Channel Nine CEO David Gyngell Wants NRL To Bring Second Team To Brisbane

The man who negotiated the National Rugby League's record A$1B ($937M) TV deal, Channel Nine CEO David Gyngell, "has thrown his considerable weight behind the NRL having a second team in Brisbane," according to Wilson, Massoud & Hooper of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Despite predictable denials out of NRL headquarters on Wednesday, NRL powerbrokers "have held talks about the possibility of moving the Cronulla Sharks to Queensland" in '15. One hugely-influential figure in rugby league "who welcomed the narrative about a second NRL team north of the border was Channel Nine heavyweight Gyngell," who successfully outbid rival networks to win the NRL's five-year A$1B broadcast rights deal. Gyngell said, "I am 100 percent in favor of a second team in Brisbane. I support any moves the NRL makes on this because we have been pushing for it now for several years. It does nobody any favors only having the Broncos in Brisbane" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/26).