NRL happy with billion dollar broadcast deal signed with Nine and Fox Sports

IT WAS the day rugby league evolved from footy code to financial super-power.

IT WAS the day rugby league evolved from footy code to financial super-power.

The ARL Commission yesterday announced a five-year broadcasting agreement with Nine and Fox Sports worth $1.025 billion - and with digital assets, the New Zealand television and Australian radio rights still up for grabs, that figure is set to swell further.

The players are happy, so too the officials and network heavyweights who negotiated the deal, but fans yesterday targeted the much-maligned delayed Sunday afternoon match for criticism.

Only one of Nine's three matches - Friday night - will be broadcast live, although Nine has an open mind on a 4pm Sunday kickoff.

Rival bidders Seven and Ten were stunned at the ARLC's choice, with Ten insiders believing their bid, which included four free-to-air live matches was strong enough to knock out the incumbents.

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Nine boss David Gyngell defended the Sunday afternoon match strongly, given it leads into the 6pm news and allows the network to sell more ads than a live fixture does.

"We have paid enough money to play games in prime time, don't you think," he said. "A lot of people like to be out with their families and get home at 4pm. That games works well for families and viewers."

Gyngell was adamant he wouldn't interfere with the integrity of the live game - enforced stoppages - to create ad spots.

Fox Sports will also show 13 Sunday evening matches with a 6.30pm start, creating another double header opportunity to carry on from the network's "Super Saturday".

The $1.025 billion windfall is a stunning deal for rugby league - more than double the figure commanded in the last broadcast deal in 2005 - and one that ensures parity with the AFL as the nation's preeminent sporting code.

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"As a television executive, they've struck a better deal in total than the AFL," Gyngell said. "No doubt about it. At the same time we have rights to make it worthwhile to us. It's part of our DNA. It's like news and a current affairs."

Fox Sports chief executive Patrick Delany added: "I can't say I'm not relieved to win the rights."

The current era's first $1m a season players won't be too far away with the salary cap set to climb to $5.5m a season next year, while Origin payments will also climb.

Wests Tigers' Robbie Farah said it boded well for the code's future, at all levels.

"Hopefully now the game has set itself up for the next five years and not just the players, but the club," he said.

"When we talk about players getting a fair share it's not just about the salary cap going up. We want to get minimum wage up, income protection insurance and things like that for players that get injured."

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Nine will continue covering three games each round - two Friday night and one Sunday afternoon - with Fox Sports to broadcast the remaining five matches.

Gyngell and the NRL have agreed to push back the NRL grand final from 5.15pm to 7.15pm from next season.

The key points from yesterday's announcement were:

FIXED scheduling for the first 20 rounds of the season, with the final six rounds to be announced before round 16.

FOX Sports will also out the mobile technology that earned high praise during the Olympics, ensuring fans can stream its five matches to tablets and mobile phones.

NINE and Fox Sports to pay $925m in cash - $90m before the start of next season - with the remaining $100m coming in advertising packages.

NINE to broadcast Origin games on Wednesday nights.

ALL Nine games to be shown in HD from 2014 plus a guarantee all matches will be telecast on either the primary or digital station in each state.

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NRL commissioners and TV executives negotiated all night to seal the deal. The deal also all but rules out expansion for the next five years. Crucially, Nine and Fox waived their "first and last" rights over the next broadcast bid, while News Limited (publisher of The Daily Telegraph agreed to waive similar rights that ran to 2027.

"Today we answer the $1 billion question with a $1 billion plus answer," said ARL Commission chairman John Grant. "There is no doubt that this ranks, in this country, as one of greatest deals ever. For our game, it's the greatest deal ever done."

Grant paid tribute to interim chief executive Shane Mattiske during the negotiations along with sub-committee commissioners Ian Elliot, Jeremy Sutcliffe and Gary Pemberton and News boss Kim Williams.