Reports have emerged that the Kerry Stokes-owned Seven Network is seriously considering entering the race for the next NRL broadcast rights deal which begins in 2028.
Incumbent NRL rights holders Nine and Foxtel, recently purchased by DAZN, were already expected to face opposition from global streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon.
In a move that will surely have ARL Commission boss Peter V’Landys grinning from ear to ear, a Seven bid would be as unexpected as it is audacious, not least due to the network’s status as free-to-air rights holder for the AFL until 2031—a deal worth an estimated $4.5 billion in partnership with Foxtel.
“We would consider anyone who has reach and wants to make a lot of money, our game will drive their revenues,” Peter V’Landys told The Australian.
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The current five-year NRL rights deal netted the code a reported $2 billion, however V’Landys has stated he hopes to secure a significantly greater sum for the next broadcast cycle, which may include packaging standalone events such as the State of Origin series in separate deals.
“I won’t discuss specific figures but it will be our biggest ever broadcast deal,” V’landys told News Corp when discussing the NRL’s ambitions earlier this year.
“We have worked very hard to get the game to be the most watched sport in Australia—now, naturally, we want to be rewarded for that.”
The other delicious twist for Peter V’Landys in a potential Seven rights bid is the career path of Kerry Stokes’ former editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie, who was poached from Seven West Media in May to head up the NRL’s 18th franchise, the Perth Bears.