The NRL appears to be set to stick with its Friday 6pm timeslot for the foreseeable future.
Speculation has emerged in recent times that the competition were considering a switch for much of the season to play the early Friday game in a Sunday evening timeslot.
The 6pm game, while part of the Fox Sports broadcasting deal with the competition, has been something of a crowd killer for sp,e clubs, with people generally unable to attend the earlier game on Friday.
Excluding Magic Round, the Friday 6pm timeslot averaged 12,703 attendees per game in 2022, however, that average drops considerably once crowds of 16,212 and 18,395 are removed for a pair of Warriors' home games at the back end of the season.
Despite a reported proposal to remove the Friday 6pm game from the schedule more often than not, The Daily Telegraph are reporting that Fox Sports have no plans to give up the game.
They view it as a Friday night ratings winner, with viewers then sticking around for the later game which is also broadcast on Channel 9, instead of watching the free to air coverage as they may be more inclined to do without an earlier game almost immediately leading into a second game, which often shapes as a blockbuster in the prime time slot.
It's understood Fox Sports also view their Sunday package as optimal at the current time, with the Matty Johns show immediately following the conclusion of the 4pm game.
The network, in tandem with Channel 9, hold the NRL broadcast rights until at least the end of 2027, which could mean no changes to the Friday 6pm game will be made before then, although it's suggested that the timeslot could still be switched on Origin weekends.
