Does anyone have access to this article.
Surprisingly not too negative about the NRL as Webster usually is, despite calling himself a League fan. I was honestly expecting him in this article to be gleefully predicting a worse-case scenario for our broadcast deal prospects.
For a bloke immersed in the media world I do like his reference to persistent industry chatter that Nine will want exclusive streaming rights for NRL, no mention of Paramount though.
The NRL relevant part of the article:
"Close your eyes, sports fans, and imagine what the world will look like from your armchair in the not-too-distant future.
Rugby league’s State of Origin on Netflix. The AFL’s
Anzac Day blockbuster on Amazon. Cricket’s Boxing Day Test on YouTube. The A-League on TikTok.
What a time to be alive, you say to yourself. I may never leave this armchair, you declare. How can I build a fridge into the side of it, you wonder.
Then your monthly credit card statement lobs and you realise you’ve spent half the mortgage repayment on a dozen streaming apps to quench your sporting thirst.
What the sports broadcasting landscape looks like domestically and globally in the next decade is anyone’s guess, but it’s guaranteed to be far different than it is now.
The imminent entry of UK sports streaming giant DAZN into the Australian market following its acquisition of Foxtel, Channel 9’s desire to put NRL matches exclusively on Stan Sport, and ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys’ desperation to outdo the AFL in the next broadcast deal suggests we’re in for a ride.
The AFL’s TV rights deal from 2022 angered many in NRL clubland.V’landys surprised many this week when he told the Courier-Mail he hoped to strike a new broadcast deal “in the middle of this year”. The current deal has three years to run.
More than that, it remains unclear what DAZN’s arrival in Australia will mean in the long-term for sport, particularly the big three of AFL, NRL and cricket.
The AFL argues it’s in a stronger position than the rest because, by the time its $4.5bn, seven-year deal ends in 2031, the scene will be less volatile.
When the AFL announced in September 2022 its mammoth deal with Seven and Fox, NRL club bosses were furious about it dwarfing rugby league’s.
They had never been told the true value of the deals with Nine and Foxtel, both of which were struck during the Covid-19 crisis. A figure of $1.7bn was floated this week, but at the time it was a mystery.
There was speculation the difference per annum ranged from $100m to $260m. V’landys strongly denied to me it was the latter at the time.
A new NRL team in Papua New Guinea and possibly another in Perth has raised hopes of a record TV rights deal Picture NRL photos
Regardless of what it was, pressure is on the NRL to do markedly better this time, especially with teams from Papua New Guinea and, most likely Perth, entering the premiership in the next four years.
The NRL continually beats its chest about record ratings, which is fair enough. It’s a story worth telling. But if that’s so, the clubs say, it should be reflected in the next broadcast deal.
With the Australian market flooded with streaming platforms desperate for live sport, they’re expecting a significantly improved deal from 2028.
Nine has held the free-to-air rights to rugby league since 1992, but there’s plenty of chatter it will push for exclusive matches to be shown on Stan Sport, its subscription streaming platform.
Former Foxtel chief commercial officer Amanda Laing, who will later this year take over Nine’s broadcast division as part of a major restructure, is a former ARL commissioner.
She stood down in 2020 citing a potential conflict of interest in looming broadcast negotiations.
Former Australian Rugby League commisioner Amanda Laing will be negotiating on behalf of Channel 9 for the full suite of NRL rights
The NRL considers her appointment an advantage because she will understand the importance of the rights to her network. Those who have been on the other side of the negotiating table to Laing aren’t so sure. She’s a tough operator.
Then there’s DAZN, which is awaiting Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approval for its purchase of Foxtel. That’s expected to happen by July.
It wouldn’t make sense for DAZN to lowball the NRL — or any of the sports that Fox already broadcasts — if it wants to become the “Netflix of Sport”.
Nor would it make sense to diminish the quality of sports coverage here by cutting costs or charging an expensive monthly subscription.
DAZN bought the rights to Ligue 1 — French football’s premier league — in August. A month later, viewers were abandoning the platform and illegally streaming matches because of the price. DAZN is renegotiating its contract.
There’s no indication this will happen to Fox Sports here in Australia. If anything, the word from DAZN is very little will change, at least initially.
But the experience of Ligue 1 is something for the NRL and other major sports to ponder in a broader sense.
The fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul was a technical disaster for Netflix and caused damage to the streamer’s reputation Picture: Getty Images
While administrators, media executives, and reporters endlessly speculate about complex broadcast rights, dedicated sports fans couldn’t care less who comes out on top.
When they kick back in their favourite armchair-fridge-thing to watch Friday night footy, they want quality coverage on an affordable platform that isn’t dropping out mid-tackle.
Unless it’s Netflix.
The streaming giant recently announced a spike of 19 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2024 with much of it attributed to the dreadfully over-hyped exhibition fight/cuddle between YouTuber Jake Paul and 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
The only thing worse than the fight was Netflix’s slew of technical problems. In the end, the constant freezing of the livestream became a blessing because you were momentarily spared the ringside analysis of Roy Jones jnr and, weirdly, actor Rosie Perez.
The NRL might be under pressure to wring every cent out of its future broadcast partners, but you can’t put a price on the authenticity and quality of the coverage.
