NRL is sustainable if deal is not reached by November 1, commission says

The Australian Rugby League Commission, the body which runs the National Rugby League, said it has contingency plans to cater for the possibility that a new domestic media rights deal is not agreed by November 1.

The ARL Commission, which is negotiating the new NRL deals for the 2013 to 2017 period, has raised the prospect that a new agreement may not be signed by November 1, which is when funding from the league’s current contract ends.

The Age newspaper said that a new deal is expected to be reached before then, but ARL Commission chairman John Grant said that the sport would be sustainable even if an agreement is delayed.

“It’s something that we’re not going to drive any faster than we need to in order to get the right outcome,” Grant said. “We’re pursuing it as quickly as we can. It would be nice to have all i’s dotted, all t’s crossed and money flying by November 1, which is the end of the current broadcast rights, but if that doesn’t happen, we can sustain ourselves for some considerable time after that. We’ve got to get the right outcome.”