The NRL's Billion Dollar Gamble: Will Fans Pay the Price? The National Rugby League (NRL) has secured its largest broadcast rights deal, worth an estimated $5. 3 billion over seven years.
While this may seem like a windfall for fans, it also raises questions about the affordability of the sport in Australia.
The new deal sees Channel Nine retain free to air rights and Foxtel Group remaining as the pay TV partner, with Kayo continuing to stream NRL games. The figures involved are staggering, but so too are the implications.