The NRL has a new $160 million war chest to launch an all-out assault on the New Zealand All Blacks as a result of a monster new television deal.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has landed a 70 per cent TV rights increase across the ditch as a result of a bidding war between the incumbent network Sky TV and telco/streaming company Spark.
The five-year broadcast deal – which now includes games on free-to-air – has gone from $94 million to more than $160 million over five years.
It has the added benefit of contra advertising that the NRL plans to use on a pathways and participation blitz in a country that has been dominated by rugby union and the All Blacks forever.
“If rugby union fans start watching our game of rugby league I’m not sure they’ll go back to union,” Abdo said.
“This is an exceptional result for our game. We will invest aggressively in New Zealand pathways and go head to head with rugby union.
“Part of it is contra which gives us the ability to use all of Sky channels to promote the game, especially in pathways and participation.
“Plus for the first time we can get our major events like the Anzac Day game, an Origin match and a finals game on free-to-air in New Zealand, not just Pay TV. It’s massive for us.”
The NRL also has rugby league guru Phil Gould working in a development role in New Zealand for the Warriors to try to lure players to NRL before they go to rugby union.
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