Super League has ‘multiple parties’ interested in new broadcast deal

Rhodri Jones admits there is a lot of work to be done to ensure Super League heads in the right direction, but insists there is plenty of interest from broadcasters as contract negotiations continue.

While talks with the NRL will continue, focus for the next month will be on finalising a new broadcast deal as the current one with Sky Sports comes to an end at the conclusion of the current season.

The value of rugby league’s broadcast rights has come down considerably over the past decade, with the most recent deal less than half that of a previous £40 million deal.

The hope is that number will increase this time around, with those talks now ongoing.

“We’re in the market, as you would expect,” Jones said.

“We’ve got live conversations ongoing with our incumbent in Sky, with other broadcasters, with streaming platforms, with free-to-air broadcasters. So we’re in the market and it’s just finding the right mix for us at this moment in time.

“There is interest from multiple parties. There is a lot to do. Broadcast, commercial, NRL investment, there’ll be a Sport England submission due in September.

“So all roads lead to the end of 2026. And then we’ve got a World Cup at the end of it where you want the England teams to do as well as possible. So there is a lot to do but I think we always knew that this was going to be a real pinch point for us.

“So look, it’s not a surprise to us. We just have to work hard and make sure we get the best outcomes for the sport going forward.”

When will broadcast negotiations will be finalised?

When asked that question, Jones said: “I think realistically by the end of June is really what we’ve got. If it goes beyond that, you run the risk of running into summer holidays and what have you. So I think in the next six weeks we’ll have some certainty and clarity on the direction of travel.”

Naturally, there is concern about the future, such is the uncertainty surrounding broadcast and the NRL, which ties in, ultimately, with investment and finances.

But Jones believes there’s reason to be positive.

“I think we are very all too often easy to criticise and not look at some of the positive stuff. On Saturday we’ll have the third 60 plus thousand crowd at Wembley in a year.

“Magic sales are going through the roof, there’s some quality on the field, we’ve got good commercial partners. Everyone sees the negatives in all those though, they think we can always do better. It’s not through a lack of trying and hard work, but things do take time, things do take hard work, things do take budget ultimately.

“I think in terms of school report we’re probably B, B plus at this moment in time. We want to be A stars, absolutely 100%. There are some things we do exceptionally well, some of the growth we’ve seen in commercial revenue, in digital numbers, in participation numbers, they’re growing.

“Ultimately they all have to deliver a financial return back to the sport. That’s clearly the challenging element to us at the moment, but we want to put that right and we see the partnership with the NRL as supporting that ambition to make the game bigger, both in terms of profile audience but also financially as well.”