Rugby League

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

Australia’s National Rugby League this week said its unprecedented decision to strike a deal for free-to-air rights ahead of negotiating pay-television rights had contributed to its record total media-rights income.

Rights for the National Rugby League, the top division of rugby league in Australia, have been acquired in the country by pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and the Telstra telecommunications company.

The National Rugby League, operators of the sport’s top competition in Australia, is set to unveil a new rights agreement with pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports, according to multiple reports today (Thursday).

Media conglomerate News Corporation and Australian commercial broadcaster Nine are still some way from signing an agreement on rights for rugby league competition the NRL, despite suggestions a deal could be signed as soon as this week, according to The Australian.

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine and pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports are in talks over a new rights deal for the NRL that could see all games from the club rugby league competition covered live for the first time, according to the Daily Telegraph.

International pay-television broadcaster beIN Media Group has agreed a two-year rights deal in France with the Rugby League European Federation.

Rugby league’s domestic Challenge Cup rights were renewed by the BBC last week, with the public-service broadcast paying a rights-fee increase of about 14 per cent on its previous deal.

Media rights clips from August 27 to September 9

Telecommunications company Digicel has reportedly announced that it has acquired rights in Papua New Guinea for the National Rugby League, the top division of rugby league in Australia.

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has signed an extension to its rights deal with the Rugby Football League, the governing body of rugby league in England, to continue broadcasting the Challenge Cup club knockout competition.

BeIN Media Group is considering a bid for the rights to the Australian National Rugby League, the top division of rugby league in the country, according to multiple reports.

International sports broadcaster Eurosport has agreed a deal with UK pay-television broadcaster Sky for rights to a selection of rugby league properties, which will be afforded coverage via pay-television channel Setanta Sports Asia.

Australian pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports will demand that club rugby league competition the NRL reverses its decision to remove its top-rating Saturday evening game from its new deal with commercial broadcaster Nine if it is to commit to a new contract of its own, according to The Australian newspaper.

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine holds wholesale free-to-air broadcast rights through its new deal with club rugby league competition the NRL, under which it may seek to trade content with rights partners of Aussie rules football league the AFL, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Singaporean telecommunications company StarHub has launched a new online streaming service that will offer access to sports content provided via its pay-television operation.