Opinion
V’landys denies NRL pressuring TV networks for positive coverage
Sport columnist
May 4, 2025 — 5.30am
ARL Commission chairman
Peter V’landys has hit out at speculation the NRL is leaning on its broadcasters for positive publicity with negotiations about to start on a billion-dollar TV deal.
This column first aired the news that
subtle pressure was being put on networks to be positive in their coverage of the game. And the background to the story is the upcoming negotiations, which will determine where rugby league is watched after the current broadcast rights deal expires at the end of 2027.
The TV talks are about to heat up now Foxtel has been sold by News Corp and Telstra to British company DAZN. Significantly, Nine Entertainment – owners of this masthead – recently appointed a new head of television,
Amanda Laing, who formerly worked for Foxtel. She will do the negotiating alongside Nine Entertainment chief executive
Matt Stanton.
Laing started the job last Monday. She has been in Brisbane for Magic Round and has been seen with the game’s bosses, who she knows well from her time on the ARLC.
This column put it to V’landys that the broadcasters were being told to provide positive coverage for the game, which he strongly denied.
“That’s not something that we would ever do, and not something we would do around the time of a negotiation,” V’landys said. “I think there is some reverse psychology being used here. People are saying it so that we don’t do it. But the truth is, we don’t do it.”
V’landys’ relationship with the media has been in the spotlight in recent times as he has been accused of seeking positive coverage. It has been highlighted by ABC’s
Media Watch that all the stories written in the News Corp press about PVL have been positive. The same program also raised concerns about this masthead, but acknowledged its critical coverage of the league and racing boss.
Having dealt with V’landys for several years, as the chairman of the game, I can say he has never asked me to write a positive story about him. He has never even hinted at it, or asked for a negative story to be pulled. If he did, he knows the response he’d get.
Having said that, there is definitely a push from the NRL to ensure its broadcast partners remember they are partners when it comes to dealing with the sport more broadly.
A particular bugbear of the NRL is when the AFL is deemed, in their eyes, to be getting more coverage in news bulletins than the NRL. This column also recently highlighted requests from NRL spin doctors for access to rundowns, or at least topics that are to be discussed, on magazine-style rugby league TV programs.
Again, it’s understandable why they would like to put the NRL’s spin on things, and to correct or prevent errors, but it is a very fine line they are treading.
The bigger concern is the potential gagging of talent. If that ever happened, the game would have a serious issue. Trying to control the media narrative by stopping people from expressing their opinions would hurt the game more than help it.
Sometimes commentators not saying anything can be more damaging for the code.
It has been widely reported that Channel Nine commentator and league Immortal
Andrew Johns refused to call the last 23 minutes of the Wests Tigers-Cronulla game on Sunday as he was so frustrated with the NRL’s approach to high tackles and the number of sin bins.
His silent protest made a real impact.
What plenty of people missed – and it should be documented – is the stance
Phil Gould took on
100% Footy on Monday night. NRL chief executive
Andrew Abdo was facing up to questions about the farcical 18 sin bins last weekend. In a panel of experts, of which Gould was by far the most experienced, he was the only one not to ask Abdo a question. He’s clearly fed up with the way the NRL is handling its crackdowns – or non-crackdowns, as the NRL claims – and could not be enticed into entering the conversation with Abdo, who is doing his best in a tricky situation.
Gould can talk for hours about tackle techniques and where the game has gone wrong, but his refusal to ask Abdo any questions said it all.
