NRL chief says strong finances provide ‘flexibility’ in rights hunt
Zoe Samios
Zoe SamiosBusiness reporter
Feb 26, 2026 – 4.04pm
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NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says the sport’s most recent financial performance will give it flexibility in broadcast rights negotiations as he flagged ambitions to lock in a long-term deal by the end of the year.
The NRL broadcast rights are some of the most valuable in Australia, but they are not tied to any particular television network or streaming service beyond 2027. Abdo said he wanted financial certainty for the next decade and signalled he would also look to expand the NRL’s multimillion-dollar property portfolio to strengthen and diversify the balance sheet.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys are preparing for the NRL season launch in Las Vegas on March 1. Getty Images
“The certainty of knowing what the next seven to 10 years look like is important for us,” Abdo told The Australian Financial Review. “While we don’t need to rush things, there is a window in the short term we will enter into … a process whereby we will be able to hopefully finalise the deal. That’s something we’re working on with a focus to finalise this year.”
Broadcast rights are the main revenue stream for most major sports, including the NRL. The money acquired from current partners Dazn’s Foxtel and Nine Entertainment, owner of this masthead, is largely used to fund club operations, player salaries, the women’s rugby league competition and grassroots development.
The NRL’s current broadcast deal is estimated to be worth more than $1.7 billion when including rights in New Zealand, but Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys are seeking a bigger and longer deal in the next round of negotiations.
They hope to do this through the introduction of two new teams, the Perth Bears in 2027 and the PNG Chiefs in 2028, which could potentially offer new sponsorship opportunities and audience reach for broadcasters.
Abdo said his next broadcast partner needed to think beyond typical coverage of the game.
“There are not many other sports rights in Australia in terms of this magnitude up [for negotiation] over this window. It’s about making sure all parties that are interested in rugby league … are helping us tell the stories of our game, not just live but other content as well.”
Abdo and V’landys have said multiple parties are interested in the rights, but they declined to comment on who specifically.
Nine Entertainment chief executive Matt Stanton and Southern Cross Media executive chairman Heith Mackay-Cruise flagged interest this week, but reiterated they need to be fiscally responsible about any decision.
Foxtel, which owns Kayo Sports, is also interested, but it is unclear whether left-of-field players like Paramount or Amazon Prime Video would take a look. V’landys has previously warned potential partners against working together on proposals.
Abdo said the sport’s most recent financial results allowed broadcasters to be flexible in how the rights could be split between them. Revenue for the year ending September 30 was $845.6 million, a $100.7 million increase from the prior year. Net profit climbed to $64.8 million.
“If you look back on years, sometimes sports have required significant prepayments from broadcasters to have the cash flow,” Abdo said. “We are not in that position, and as a result of that, we’re able to negotiate.
“We want to maximise revenue, but we also want to maximise how many people we can get to enjoy watching the game or playing the game. When you have that element of flexibility, you can go into a deal knowing that you’re able to hopefully maximise value for all stakeholders.”
Abdo said he would continue to push for diversification of rugby league’s revenue streams to ensure it was not entirely reliant on broadcast revenue. The NRL’s 2025 revenue growth was driven by sponsorship, government funding, and ticket sales from events including its Las Vegas launch, Magic Round and the Pacific Championships.
Another large part of its balance sheet is the NRL’s physical assets, which include the Ibis Styles Port Macquarie hotel and Mantra Terraces Hotel in Brisbane.
Abdo said he was continuing to look at property as a way to strengthen the financial position of the sport. He said properties the NRL already owns were providing cash returns, but part of the strategy was buying in strategic areas where valuations would inevitably climb.
“We definitely are still accumulating assets,” he said. “There’s always going to be further growth you can seek from those traditional revenue streams, whether it be ticket sales for major events or sponsorship and broadcast … it’s about our strategy and tactics to maximise our traditional revenues, but equally, think innovatively around new revenue streams.”
