UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has agreed a five-year deal with the National Rugby League to return the top division of the sport in Australia to its screens for the first time in over a decade.
The contract announced today (Thursday) will run from 2018 to 2022, with fellow pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports having previously held NRL rights under a five-year deal that expired following the 2017 season.
Sky is also home to the English Super League and the new deal means that from this season, it will show close to 200 rugby league matches per year, double last year’s total. The NRL deal includes three Premiership weekly matches per round, the Premiership finals series and Grand Final and the State of Origin Series.
Further action from the southern hemisphere includes the Nines Tournament, NRL All Stars and Trans-Tasman, Pacific Test and Australian Test matches.
Todd Greenberg, NRL chief executive, said: “Our aim is always to ensure that as many people as possible are able to watch rugby league, and this deal will further ensure that the NRL Premiership, as well as many more of our elite competitions and games, will get the audience they deserve.”
The 2018 NRL season kicks off on March 8, with Sky's first-pick televised games live on Saturday, March 10.
Customers can tune in from 8am GMT to see South Sydney Rabbitohs against the New Zealand Warriors, followed by 2017 champions Melbourne Storm beginning their title defence against the Canterbury Bulldogs.