NRL signs $5.3 billion broadcast deal with Nine and Foxtel to 2034

Rugby league has landed the richest media deal in Australian sport, a $5.3 billion agreement that keeps State of Origin free and locks in Nine and Foxtel to 2034.

A $5.3 billion agreement to 2034

The Australian Rugby League Commission confirmed a $5.3 billion broadcast rights deal with Nine and Foxtel on 7 July 2026, the largest commercial agreement ever secured by an Australian sport.verifiedVerified Sourced from NRL confirm TV rights to end of 2034. The package runs for seven seasons, from 2028 to the end of 2034.verifiedVerified Sourced from NRL confirm TV rights to end of 2034.

The new arrangement takes over when the current deal expires at the close of the 2027 season.verifiedVerified Sourced from NRL confirm TV rights to end of 2034. At roughly $750 million a year, it lifts the code well past its existing agreement.

ARLC chairman Peter V'landys said the size of the deal reflected years of audience growth rather than luck, pointing to viewership that has climbed sharply across recent seasons. Nine and Foxtel have carried the code for three decades and both stay on as broadcast partners under the new terms.

The commission negotiated the agreement in the year before the current cycle runs out, giving clubs and players a settled picture through to 2034. Both broadcasters have signalled the game will anchor their sport line-ups for the term of the deal.

Who shows what

Nine keeps the free-to-air and free-streaming rights that matter most to casual fans. That covers men's and women's State of Origin, the grand final, three live matches a round, the finals series, 33 NRLW games and Test matches played in Australia.

Foxtel and Kayo carry every men's and women's match live across the season. The pay and streaming platform holds exclusive matches each round, a number that grows as the competition expands.

State of Origin stays on Nine on Wednesday nights through to 2034, keeping the marquee series in front of the widest possible audience. The women's game sits inside Nine's package too, with 33 NRLW matches plus the finals and grand final on free-to-air.

Control of the draw and the season structure moves back to the game rather than the broadcasters, a change Abdo said lets the clubs and the code shape how matches are scheduled and produced.

How it compares to the old deal and the AFL

The $5.3 billion figure passes the AFL's $4.5 billion package, signed in 2022 for seven seasons. It is the first time a rugby league broadcast deal has topped the AFL's.

The agreement is 95 per cent cash and 5 per cent contra, a shift from the 10 per cent contra in the previous deal. V'landys said the change delivered a 90 per cent uplift in cash a year against the current agreement.

V'landys said the code would receive $5.3 billion in media rights and that most of it was cash. He put the cash share at 95 per cent.

The previous NRL agreement, which expires in 2027, was a fraction of the new figure, so the fresh terms mark a sharp step up in both headline value and guaranteed cash. The move past the AFL is the clearest sign of how far the code's broadcast value has grown.

Keeping it affordable and global

V'landys made affordability a stated condition of the deal, saying the game had to stay within reach of supporters. He said an agreement with DAZN was built to keep the cost of watching manageable for fans.

Foxtel and its matches will reach international audiences through DAZN, a streaming platform with around 400 million subscribers across 200 markets. That distribution underpins the code's push beyond New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

In New Zealand, Sky retains the rights and will carry more than 130 fixtures on free-to-air platforms. That keeps the code's established trans-Tasman audience intact while the DAZN tie-up opens new markets.

What it means for fans and expansion

The competition adds the Perth Bears in 2027, creating a ninth match each round. NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the deal hands the game more control over how rugby league is produced, distributed and experienced.

V'landys said the commission had committed to DAZN to pursue a 20th team in 2029, with New Zealand and Queensland both in the frame. Foxtel's exclusive match load rises once that side joins.

For supporters, the split keeps State of Origin, the grand final and three matches a round free to watch, while every game remains live on Foxtel and Kayo through to the end of the 2034 season.