0/5

NRL boss warns Foxtel on rights

David Gallop will consider selling all NRL games on Free to Air if Foxtel doesn't offer the right price.

As a deal on NRL rights looms, CEO David Gallop has issued a warning that Foxtel will have to pay handsomely or risk losing games to Free to Air Television.

It follows John Alexander executive chairman of Consolidated Media Holdings, part owner of Foxtel and Premier Media Group, saying “I don’t think there is any appetite at FOX Sports to hand vast additional cheques for no extra value.

“Unless (current free-to-air broadcaster) Channel Nine has got much deeper pockets than we all believe, then I think the prices that have been talked about with the NRL remain confusing.”

That price has been touted at as much as $1.4 billion.

Nine boss David Gyngell has also spoken recently about adding extra value, via more ad breaks to increase advertiser revenue.

But Gallop said yesterday, “We need to receive value and recognition for the fact that over 70 per cent of the top hundred shows on Foxtel are rugby league games.

“Clearly, if we don’t believe we’re getting the appropriate value for that, we’ll explore other options.”

The new five-year rights deal will be negotiated by rugby league’s incoming independent commission, expected to take control of the game on November 1st.

Source: smh.com.au

20 Responses

  1. -How about Channel Seven gets the State of Origin and put it on 7TWO or 7MATE Live and about 1 hour later Seven would replay it
    – Channel TEN get FNF, MNF on ONE with it Live but due to F1 and MotoGP it would have to be seen on SC10
    – Channel NINE would have Saturday Afternoon Footy, Saturday Night Footy and Sunday Afternoon Footy while ONE Game can be seen on GO!, GEM or NINE

  2. give it to foxtel FTA dose not know how to treat NRL i want to see all the games live in HD and no ads except for half time and there is no way you are going to get that with FTA nine is so pathetic that they shows ads during the game on state of origin and grand final but then again it is nine we are talking about

  3. I love Foxtel but the deal the NRL is asking for is way to much.To be honest i can’t see Foxtel taking up the deal.It’s most likely fall to FTA stations Channel 10 may just put there hand up after not taking up the recent AFL rights

  4. As i have said before,the best result is for Fox Sports to gain the rights for all games – regular season ,SOO and Final series.Then and only then will we see all games live and in HD across the country.

  5. @Josh There is a reason why channel 9 delays the sunday afternoon game! More people are home then, it leads into the news and you’re able to watch both sunday games (The 2.00 and the 3.00)

    I agree that you should be able to watch the game live if you choose, so thats were it could be shown on foxtel Live. I laugh at the fact that you can watch Channel 9’s coverage of sunday footy live if you live in NZ or England but its not available on TV in Aus.

  6. they will pay up for the right. i do think there will be an nrl channel as well. they won’t get the big dollar value they think they will get if it’s just 3 fta networks bidding for it

  7. The NRL should be warning Ch9 on thier their pathetic broadcasting of NRL Games!

    Even right now Ch9 isn’t gonna show 2nd vs 1st (Manly vs Melbourne) isnt going Live into Victoria! If it was on Foxtel they would show it live cause thier not stupid like Ch9 is!

  8. @ Adam – couldn’t agree more! It is absolutely rediculous that Nine’s Sunday afternoon game is delayed by over an hour when there is no reason for it. If Fox Sports don’t buy all the rights and FTA still have some, lets hope they go to TEN as they know how to treat sports (with AFL being live on TEN as well as live sports on ONE such as the Moto GP),

  9. Pay tv will get matches. This is nothing more than bravado from the NRL. Look at the way 9 has treated league since they acquired the rights many years ago.

  10. If this happens, you’ll be able to tell which people outside NSW Qld and ACT are rugby league fans by the dark bags under their eyes due to watching all NRL games after midnight.

  11. I don’t mind if all games are on FTA as long as they are live! Channel 9’s coverage is frustrating and shows complete contempt for the game. If we do see foxtel lose the rights then it will be the end of pay tv in this country.

  12. Lets hope Foxtel buy all the rights as the entire country can see games live – putting an end to delayed broadcasts in VIC and in timezone delayed states such as WA.

Leave a Reply