NRL expansion: Game to entertain idea of Monday Night Football return to accomodate 18th team

NRL fans could be treated to five nights of rugby league action with the introduction of the competition’s 18th team, on the back of the Dolphins becoming the game’s ratings gold mine.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo. Picture: Matt King/Getty

The introduction of an 18th team could deliver a smorgasbord of rugby league for fans with the NRL to ‘consider’ having five nights of football on television screens.

It means a return to Monday Night Football could be on the cards.

The NRL is pushing forward with expansion following the success of the Dolphins, which has helped the game tap into a market.

News Corp recently revealed high-level talks for a 20-team competition over the next decade, starting with an 18th team as soon as 2027.

A new team, likely to be the Pasifika or Papua New Guinea franchise, will take the draw to nine games a week.

With the TV schedule between Thursday and Saturday full, the other viable options would be to play a third Sunday game or reintroduce Monday Night Football.

“We would have to carefully consider it,” Abdo told News Corp.

“Having the nine fixtures is a great thing, it’s more football for fans, more games. When it would be played, obviously, that would be a very strategic consideration. There is a whole range of factors that need to be considered.”

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the NRL would consider the return to Monday Night Football as part of the business case for the 18th team. Picture: Matt King/Getty

Fox Sports Executive Director Steve Crawley said the pay TV broadcaster would keep an open mind about having NRL played five days a week.

“We want to be a partner to the NRL and we’ll always have an open mind when it comes to that decision and what they would want to do. We very much supported the introduction of the Dolphins,” Crawley said.

Both Abdo and Crawley conceded a return to Monday Night Football would pose a challenge for the draw, with the game committed to reducing the number of five-day turnarounds.

“The draw is really complex, you would have to carefully look through the nuances of five day turnarounds. But we would want to engage with our fans about what timeslot would be optimal for them. And that will be done in all the work that is ahead of us,” Abdo said.

Crawley said the ninth game would be more feasible on a Sunday.

“You could definitely go to three games on a Sunday. If you can have a 2pm and 4pm game, you can have one at 6pm. There is a hole there,” Crawley said.

The draw currently consists of a Thursday night game, two Friday night games, three games on Saturday and two games on Sunday.

Monday night games were scrapped in season 2017, replaced by a second fixture on Friday night, after it struggled to attract live crowds.

But attendance hit record levels this season and is up just over 30 per cent in the opening rounds, compared to the same period in 2022.

NRL fans are also tuning in at record numbers to watch the game, strengthening the case for an added night of coverage.

The opening round of 2023 delivered a 17 per cent year-on-year increase in ratings for the Foxtel Group.

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delaney with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and Fox Sports Executive Director Steve Crawley. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Dolphins attracted 1.188 million viewers in their opening two matches.

Abdo told News Corp the newest franchise, and the new timeslot, would be determined by the business case that would create the greatest number of new fans and eyeballs to the game.

“We’ve been incredibly excited about the response of fans for the game. But it hasn’t been just this season, but in the last few years. This season is also the highest live attendance that we’ve had in over a decade. But have also had incredible growth in ratings on all platforms,” Abdo said.

“The fans are really supporting us, and supporting all clubs. We’ve had a number of really exciting close games, low margins in games and thrilling golden point games.”

The NRL’s current broadcast deal runs until the end of season 2027.

TV industry experts believe an 18th team would be worth between $20 million-$75 million per season in broadcast dollars.

Originally published as NRL expansion: Game to entertain idea of Monday Night Football return to accomodate 18th team