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Sky have announced they will cover Britain’s Super League until 2021, in a huge boost for the game in its homeland.
“Super League’s latest and arguably most radical restructure began to make much more sense when Sky announced a television deal to cover the sport until 2021”, reported UK’s The Guardian.
The Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood referred to its deal as having “transformational impact”, which can be interpreted as a major increase on the existing deal running until 2016.
The new deal will run to 2021 and is rumoured to be worth “in access of 200 million pounds” according to The Time‘s league journalist Chris Irvine.
Crucially, it will provide enough money to offer a significant increase in central funding to Super League clubs while reducing the gulf between the elite and other tiers of the game, which is essential if the reintroduction of promotion and relegation is going to work.
There is also likely to be a parachute payment to the two clubs who are relegated from the Super League this season to produce two tiers of 12 from 2015.
In addition to the deal, Sky have agreed to resume their coverage of the Championship competition from 2015, which will be a major boost to the clubs outside the Super League.
Almost immediately, current Championship TV provider Premier Sports announced the halt to the broadcast of the lower tier games.
After its excellent coverage of the Rugby League World Cup 2013, it was a disappointing reaction by the pay TV provider.
However, they did reiterate their commitment to NRL, State of Origin, and the RLWC 2017 tournament.
The new Sky deal means subscribers will be able to watch more than 100 live matches next year, and the number of games they will screen this season will also go beyond 80, as they are to take French coverage of Catalan Dragons home games, mostly on Saturday nights via red button.
The deal represents the latest in a series of triumphs for Nigel Wood, the long-serving chief executive of the RFL.
This television deal has helped him drive through the restructuring of Super League, and took fans by surprise at the sudden announcement.
Already highly respected St Helen’s chairman and former international banker Eamonn McManus has been one Super League stakeholder to quickly praise the deal, validating likely reports of the huge increase in financial terms.
It was also announced the competition’s commercial portfolio is further set for expansion before the start of the 2014 season next week, with two more partners to be added to First Utility, who were recently confirmed as title sponsors.
For Sky, it is a welcome reminder of their long-term commitment to UK rugby league as that relationship had seemed in doubt in recent years when they allowed Premier Sports to take over coverage of the Championship and Australia’s National Rugby League.
There had also been unconfirmed talk of BT Sport expressing an interest in Super League coverage.
This could have given Wood a position of strength, and may even have provided additional urgency by Sky to tie up premium sports, in a deal which goes a long way towards providing the financial stability craved by all rugby league clubs.
It certainly is a deal that has taken many by surprise and one can only speculate if it was worth it?
What we can say about the deal, if details are true, Super League now has an extra 88 million pounds, over five years, in its coffers.
Over to you, Roarers.
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