Nine's National Rugby League Deal Allows It To On-Sell Games To Rivals

Nine's five-year free-to-air and digital contract to screen key NRL games, "which stunned rivals when it was unveiled last Monday, is structured to allow the free-to-air broadcaster to on-sell games to rivals if it chooses," according to White & Stensholt of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The move "could ultimately mean that Nine ends up with one or some AFL games in return for selling some NRL games to Seven," or even the "struggling" Ten Network Holdings. Nine, which bought the Nine stations in Perth and Adelaide two years ago as part of a deal under which it paid A$450M over five years for cricket rights, "could be in the market for rights to live AFL matches featuring the teams from those two cities." Under one possible scenario, Nine could effectively "exchange" rights for an NRL game with Seven, which could "then take on one of the four Nine has paid for." It "is probable Nine would consider the Saturday night game, which is the least-highest-rating of the NRL games it has bought rights for" (SMH, 8/17).