NRL Comfortable In Deal With Debt-Ridden Nine Network

The National Rugby League remains confident that its A$1.02B ($1.06B) broadcast rights deal will be honored "regardless of the outcome of talks between the Nine Network and its creditors," according to Stuart Honeysett of THE AUSTRALIAN. Nine had warned its creditors that its "lucrative" sports contracts, particularly the recent five-year deal negotiated with the NRL, "would be at risk if they placed the network into receivership." NRL Interim CEO Shane Mattiske said, "We've got a contract with Channel Nine, and it's a binding contract, so we're comfortable with our relationship. We know how important we are to Nine, and clearly that will be understood by all the parties involved behind the scenes at Nine as well" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/26).