Nine and Foxtel are on the cusp of retaining the rights to air the NRL, keeping the game with its current broadcasters in what could be the most expensive rights deal for an Australian sporting code in history.
The pending deal, which is set to run until 2034, could make the sport more valuable than the AFL, a longstanding goal of the Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys.
Sources familiar with the matter said the $5 billion deal had not been signed yet, but comprised $150 million annually from Nine, owner of this masthead, for the free-to-air TV rights, with Foxtel paying $520 million annually for the pay TV component.
Nine, the owner of this masthead, Foxtel, and the NRL were contacted for comment.
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Kishor Napier-Raman is a senior business writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously he worked as a CBD columnist and reporter in the federal parliamentary press gallery.Connect via X or email.
Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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