NRL opens up to live streaming of pre-season games

Australia’s National Rugby League has said its clubs will now be able to live stream pre-season games.

The move represents a change in stance by the NRL. The league’s head of football, Todd Greenberg, wrote to the clubs in a December 15 letter, which was obtained by Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph, stating they wouldn’t be allowed to stream pre-season games because commercial broadcaster Nine had exclusive rights to pre-season matches, “irrespective of whether it does in fact choose to broadcast (them)”.

However, in a second letter sent last week, the Telegraph said Greenberg advised the clubs the NRL had struck a deal with Nine, and “obtained its consent to allow pre-season matches to be streamed by clubs through their websites, should your club wish to do so”.

Several clubs are said to have approached the NRL about streaming pre-season games so they can showcase their off-season signings.

Greenberg stressed the clubs could only show games via their websites and would have to pay for their own production costs, adding that the content would “remain the property of the NRL, and be available for use by the NRL".