David Nathanson sees NRL’s potential in US broadcast market

Former Fox executive David Nathanson, who is co-owner of the Seattle Kraken alongside rapper Macklemore, believes the NRL can thrive in the US market.

The man who spent 18 years launching channels for the Fox network in the US – and now part-owns four professional sports teams – is convinced the NRL can unlock the American broadcast market.

David Nathanson, who has equity alongside rapper Macklemore in NHL team the Seattle Kraken while also having ownership of three pro soccer teams, joins a growing list of influential US figures who support the NRL’s bid to take the game to international audiences.

He said the market was highly competitive and emerging sports were queuing to capitalise on the introduction of streaming services alongside traditional broadcast companies, looking to jag even a thin slice of a massive pie.

Former Fox executive David Nathanson has equity alongside rapper Macklemore (pictured) in NHL team the Seattle Kraken. Picture: Grace Kessels.

Nathanson told how the NFL commands $12.5 billion a year for its rights. Sports that secured just 1000th of that figure would land a deal worth $12.5 million per year. One per cent of the

NFL number would deliver $125 million per annum.

“The NRL has some of the most coveted content in its region and is growing in relevance in the US, so from my perspective I think there’s significant opportunity for them to command real value,” he told The Daily Telegraph at a business of sport conference in Las Vegas.

“The value of rights is relative. It’s a return on investment, so you need to have the ability to drive audience, subscriptions and advertisers.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said bringing games to the US was a necessary move. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

If the NRL can drive fans in the US to watch that product, if it can grow by doing more things like they’re doing here right now, it can be even more relevant to buyers of sports programming.”

He said bringing games to the US was a necessary move and replicated the strategy major American sports have already taken.

“Even those that are the strongest in the US domestically, like the NFL and the NBA, you’re seeing them play more games internationally,” he said.

“The ability to bring your sport to other countries to build fandom and grow that audience,

effectively spread the word, is essential in a global economy.” Nathanson told the conference the broadcast market in the US had been seriously disrupted by streaming services.

The traditional free-to-air and cable networks had shed 37 per cent of the sports broadcasting rights market to the “predator” streamers including Amazon, Apple and Netflix.

He said sports had been “laying golden eggs” for broadcasters for many years and while traditional networks were now struggling, it was not stopping the value of rights from continuing to climb because of added competition.

“Sport will turn off the lights (on traditional broadcasters) if they leave,” he said. “They are King, Queen, and Joker … the Full Monty. Eighty per cent of the most watched programs in the US in 2024 were sports, and that was the year of an election. It was 95 per cent in 2023.”

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo also told the conference the global sports industry in 2024 had finally cracked the top 10 sectors generating $2.65 trillion. Life insurance headed the list at more than $5 trillion.

Originally published as David Nathanson sees NRL’s potential in US broadcast market