NRL confirm TV rights to end of 2034

The NRL and Australian Rugby League Commission have confirmed the details of their next TV rights deal, with Fox Sports and Nine to retain the broadcast of the competition until the end of 2034.

Negotiations have been ongoing for an extended period over the new rights deal, which will be the richest in Australian sporting history - worth $5.3 billion.

The NRL will also continue working with Sky Sports in New Zealand with over 130 matches per year to be available through their free platform.

The deal begins in 2028, with most of the deal being cash rather than contra - money set aside for advertising and promotion.

"Most of that is cash. 95 per cent is cash. 5 per cent is contra. That compares from the previous deal where the contra was 10 per cent," V'Landys said at a media conference to confirm the announcement on Tuesday morning.

"This hasn't been an accident. This has been achieved by some very hard working. In the past five years, we have changed the game, effectively doubling the audience.

"I give credit to everyone involved in the game. That was our strategy. Before we went to market we needed to have something to sell."

The NRL confirmed that it will ultimately see a 90 per cent uplift in cash per annum compared to the current deal.

The deal will see State of Origin and the grand final remain exclusive to Nine Network.

The confirmation of the rights remaining with Foxtel and Nine comes after the two networks are one point were at loggerheads.

Both Foxtel and Channel Nine pitched for the rights on their own at one point, with Foxtel looking to partner with Channel Ten and Channel Seven, and Nine looking to use Stan Sports for the Pay-TV side of the deal.

Amazon Prime were also interested at one point.

"I don't want to breach any commercial sensitivies, but up until late last night, we were still negotiating. Until the execution of that contract, all parties were in play," V'Landys said when quizzed.

"I want to thank all the other parties, especially Amazon. They changed the course of the negotiations."

In the end though, the two networks who have held the rights to the NRL for three decades came back to the table and confirmed they would continue with the product on their screens.

V'Landys confirmed the game's ambition to expand the sport globally too, revealing a deal has been done with DAZN - the owners of Foxtel - to promote the game around the world.

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany also confirmed part of the agreement will be the push for a 20th team to join the competition at some point in the agreement, meaning a tenth game per week will be available.

The deal, even when the competition jumps to 20 teams, will only see three games per week on Channel Nine, with the remainder exclusive to the Foxtel group and Kayo Sports.

A ninth game per week will be added from the start of the deal in 2027 with the Perth Bears entering the competition.

V'Landys wasn't ready to confirm when a ninth game per week will be played, but confirmed the draw and fixtures will be retained by the NRL, instead of being dictated by the broadcast partners.

"We haven't worked that out, because there are a lot of variables we have to look at. One of the most important ones is turnaround times for the players. Player welfare is important, so I don't think Monday Night Football is an option at this stage," V'Landys said.

"One of the issues we have retained is the draw. The NRL is now responsible for the draw. That's nothing against the broadcast partners, but we want to have a fair and equitable competition."

V'Landys also added an agreement has been reached with Foxtel and DAZN that Kayo Sports will remain affordable to the fan - although exactly what that price, or whether a cap will be placed on it - remains to be seen.

The NRL also confirmed in its media release that as part of the new deal, there is a commitment from media partners to positively market and grow the game, and there is a more stringent assurance mechanism in relation to conflicts of interest.