On the box: Rugby League’s TV rights battle

BY JOHN DAVIDSON

Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones says there are encouragingly several new broadcasters interested in televising the sport, as they look to tie down a new, all-important television deal.

UK rugby league’s contract with Sky, the main revenue source of the code, runs out at the end of this year.

Jones has described the market as “buoyant” and is expecting a new broadcast agreement for 2024 and beyond to be secured in the next four to five months.

“Sky Sports are our long-term partner and still continue to be a fantastic partner to the sport,” he said.

“Everybody will be aware this is the final year of the contract and we’re in discussions. There are a couple of other properties in the market at the moment, so we are actively talking to Sky but helpfully the market is buoyant. 

“There are other players in the market who weren’t in the market 18 months ago. So that prompts conversations. 

“I can’t foresee that concluding imminently, it will be a process. But hopefully by the middle of the year we’ll be able to provide an update on the broadcast market. 

“The soundings from Channel 4 are very positive about continuing their relationship with Super League. 

“The BBC contract runs until the end of 2024, so that’s locked in. The Viaplay deal for the Championship finishes at the end of this year. 

“So in terms of visibility in the sport, it’s a key year.”

Under the current two-year TV deal Sky pays £25 million a year to broadcast Super League, down from the previous contract from 2017 to 2021 where they shelled out £40 million a year.

Rights fees from Channel 4 and Viaplay are believed to be minimal, with the BBC showing the Challenge Cup and a Super League highlights program.

Sky usually broadcasts three Super League games live each week of the season.

Jones says the aim is to have more Super League games broadcast live each weel, either on TV or online.

“That’s the way the world of broadcast is going,” he said. 

“I’m trying to think of another example where a sports league doesn’t have all its games available for broadcast. And that’s certainly the direction of travel we’re going in. 

“Yes, there will be more broadcast games available. Define broadcast? I think broadcast streaming, OTT (over-the-top) comes in. 

“We’ve got the OurLeague platform ready to go, if we need it. That’s our back-up, depending on the outcome of the domestic rights deal that we hope to conclude.”

Jones admitted the new broadcast deal is likely only to run until either the end of 2025 or 2026.

“The longer-term deals at the moment are for what we’d say, gold standard properties, so F1, Premier League, tennis, golf, are generally eight, nine, 10-year deals,” he said. 

“The reality for us will be two to three years, I would think. to start with. 

“There’s an element of we are going through a year of transformation and we need to show that it’s not just going to be transformation that we’re going to make changes and changes for good. 

“And I think there’ll be an element of a broadcast contract that kind of says ‘OK, we’ll go on the journey with you but you need to show and demonstrate to us that you have changed, and then let’s talk about a long-term deal. 

“I think that’s where we’ll end up.”

Sky has broadcast Super League since the competition was founded in 1996.

The RFL signed a five-year deal with Sky in 2014, that started in 2017, but Jones said that long contract was due to a scramble for sporting content between Sky and BT Sport.

“In 2014 BT had just come into the market so Sky were trying to wrap up their primary sports on long-term deals to stop B,” he said. 

“Unfortunately that doesn’t exist anymore, that competitive tension between those two. 

“So that seven-year deal was a unique one, the previous ones had been three to five, so we’ll probably fall back into that.”

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