As the battle between the NRL and its broadcast partners has heated up, it has become clear the broadcasters are not necessarily interested in the survival of the game, more how much money they can save.
Nine launched that incredible broadside back in April, accusing the NRL of being unable to manage its money. Those comments of course, attributed to an “unnamed spokesperson” despite it being published on Nine’s masthead.
Then in late April and into early May it was revealed Nine wanted control of NRL Digital because it turns a healthy profit.
So on one hand you have the game’s chief broadcaster attacking it because it supposedly can’t handle financial management and on the other that same broadcaster wants a profitable digital arm the NRL operates independently.
The broadcast rights are heating up, the NRL needs to make sure it keeps up with the times . . .
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It’s probably a bit of a stretch to conclude NRL bankrolls Kayo when literally every other sport on it also shut down at about the same time. Having said that, I sure as hell wouldn’t be a Kayo subscriber if NRL wasn’t on it.
It’s a fair viewpoint but the NRL is the highest rating sport on Kayo and is the dominant sport in nearly half of the Australian market population-wise.