NRL supremo Peter V’landys is chasing a $4bn broadcast rights deal by July 15, with Foxtel and Nine the sport’s two most likely suitors.
James Madden
June 15, 2026 - 12:00AM
The battle for the NRL rights appears to have narrowed to a two-horse race, although the various “deals within deals” could ensure that NRL supremo Peter V’landys could still secure the $4bn contract he so covets.
Mr V’landys remains hopeful of a deal by July 15 – exactly one month away – and is still seeking to leverage the wavering interest of some parties in order to drive up the price of the sport’s two most likely suitors, Foxtel and Nine.
It was reported last week that Foxtel has pitched to buy the broadcast rights for seven years until the end of 2034, and would partner with Paramount (the owner of Network Ten) or with Southern Cross Media (the owner of Seven) as a means of complying with Australia’s anti-siphoning laws.
Under that scenario, Foxtel would on-sell the rights to two NRL games each week to both Seven and Ten, while Foxtel would hold the streaming rights and also retain its exclusive rights on so-called Super Saturday, which usually involves the back-to-back-to-back broadcast of three matches.
Sources last week told The Australian that neither Paramount nor Southern Cross have made formal bids to the NRL for a share of the rights, and have instead engaged Foxtel in discussions about the possibility of a sub-licensing deal.
However, Mr V’landys told The Australian on Sunday this was “not correct”.
One potential consideration for Foxtel is that it might have to be willing to offload the excess games to Seven and Ten for below market rates, given that those networks are cash-strapped but necessary partners if Foxtel (which is owned by British group DAZN) is to meet its obligations under Australian law.
For the NRL, one major sticking point with a Foxtel deal is the issue of the sport being spread across three different broadcasters – a situation that could prove to be a deterrent for fans.
But any deal with Nine would involve some NRL games being shown on subscription service Stan, a ploy that is the centrepiece of Nine’s strategy as it looks to bolster its stagnating streaming platform. Last week, The Australian also revealed Nine Entertainment is set to pay $600m or more to extend its English Premier League broadcast deal, in a move that could have financial implications for its pursuit of the NRL rights.
Despite ongoing speculation that streaming giant Amazon is a serious contender for a slice of the NRL rights, a well-placed source who asked not to be named told The Australian that such talk “is mostly hot air”.
For both Foxtel and Nine, the NRL broadcast contract is a must-win deal.
Should either party miss out altogether on a slice of the NRL pie, the commercial consequences would be disastrous.
We’ll know in a month.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/busine ... be7f9d?amp
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