Foxtel, which owns Kayo Sports, Binge and its long-running cable business, has pitched to buy the NRL’s full free-to-air and digital rights package from 2028. The proposal went to the Australian Rugby League Commission chair and the outgoing NRL chief executive in a meeting held last Tuesday morning.
Only a few hours later, Nine put forward its own case for the next rights cycle. Existing broadcast deals currently split NRL coverage between the Nine Network and Foxtel until the end of the 2027 season.
Revelations that Nine’s leadership wants to secure every NRL right have intensified the battle for control of the code. Nine aims to strengthen its Stan streaming platform and end Foxtel’s three-decade association with the sport.
Control of the NRL is seen as critical because it is one of Australia’s most valuable sporting properties, delivering large live audiences across television and digital platforms. Both Foxtel and Nine are pushing for exclusive control that would allow them to dictate how matches are distributed between free-to-air channels and subscription streaming products.
Competition for those rights shows how central live sport remains to subscriber growth and advertising strategies in Australia’s maturing streaming market. The escalating contest over rugby league rights is shaping up as a defining test of power between traditional broadcasters and subscription platforms in Australia.
A Foxtel victory would consolidate its sports-led pay TV model and potentially limit Nine’s ability to differentiate Stan in a crowded market. A Nine win would likely reshape how the NRL is watched, shifting more viewing into a single streaming ecosystem while changing long-standing viewing habits for fans.
NRL decision-makers face a choice that will influence club revenues, fan access and media competition well beyond the current deals’ 2027 expiry.
