcast value, which will be shared by the competing nations. Revenue from the finals weekend, set for London in 2026 and likely Qatar in 2028, would also be shared.

[azif]

With the “exclusive negotiating period” now over, Rugby Australia is free to talk to other potential broadcasters.

Rugby back on Kayo? Free to air still on Channel 9?


Broadcast bucks

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-unio ... 5kyxj.html

Rugby Australia’s broadcast deal with Nine Entertainment/Stan expires at the end of 2025, and the parties are currently in talks about extending for another five-year period, between 2026 and 2030.

RA and Nine (the publisher of this masthead)/Stan are in an “Exclusive Negotiating Period” (ENP) through to December 31. From January 1, Rugby Australia is free to talk to other potential broadcaster partners, but a deal could be struck before the end of the year.

RA chairman Daniel Herbert told this masthead earlier this month there is appeal to the “certainty” of extending with Nine/Stan, but only if “the price is right”. The current deal is worth $30m a year.

“Nine have been a great partner and we have a great relationship, but they got us a number of years ago at the lowest ebb,” Herbert said.

Whether there are other suitors for Rugby Australia’s broadcast offerings – primarily Test and Super Rugby matches – is the multimillion-dollar question. Reports surfaced this month that giant sports streaming company DAZN, backed by British-Ukrainian billionaire Len Blavatnik, is in talks with News Corp about buying Foxtel.

Whether that would translate to competitive tension for RA remains to be seen, but the governing body has made no secret of the need to secure an increase in broadcast revenue for the new five-year cycle.

Rugby Australia had paused contract talks with leading players, including Fraser McReight and Len Ikitau, in the last quarter of this year, waiting to get a picture of its likely broadcast revenue.

While a domestic deal will represent a majority of broadcast revenue, there are other global deals expected to bring in additional monies for RA. The Nations Cup competition, which will see the top 12 ranked nations competing for points in each July and November Test window before a weekend of finals, is set to begin in 2026.

Jointly run by Sanzaar and the Six Nations, the aggregation of global broadcast rights for the July and November Tests is expected to see an uplift in broadcast value, which will be shared by the competing nations. Revenue from the finals weekend, set for London in 2026 and likely Qatar in 2028, would also be shared.

Kayo?

They will be expecting a significant increase that broadcasters will not be willing to pay simply because they do not have enough subscribers to justify anymore then they get now.

Their rights will become almost wholey dependent on where the NRL rights head.
The new owners of foxtel sports will be holding onto every penny so they will be able to bid on the NRL & pay significantly more then they do now because the quiet word is Stan/Ch9 are going to go for the lot .... all RL broadcasting in Australia.

So neither will make any bid on union til the NRL rights are sorted.
And the loser... might ...bid as a consolation , but really , if its any more then 40 mill pa i will be surprised.

[leeroy*NRL*]

it is pretty simple to read, Ch9 had a period of “exclusive negotiating period”
so either ch9 have totally said NO or not now, wait and see, or have thrown a figure to Union (which was a low ball offer and union refused)

I suspect exactly ( NRL will be testing the waters soon) and there has never been a Better opportunity ever to take a BIG SHOT at FOX (DAZN)
and claim the Biggest rating sport in Australia NRL

[azif]

it is pretty simple to read, Ch9 had a period of “exclusive negotiating period”
so either ch9 have totally said NO or not now, wait and see, or have thrown a figure to Union (which was a low ball offer and union refused)

I suspect exactly ( NRL will be testing the waters soon) and there has never been a Better opportunity ever to take a BIG SHOT at FOX (DAZN)
and claim the Biggest rating sport in Australia NRL

union will be the consolation prize for either DAZN or Ch 9/stan , its as simply as that ... neither will pay much & there are no other players
So union will take what they can get
Their preference ?
Probably 9/Stan ... at least they get some exposure on FTA with them