The NRL have signed the richest media rights deal in the history of Australian sport, with a seven-year partnership with Foxtel and Channel Nine to bring in over $5 billion.
It's the deal the NRL had to do, from multiple view points, but the same old questions will remain on the lips of fans, as well as a number of new ones.
From expansion, to global round and expansion, to the State of Origin window and everything in between, here are all the key points from Tuesday morning's major announcement, which will, according to Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys, future proof the game.
Value to the game
This being the biggest media rights deal in the history of Australian sports is a monster win for the code. It knocks the AFL and other sports out of the water, and vindicates V'Landys' vision for the game.
He has certainly come under fire at times for the constant chopping and changing of rules, the quality of officiating, and a litany of other issues, but ultimately, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.
That pudding - which contains a doubling in viewership, increased crowds and the game being in the rudest health it has ever been in - is now worth $5.3 billion - or a bit over $750 million per year.
V'Landys made it clear during the press conference to announce the rights that the ultimate aim of the game is to have $1 billion in assets, including cash, to future proof the sport and improve upon every area of the game at every level.
As important to the deal is that 95 per cent of it is cash, and only 5 per cent is made up by contra - that is, free advertising and promotion for the code throughout the length of the deal by their broadcast partners.
The deal also allows the NRL to grow the game globally, but more on that later.
What it means for fans, and why affordability will now be key
One of the key points raised throughout the press conference on Tuesday morning was that the game would remain accessible and affordable for the every day punter.
While the questions around the future of the subscription to Kayo Sports were answered in a half-hearted kind of way, it seems clear that there will be at least some control over the price of Kayo.
"One of the vital requirements that we needed and we have delivered was that it would be affordable to the fan. Thanks to DAZN (the owner of Foxtel), we have agreed that the fan can afford to watch the great game of rugby league. That has been achieved," V'Landys said.
Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany said their goal is aligned with the NRL.
"One thing I can say is that we are completely aligned on making sure it's affordable. Our business growing and having more subscribers is very important, and making sure we don't out-price fans is important," Delany said.
"The entry level price of Kayo has only risen once in nearly nine years. It is very well-priced and our goal is to keep it affordable."
More importantly for fans though, the deal sticking with the broadcast partners who have held the sport for the last 30 years avoids an absolute nightmare scenario of multiple paywalls.
It was a point Andrew Abdo made at one point, paying credit to the commission for looking after fans by not engaging multiple streaming partners and in doing so, likely leaving some increased amount of money on the table.
State of Origin stays on Channel 9, and on Wednesdays
The new deal confirms State of Origin will remain on Wednesday nights through to the end of 2034, unless Channel Nine agrees to a change of scenery.
That may not come as a huge surprise given the enormity of the product, and the prime time mid-week timeslot being one of the things that has ultimately grown the TV rights package to the enormous financial package it is.
What may come as a surprise though, with the NRL claiming full control over the draw and schedule, is that they are now open to changing the timeline of State of Origin.
"It's not off the table. The only requirement for us is that it's on a Wednesday night. It can be five weeks apart, one week apart, it could be anywhere in the season, but it has to be on a Wednesday night. The structure and the draw now rests with the NRL," V'Landys said.
I wrote a few weeks ago that the NRL needed to go to a season break, but include plenty of content through internationals and the return of the Nines format to make it work.
Exactly what happens moving forward is now up in the air, but what is clear is that Channel Nine have retained the exclusive rights to Origin, and will be under the pump to increase the production value of their coverage which has come under increasing amounts of scrutiny in recent years.
NRL claims control of draw and scheduling in big win
As just mentioned, the NRL have claimed back control over the way the draw works, and the scheduling of the season.
"That is one important element that we have retained back, and that is the draw. The NRL is now responsible for the draw," V'Landys said.
"The reason for that, it's nothing against the broadcasters, is we wanted to make it fair and equitable for all clubs. So it's a fair and equitable draw that will be done, so every club gets that opportunity, and it's not really designed for the broadcast, it's designed for a fair and equitable competition."
