V'Landys: The "crucial" element of the NRL's mega TV rights deal

In the wake of the NRL securing the biggest TV rights deal in Australian sporting history, Peter V’Landys has revealed a left-field sticking point that helped seal the deal.

The broadcasters now have no say in fixturing, with full control lying with the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) from the start of the 2028 season.

Speaking on Kick Off with Brandy and Jimmy, V'Landys explained how crucial this aspect was to the deal ultimately being finalised.

“There's other elements of the agreement that we haven't been able to announce, and one of them is the fact that we now get back to do the structure of the season and the draw and that's important to us because we want to make it a fair and equitable draw for everybody and not just look at the broadcasters,” he said.

“We have total control of the draw, and that was a crucial element of the negotiation. That was one of the real sticking points, other than the money of course, but because the game has doubled its audience in the last five years, it gave us the platform to be able to generate a significant increase in media rights.”

The Chairman of the ARLC says the impact of the NRL's recent success is to thank for the newfound bargaining power and ability to take control of the fixture going forward.

“There's no doubt that the game is more entertaining now than it was five years ago. It's attracted a lot of new fans; casual fans have turned into engaged fans. All credit goes to the players and the clubs and even the volunteers. Every person in rugby league has done their bit to be able to achieve this record deal that's going to set up the game for the next 50 years,” V'Landys explained.

“The way that people now consume television has changed dramatically. People are consuming it through laptops, phones, iPads and they're not consuming it on traditional means. They don't watch free-to-air TV and people are moving away from that to subscription TV and we had to take that into account.

“The economy was certainly a concern. There was a lot of concerns along the way but we're always confident because we've doubled our audience and that's the big selling point. Neither broadcaster could do without the NRL. Their whole business model revolves around the NRL.”

On Tuesday, the ARLC confirmed that it had signed a seven-year deal worth $5.3 billion, beginning in 2028, with the current incumbents: Nine Entertainment, Foxtel (now owned by DAZN), and Sky NZ.

While they have the same partners, the NRL will get a larger split of the revenue, with the competition set to receive 95 per cent of the cash from this deal (up from 90 per cent in the previous deal signed in 2020), with the remaining five per cent through contra.

The ARLC has also confirmed that they will have control over the season structure and draw for the competition.

In a statement, the ARLC Chairman was proud to have produced such a big outcome.

“Today marks a defining moment for rugby league,” V’Landys said.

“The Commission has worked hard in the last five years to make the game more entertaining for our fans, effectively doubling our audience. Our Players and Clubs that made this possible will now be justifiably rewarded.

“This agreement is the largest commercial deal ever secured by an Australian sport, but its significance goes well beyond the financial outcome.

“It returns the draw back to the NRL and will ensure fair and equitable scheduling for all Clubs. It also gives us greater flexibility to shape the future of the game and ensures more fans can access rugby league than ever before.

“We entered these negotiations with a clear objective — secure long-term growth while retaining control of the things that matter most. We have achieved that outcome.”

During his press conference, he reconfirmed his desire to expand the NRL’s reach, in particular with DAZN.

“It future proofs (the competition) for the next 20 to 50 years,” V’Landys elaborated.

“Because this will enable us to buy assets and continue to grow the game. But more importantly, it gives us the platform not only to grow the game here in Australia, but globally.

“Our ambition is to grow the game globally, and with these additional funds, we'll be able to achieve that in all parts of the world. Part of the deal has been that with DAZN, we've done a deal where there are 400 million subscribers to DAZN that Rugby League will be marketed to.

“So that's a very important element for us, is that this isn't just about growing it in Australia. This is about growing it in all markets around the world.

“The 5.3 billion over the seven years does not include that potential growth in the international market. We believe that the 5.3 (billion) will increase substantially once we start our global ambitions.”

The deal concludes in 2034.