Channel Nine Throws Weight Behind National Rugby League Fixture In China

The chances of the proposed Canberra-Manly rugby league game in China getting the green light "have been boosted by Channel Nine throwing its considerable weight behind the watershed fixture," according to Jon Tuxworth of the CANBERRA TIMES. Nine "has expressed strong interest" in broadcasting the first National Rugby League fixture outside of Australia and New Zealand next year. The free-to-air broadcaster's conditional backing "is a significant development as powerbrokers work feverishly to ratify the match." Raiders' major sponsor Huawei, a Chinese telecom company, "is keen to know if the game is going ahead." It "was initially hoped the fixture, which would be held in Shenzhen, would be a stand-alone season opener, but officials are now targeting April or early May" (CANBERRA TIMES, 10/22).