Nine Network ‘exploiting’ coronavirus crisis to bully NRL

Act of God clause invoked by NRL with sponsors and broadcaster as Warriors seek clarity on game’s return.

New Zealand Warriors have requested more details before committing to returning to Australia. Picture: Getty Images

The NRL’s tense negotiations with the Nine Network have taken on added importance after Warriors players asked for some clarity around whether they would be properly compensated for leaving their families behind to help restart the competition.

Warriors players held talks on Friday morning and their chief executive Cameron George later contacted the NRL with a series of questions that were raised during those discussions.

It came amid further fallout from the Nine Network’s astonishing attack on rugby league’s administration, a missive that has placed chief executive Todd Greenberg firmly back in the crosshairs.

One club chair, speaking on the condition of anonymity, on Friday responded with an attack of his own aimed at Nine.

“At the end of the day they are seeking to exploit a public health crisis for the commercial benefit of a massive co-operation and they are bullying a not-for-profit sports organisation that employs thousands upon thousands of people,’’ the chair said.

“This is not Todd’s fault. He didn’t start coronavirus. Todd is not on trial here. All they are trying to do is bleed the game of cash so we are forced to their knees and have to renegotiate.

“What happens if the clubs, the states, the players and the NRL are all unified and say, ‘OK mate, guess what, we are going to call for a nationwide boycott of your business by our fans?’ ”

It is understood the NRL has notified its broadcast and sponsorship partners that the coronavirus has left it with no choice but to enact the Act of God clause in contracts — a means to protect the sanctity of those deals during a time of crisis.

There were suggestions late on Friday that the Nine Network rejected claims recent events were an Act of God. Under the terms of the deal between the NRL and its partners, it is believed both parties are required to mitigate the damage suffered by the other.

That means sitting down and working out a new deal for the remainder of this season, testing the network’s commitment to the game. In recent days, there has been speculation that the Nine Network would prefer that the premiership did not return this year, those claims fuelled by the network’s decision to inform the stock exchange that it would save $130 million if rugby league did not return in 2020. But the likelihood is that the competition will be played over a further 13 rounds of the regular season — 15 in total before finals and the grand final — although the NRL has kept the prospect alive of playing the entire season and running into December.

The Nine Network pays about $110 million a year for the broadcast rights — about 20 per cent of the game’s total revenue — a figure that will likely be significantly reduced as part of the renegotiation.

The NRL will also need to renegotiate the terms of its deal with Foxtel, which pay upwards of $200 million a year. The ugly stoush between Nine and the NRL is in stark contrast to the seemingly civil dealings between the AFL and its commercial broadcaster, the Seven Network.

“The only thing that keeps them in a job is ratings,” the chair said.

“The number one, two, three and four highest rating programs on the network are (State of) Origin — one, two and three — and the NRL grand final.

“The only way they have a foothold in the national ratings is the NRL. They are hoping that by withholding money, the NRL gets done over and they can screw them over.

“That is a partner of the game?”

Meanwhile, the Warriors will await further feedback from the NRL before they commit to returning to Australian shores.

The club’s leadership group met on Friday morning and discussed the prospect of the competition resuming on May 28 — they would need to be in Sydney by late-April in order for that to happen.

“There are a significant amount of questions that have been raised by the playing group around what the competition looks like,” George said.

“The medical issue is a concern. They are not saying we don’t want to. They are saying we would love to. But we need to understand what this is all about. In their world they can’t see anyone else in any industry being asked to do what they have been asked to do, and leave next week when there is no answer to these key questions.’’