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NRL boss issues early warning to Foxtel

The NRL may break up more of its games across Pay TV and Free to Air in order to maximise bidding for the 2013-17 rights.

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NRL boss David Gallop has issued early warnings to Foxtel ahead of the next round of sports rights.

After the lucrative deal for the AFL, the NRL is anticipating a similar package, and may include breaking up more elements of its games.

“We provide 77 of the top 100 programs for pay television,” Gallop told The Australian.

“We have driven subscription rates in NSW and Queensland and we don’t want that taken for granted.”

Gallop said the NRL would consider selling more games to the free-to-air networks if it increased the final price, including selling Monday night football to the free-to-air networks in an attempt to maximise bidding tension.

Nine and FOX Sports last paid $500m for the current NRL rights and are expected to win the 2013-17 rights. But Seven has indicated that it would like to acquire at least one NRL game.

Nine has a first and last agreement with the NRL although sources said this can be superseded if a rival network comes up with a bid that is at least 20% higher.

27 Responses

  1. @ JB. If the NRL is to rate in Adelade and Perth, they need to have teams in the national comp. Especially when their is little to no tradition of rugby league in this state. If the NRL really want the amounts of money similar to the AFL for their tv rights then it would be wise to invest in adelaide and perth at least, otherwise they should drop the N from the actonym (NRL).

  2. At the end of the day its the demographic that watches a sport like League, then the advertisers who want to pict to those League watchers, then the spend of those watchers. Its built up from that.

    So you can’t compare AFL rights to league rights in dollar terms

  4. Yeah, more games free to air would be great! But when are they going to start sharing the free to air games evenly with all the teams? Seems we are constantly watching the same teams play over and over, whether they are performing or not!

  6. Minimum NRL requirements should be:
    1.All games Live and in HD Australia wide ( incl WIN ,Prime,SC)
    2.State of Origin Live and in HD Australia wide ( incl WIN ,Prime,SC)
    3.Draw for the whole year ( times,dates,venues ) done in advance – not the current debacle where 9 controls when games are scheduled 5 weeks in advance as the comp rolls on.

    Live means Live….not delayed ala V8 Bathurst debacle

    I hope 9 lose out big time in this as their coverage has gotten woeful

    77 out of top 100 programs for pay tv is one hell of a leverage point – and that does not count Origin or Final series

  7. Who cares unless we can get NRL live in Adelaide or at least a decent time like 7.30. 10.30 start for State of Origin is pathetic. I’m tempted to ring up Nine and tell em what i think. They come 3rd Wednesday nights, so no one watches their shows. The ratings will be huge in QLD & NSW so they’ll probably win that night so why can’t they just put it on live in Adelaide,even at least on GO! i can handle. I hope Nine lose the rights too. Give it to ONE, they’ll give us live NRL in Adelaide.

  8. it would be good if it could be shown live on both foxtel and FTA foxtel could show it without ads like they already do and what ever FTA network gets it could show it with 50 zillion ads the viewers should be able to decide how they watch it i know what way i would watch it and it wont be FTA

  9. Really don’t care who gets the FTA as long as Foxtel and Telstra get the same deal as the AFL – every game live and in HD. Anything less tha that, and Gallop should be sacked.

  10. Seven have stated they are going after a Friday night match and the Origin Series however i believe they will go for more than that. Its going to be at least 20% higher, thats a gimme. This takes out the last rights too which Seven will be hoping to do. Seven has the cash and at the end of the day if its cash they want then its cash they will get. However like i said i just don’t see Seven going for everything. I think Origin, one of the 2 Friday night games and Finals will be what Seven will get. TEN and Nine will fight out the rest i recon. Nine will put one hell of a fight up but it is going to be interesting.

  12. I have a passing interest only in NRL but do appreciate the State of Origin. Here in Adelaide its on 9 at 10.30pm (you know it will be 10.45) and on Fox at 10pm. So the earliest i can watch the game is 10pm. thats the biggest game of the year on nearly a 4 hour delay. Ask yourself League fans – are your governors protecting your game from afl? looks like you’ve given up outside of NSW & Qld to me. Your choice but i don’t like your chances in against the raging bull that is the VFL.

  14. Network Ten might get the rights dito goes for the Nine Network. the 7 Network looks like the front runner in my eyes to win the rights jointly with pay tv, simmilar to the AFL deal if its a question of money. Now whether the NRL deserve as much money as the AFL well that is a matter of debate, i personally think no. If any off the free to air networks get it and they will i doubt that any of them will show the games nationally, that includes ONE. With the 4 billionares at the board calling the shots i doubt that anyone out of the traditional states will get any Live NRL. THe board will most likely have the attitude that the game will not rate outside the traditional states. If the old team were still their i would have had a different opinion.

  15. Why isn’t State of Origin being shown in HD

    I pray that like the new AFL deal Foxtel will be able to show Live games directly against FreeToAir coverage. I cant believe in 2011 we are watching the highest rating sport in SD.
    Its also likely that by the time the next deal is done Telstra will be HD streaming the games live. This is what terrifies FreeToAir more than anything else.

    and for gods sake Put the Origin on GEM you luddites !

  16. If I was a betting man, I have a feeling Monday Night Football will go to One. It would be nice to watch NRL in HD again on FTA. Are you listening Nine/GEM??

  18. I’m praying that NRL Fans outside NSW, Queensland and the ACT would get a better deal for Friday Night Games Especially in Melbourne.

  19. I must say I am not a huge sports fan, I enjoy the odd game each weekend of the NRL or AFL. I do enjoy the coverage on Foxtel more not just because it is commercial free during the telecast but the commentary seems better, so maybe another free to air network would be a fresh approach.

  25. Im all for the NRL becoming like the AFL! With Friday Night Football at the moment on 9, seeing the second game on delay is annoying in that the score can be found out via web, text, radio, etc. It would be smart to move the Friday Night Football across two FTA networks (e.g. one game on 9 while another is on 7), and then the rest on Foxtel/Austar – especially the Sunday afternoon game which is delayed on 9. If the NRL want the Monday Night Game to be on FTA than I’m all for it, but I would only like to see it on a sister channel as Monday nights are big for prime time programming on the main channels (so have it on 7MATE or ONE). That is my opinion anyway.

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