Peter V’landys on NRL record television broadcast agreement and extending Las Vegas deal

The NRL will look to expand its international footprint in its bid to topple the AFL with a record TV rights deal. It comes as ARL boss Peter V’landys takes another savage swipe at the rival code.

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has returned from his American trip supercharged about securing the richest broadcast deal in NRL history and powering rugby league to the apex of Australian sport.

In a wide-ranging interview with this masthead, V’landys has revealed the NRL’s plan to extend its premiership kick-off in Las Vegas beyond the current five-year deal.

V’landys also took a swipe at the AFL, saying he likes “nothing” about the sport and boldly declared: “This poor cousin has become wealthy.”

He was equally bullish on the code’s next TV rights deal, saying the influence of News Corp chair Lachlan Murdoch would help the NRL flourish in America and open a fiscal gateway with US-based streaming giants.

The NRL is eyeing a $3 billion-plus bonanza on their next broadcast deal and V’landys’ venture to America was a key plank in delivering rivers of gold for a code that was on the verge of bankruptcy during the Covid crisis.

V’landys will ramp up negotiations with current rights holders Channel 9 and Foxtel, while streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon have emerged as fresh options during broadcast negotiations.

DAZN completed a $3.4 billion purchase of Foxtel in April and V’landys confirmed the world’s leading sports entertainment platform will be a major player in TV rights negotiations.

V’landys’ fact-finding mission not only included talks with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but a meeting with Murdoch, a self-confessed Brisbane Broncos tragic who is a key ally for the ARLC boss.

Fans pack in for the NRL quadruple-header at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Picture: Jonathan Ng

V’landys wants the NRL’s next broadcast deal, slated to begin from 2028, finalised this year and he lauded the support of Murdoch as the ARLC chair looks to leverage the power of the monster American market.

“Lachlan is one of the most underestimated guys I have ever met,” V’landys said.

“We met with Commissioner Roger Goodell of the NFL and that was a very positive meeting because we have so much in common.

“Both parties can assist each other, there are areas we can help them with and there’s areas they can help us with.

“That meeting was really positive, but I also met with Lachlan Murdoch.

“He has gone to another level in my view in management worldwide.

“But you would never know it speaking to him because he’s such a nice person.

“Sometimes it’s surreal when you meet people like him.

“Overall, for me, the little Greek kid from Wollongong, being in those offices, sometimes you pinch yourself and think, ‘Is this real or am I just dreaming this?’”

V’landys says Murdoch is a key figure in the NRL monetising the American market. The NRL has come under fire for its Las Vegas experiment, labelled by critics as nothing more than a gimmick after striking a five-year partnership with the Nevada government.

But V’landys says the NRL will not walk away from Vegas and is confident rugby league will still be thriving in Sin City for a decade or more.

“This is where Lachlan Murdoch is a massive help,” V’landys said.

“He can give us free-to-air (coverage) on Fox (in America).

“It’s going to be small steps, but there’s a massive gain if we can make it in America.

“You have got 330 million people in America. We’ve got 26 million people in Australia. There’s 40 million people alone in California, so we only need five per cent of the population to get engaged in rugby league and it will generate substantial revenues.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, that’s why it was always a five-year plan.”

Asked if the Vegas venture will go beyond five years, V’landys said: “Absolutely, that has even exceeded my expectations.

“Everyone loves Vegas. It’s just charismatic. We get Australia’s attention on these games.

“The first round was record viewership for the whole year. What that has done has given us momentum for the rest of the season. It was like a multiplier effect, once we got out of the gates there was no stopping us.

“I can’t see it not proceeding to being 10 years or 20 years because we are actually going to make a profit out of the venture.”

The NRL’s current TV rights deal, which expires in 2027, is worth around $2 billion. But V’landys has gone to the negotiating table armed with data that shows the NRL has dethroned fierce rivals the AFL as the most-watched code in Australia.

The NRL boasted 186.8 million viewers compared to the AFL’s 148.8m last year — prompting V’landys to take a swipe at a rival sport he believes is over-hyped.

Asked what he likes about the AFL, he said: “Nothing, zero.

“The one thing I don’t love about them is they always look down their noses at us in rugby league.

ARLC chairman Peter V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo at Allegiant Stadium.

“They always think that we are the poor cousin. All of a sudden this poor cousin has become wealthy and we have overtaken them in audience.

“They always just discarded us as being an inferior product, all of a sudden we are not.

“We have put a lot of work into making our game more entertaining. We have more ball in play than we have ever had. We are always underestimated.

“All of a sudden when you overtake them, they think maybe we should have paid more attention.”

The AFL’s TV rights deal is worth north of $4 billion, but V’landys says the ARL Commission is poised to deliver the most lucrative broadcast deal in rugby league’s 117-year history.

The NRL has been praised for its high-octane entertainment this season and V’landys said he was determined to kill off the wrestle to enhance the product for fans.

“We have worked very hard to get the product to where it is,” he said.

“We have made the game more entertaining for the fan.

“The problem with rugby league at the time (when he started) was we lived in our own little cocoon.

“We listened to our players, we listened to our coaches but we never listened to the main person, which is the fan. I wanted to listen to the fan and that’s exactly what we did, now we are reaping the benefits.

“The six-again (rule) has assisted the game because you need fatigue in the game and if you have fatigue you get the brilliant players coming to the fore.

“That is what is happening. The games are closer. Everyone has got used to the new rules now, it was going to take a bit of time for them to settle in, but the games are more exciting.

“Our ball in play is 60 minutes, rugby union is 30 minutes, NFL is 10 minutes.

“As a sport there is more entertainment in rugby league than in most sports.

“The one problem with rugby league when I came into it in my view was the wrestle. No fan liked the wrestle and we have nearly eradicated the wrestle because our ruck speed now is great.

“We measure that every week, that’s the KPI we look at in ensuring we get the entertainment for our fans.”

Originally published as Peter V’landys on NRL record television broadcast agreement and extending Las Vegas deal