Optus confirmed its interest in the National Rugby League broadcast rights "in a move that increases pressure on Fox Sports to secure a deal for the remaining four matches per week," according to Brad Walter of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. After initially talking down the value of the pay-TV rights following the NRL's decision to sell four free-to-air games per week to Nine, News Corp. "is now back at the negotiating table with a radical proposal that includes a match each Friday at 6pm on Fox Sports." The "shock return" of Optus to the sports market "is believed to have sparked fears within News that the telco would buy the NRL rights and on-sell them to Fox Sports for a premium." Another possibility "is Optus again becomes a serious pay TV rival to Fox Sports and either broadcast matches through Fetch TV or seeks to have a channel on the Foxtel platform, which is operated by Telstra." It is unclear whether Optus would be willing to pay the estimated A$700M ($503M) the NRL is seeking for the five-year deal but a spokesperson said that the telecom "was interested in securing more premium content." The spokesperson said, "Content is key to Optus' strategy of delivering Australians with more entertainment. Our focus is on opportunities that make commercial sense, add value to the Optus brand, and help build a bigger, better mobile experience for our customers" (SMH, 11/19).
