Broncos free-to-air games: NRL hasn’t agreed to reduce Brisbane fixtures

The Broncos won’t be affected by a monster new broadcast deal that will bankroll rugby league’s most significant expansionary move in 14 years.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys (right) and National Rugby League chief executive Andrew Abdo. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty

The NRL has agreed to terms with Foxtel on a new broadcast deal for a 17-team competition in a move poised to deliver an NRL expansion windfall of up to $100 million.

In a landmark development for the code, the NRL’s Pay-TV partner has thrown its support behind a second Brisbane team with a mega deal that will bankroll rugby league’s most significant expansionary move in 14 years.

As revealed by News Corp last week, the NRL is inching towards expansion with the ARL Commission tipped to announce Queensland’s fourth club by the end of October.

Now ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys will attend a meeting with the 16 NRL clubs on Thursday armed with a beefed-up broadcasting deal from Foxtel worth between $17-20 million annually.

Applying the figure across the sport’s traditional five-year broadcast cycle, a new 17th franchise will be worth between $85-100 million to the NRL in a deal that will guarantee the existing 16 clubs are financial winners from expansion.

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Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys (right) and National Rugby League chief executive Andrew Abdo. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty

Contrary to reports, there are no conditions attached to News Corp Australia’s updated broadcast deal and it is incorrect to suggest the NRL has agreed to reduce Brisbane Broncos free-to-air games by 25 per cent.

V’landys promised the clubs he would not expand unless the business case stacked-up — and Foxtel’s fresh broadcasting agreement with the NRL is evidence the code is ready for a second Brisbane team to rival the Broncos in 2023.

Should the clubs provide unanimous support to V’landys, the NRL’s Expansion Assessment Committee will recommend the preferred candidate for a 17th licence to the ARL Commission on Friday.

Three consortia, the Jets, Firehawks and Dolphins, are bidding to become Brisbane’s second team.

As revealed by News Corp last month, the Redcliffe-backed Dolphins are the strong favourites to win the 17th licence by virtue of their $100 million asset base, 40,000 Leagues Club members and thriving catchment in the Moreton Bay region.

Redcliffe Dolphins bid chief Terry Reader. Picture Lachie Millard

There is also a view the Dolphins, based 40km north of Brisbane’s headquarters at Red Hill, will not cannibalise the Broncos in the south-east Queensland market.

When News Corp extended its broadcast deal with the NRL last year until the end of 2027, there was a provision in the contract to renegotiate terms if a new team was added to the Telstra Premiership.

Foxtel has subsequently come to the party with a bumper deal that is backing the NRL’s vision for expansion in 2023.

V’landys declined to discuss financial terms on Monday night as he prepares to table the financial benefits of a second Brisbane team to the 16 clubs.

ARLC chairman Peter V'landys will approach clubs soon. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“We will outline the full financial details to the clubs on Thursday,” he said.

“I’ve given the clubs my assurances the business case has to stack up and my view hasn’t changed on that.

“I don’t wish to comment any further on expansion until I address the clubs on Thursday.

“There is only an Expansion Assessment Committee meeting pencilled in for Friday if the clubs agree to expansion.

“If we can’t present a case to the clubs that it (expansion) stacks up, then we are in trouble.

“I’ve always given them my word that we would only expand if it wasn’t detrimental to the existing clubs.”

The Nine Network is locked in talks with the ARL Commission over an extension to their existing deal, which runs until the end of next year.

Their decision to delay talks amid purported interest from the Seven and Ten Networks, may come back to bite them given the code’s ratings have skyrocketed in recent weeks.

The finals series has been a ratings bonanza, driving up the value of the broadcast rights on a weekly basis.

Sunday night’s grand final between Souths and Penrith was the NRL’s most-watched decider in five years, attracting a total audience of 3.596 million viewers.

While Foxtel got ahead of the curve and agreed an extension with the Commission, the Nine Network elected for a more cautious approach.

It might end up hitting them in the hip pocket given the recent ratings would suggest the value of the NRL as a television product is on the rise.

At one point, there was talk that the code could split the rights free-to-air rights and sell State of Origin and NRL games as a separate package.

However, it is understood the Nine Network is close to securing a new long-term deal that mirrors the Foxtel deal in terms of length of tenure.

Under terms of Foxtel’s beefed-up deal for a 17-team league, an extra 12 games will be played during the season and crucially there will be more content in Brisbane, providing another genuine option for a south-east Queensland rivalry.