It's a huge boost to the NRL who can no longer have the riot act read to them by their media partners, with the competition able to ensure fair turnaround times, fair amounts of prime time and free to air coverage, and a better season structure, if desired.
Apart from the $5.3 billion injection into the sport over the next seven years, this may actually be the biggest point to come out of the rights agreement.
When will the ninth game be played each week?
Expansion will see a ninth game per week from the start of 2027 as the Perth Bears join.
Exactly when that will be played is up in the air.
Monday Night Football has been floated as a potential idea. The concept was used a number of years ago, but then removed.
V'Landys though, while admitting negotiations need to happen around the ninth game, said Monday Night Football may not be an option due to player welfare concerns. It's likely the RLPA need to be involved in these conversations as well.
"We haven't worked that out, because there is a lot of variables we have to look at. One of the most important ones is turnaround time for our players. We want to make sure the welfare of our players is front of mine, so we need to ensure that wherever we place it is sufficient turnaround time for the players," V'Landys said.
"I don't think Monday night is an option at the moment, but we will work with Channel Nine and DAZN to work out when the ninth game will be played."
It could well be that the ninth game is on a floating rotation - some on Sunday night, some late on Saturday in Perth, and potentially even earlier games on Saturday and Sunday in New Zealand, pending on who is playing at home each week.
All Patrick Delany wants is for games to not overlap - a challenge that will become tougher once a 20th team enters, potentially as soon as 2029.
"We will work with the NRL, the NRL controls the draw," Delany said.
"We will see. There is a lot of games, but one thing I'd like to see is clean, clear air."
20 teams are coming, but is the NRL ready?
That 20th team was believed to be a big part of the agreement, and V'Landys confirmed that one part of the agreement is that the game will begin work on just that.
Exactly where it's located is yet to be seen, but New Zealand and Queensland are the undoubted favourites.
"We are talking about a 20th team. It could be in New Zealand, it could be in Queensland, but we have given an undertaking to DAZN that we will be looking at a 20th team in 2029," V'Landys said.
"The 20th team will take a focus in the next few weeks. If we are going to have a 20th team in 2029, I need to talk to the clubs and we need to start planning, because you need to give them as much lead time as possible."
A team based in New Zealand, given the growth of the Warriors and the timezone opportunities as the NRL moves to a tenth game per weekend, may well be the obvious favourite.
Growth in New Zealand and around the world
The growth of the sport in New Zealand will continue, with an increased agreement with Sky Sports, the game's long-term broadcast partner on the other side of the Tasman.
Sky Sports will also show around 130 games through their free channels as the sport continues to expand in the island nation.
Elsewhere, V'Landys hinted at a global round gathering steam and wanting more global expansion of the sport, something that could be flicked into hyper-drive with the DAZN agreement, who have 400 million subscribers around the world.
"The priority for us after this is globalization. Someone asked how can people afford, or how can DAZN afford it, but if they can sell our product overseas, they will be able to afford it more than ever, and prices in Australia [for customers] will remain the same because of that fact," V'Landys said.
"Our growth will be international.
"Apart from New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, DAZN has the international rights. That's one of the real attractions to us. It has 400 million subscribers, and with their assistance, we are going to drive our game and market our game, especially in to areas we are already popular."
Seven games exclusive to Foxtel could move the needle
One factor that hasn't been lost out of the TV rights agreement is the fact the Nine Network will continue to only have three games per week for the bulk of the season, regardless of how far the competition expands.
That likely means that, once the sport gets to 20 teams, Foxtel will have seven games per round as exclusive content.
Channel Nine do pick up a Saturday night game in the run to the finals, but, pending season structures, it could well mean Foxtel have around 170 exclusive games per year by the time the 20th team enters.
That is an enormous amount of content, and if they set it at the right price point, could be an absolute game changer for the company in this country as more and more fans are forced to take up pay-TV.
There is also the simple fact that more teams, and the same amount of free-to-air games, means teams will appear on the Nine Network less often.
Ultimately, you can understand why a large bulk of the money in the deal has come from Foxtel's side.
