Channel 7 declares war on Channel 9 again with NRL move

Channel 7 has already rolled the dice with an AFL TV transformation — now the network is turning its attention to the NRL.

Channel 7 has reportedly turned its attention towards its own NRL mid-week show as a first step in a potential path towards the NRL broadcast rights.

Code Sports reports Seven has begun planning its own mid-week panel show to be broadcast on a Monday night or Tuesday night this year.

That move would potentially put Seven’s NRL experiment in direct competition with Nine’s 100% Footy, which stars Phil Gould and Paul Gallen.

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As reported by leading NRL journalist Phil Rothfield, the proposed show will run for eight weeks during the 2025 NRL season.

The show would run during the State of Origin series, which begins with Game 1 on May 28.

Code Sports reports the show will be screened on 7Mate and 7Plus before being played on delay on Seven’s main channel.

If it proves successful, the show may return before the 2025 NRL finals series and would be a weekly show throughout the 2026 NRL season.

NRL player Willie Mason (L), panelist Shane Webcke (centre left), host Matty Johns (centre right) and Paul Kent (right) on The Matty Johns Show.

It would be another significant shake-up of the NRL broadcast landscape with Seven only just putting the finishing touches on its AFL transformation.

Seven in 2024 launched one of the footy media industry’s biggest shake-ups when it beefed up its mid-week coverage ahead of future AFL broadcast rights negotiations.

Now Seven appear to be doing the same in the NRL world.

The Daily Telegraph reports Channel 7 director of sport Chris Jones was a special guest of rugby league supremo Peter V’landys during the NRL’s Las Vegas season-opening weekend.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports SEN radio media mogul Craig Hutchison was also a guest of V’landys.

Jones told Code Spots: “Travelling to Las Vegas was a great experience.

“We learnt a lot and harbour ambitions to have a stronger NRL voice moving forward.”

The NRL’s TV broadcast rights expire at the end of the 2027 season.

According to reports, NRL administrators were open to the prospect of selling State of Origin rights as a separate package to the NRL season.

Seven will have time to prove its legitimacy as a threat to Nine in the bidding war that is sure to unfold in coming years.

According to Rothfield, Seven has already begun its talent search with Broncos great Corey Parker and Bulldogs cult figure Willie Mason under consideration.

Former Broncos star-turned successful podcaster Denan Kemp, the brains behind the popular ‘Bloke in a Bar’ series, is also reportedly on the list.

While Fox League and its mid-week shows, including NRL 360, are dominant with rugby league fanatics, Nine has had almost no competition in the free-to-air market.

Phil Gould (left) and Paul Gallen (right) trade blows on 100% Footy on Channel 9.

Seven has had a hot-and-cold history of rugby league content production with the popular Matty Johns Show among its most ambitious attempts to tackle Channel 9.

The Matty Johns Show, which was axed in 2011, featured several big-name rugby league personalities including Shane Webcke and Mason.

Seven has not been shy in recruiting the biggest stars in football media.

Jones last year went on a head-hunting spree after being promoted as the top dog of Seven’s sport content.

His promotion triggered Seven’s aggressive decision to add more than a handful of new panel shows with some of the biggest media stars in football, including Kane Cornes, moving to the network.

Originally published as Channel 7 declares war on Channel 9 again with NRL move