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NRL fans will be able to watch four games live on free-to-air every round from 2018 as part of the league’s new broadcast agreement with Channel Nine.
The time slots secured by Nine include Friday night, a prime time Saturday match, the 4:00pm Sunday game, along with the to-be permanent Thursday night fixture.
State of Origin Game 2 will also move to Sundays, as part of a standalone rep weekend.
The deal is worth up to $925 million, making it the richest free-to-air rights deal in Australian television history.
What the terms of the deal are around the ‘up to’ nature of the value is unclear at this stage.
When announcing the new deal NRL CEO, Dave Smith, made it clear that the deal was designed to give the best experience to the fans.
“There will be more live and free Rugby League on television – and that is what the fans want,” Smith said.
“So the future of the game is in great shape.”
CEO of Nine Entertainment, David Gyngell, echoed Smith, adding that it was a great outcome for supporter, rugby league, and Nine.
“It will enable views to see the best of the NRL, live and free, four days a week – anywhere and on any device,” Gyngell stated.
The deal will also drive a string of other changes including the NRL season reducing to a 25-week season (down form 26), a Sunday night State of Origin match for Game 2 to be played on a stand alone weekend of representative football, and a new dedicated post-season international period.
Smith has indicated that the initial focus of negotiations had been on free-to-air rights, but noted the NRL had also held a number of discussions regarding pay television and streaming rights.
“The digital media market is changing rapidly and it is our view that new and exciting opportunities will develop with Fox Sports and other providers,” he said.
“By 2018, the digital world will be very different and we want to be in the best possible position to take advantage of any changes.
“So negotiations with the pay tv and digital providers will continue and, again, our focus will be on ensuring the most widespread coverage on whatever platform fans choose to watch rugby league.”
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