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Super League: NRL circles for takeover

NRL dangle financial carrot to clubs for control of Super League

NRL dangle financial carrot to clubs for control of Super League – Total Rugby League

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LEAGUE EXPRESS understands that the NRL has suggested to the RFL that it would be prepared to raise the Super League clubs’ income from its current level of £1.3 million per club to £2.1 million per club if it is given a controlling stake in the competition.

The NRL is looking to agree a wide-ranging deal with the DAZN that would incorporate all rights to broadcast and stream major Rugby League competitions throughout the world and that to agree such a deal would mean that the 2026 season would almost certainly be the last season that Super League would be broadcast by Sky Sports.

RL Commercial has already held talks with DAZN about entering the running for Super League broadcast rights although those talks are not thought to have progressed to detailed discussions about the financial return to the RFL and the clubs.

Sky have held a monopoly on Super League broadcast rights since its creation in 1996, but the value of the partnership has dwindled in recent years, with the current deal of £21.5 million a year a fall from £40 million in an earlier rights cycle.

That’s despite every game being available for broadcast for the first time under this contract, albeit with the production costs covered by Sky themselves.

The danger for Super League if it agreed an individual deal with DAZN is that it would be cutting its links with Sky and there would almost certainly be no way back in the event that an agreement with DAZN was unsuccessful.

However, some clubs may be prepared to pull away from Sky if they are doing so under the shelter of the NRL, especially if the Australian governing body is prepared to guarantee more money going to the clubs.

League Express understands that further discussions are likely to be scheduled at some point after the end of the international season.
 
NRL on verge of sealing $57 million rescue deal to save English Super League

In one of the most important deals in international rugby league history, the NRL is closing in on joining forces with the English Super League to rescue it from the ongoing threat of bankruptcy.

The NRL is on the verge of sealing a $57 million rescue package to save Super League.

This masthead can reveal ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys will hold a phone hook-up with English bosses on Thursday night with a view to clinching one of the most important deals in international rugby league history.

The NRL has explored the prospect of investing in Super League for the past two years amid concerns for the long-term future of an English game that has fought to stave off bankruptcy.

Now the NRL is closing in on joining forces with Super League.

In a landmark deal, England’s Rugby League Commercial (RLC) is set to accept the NRL’s offer, worth an estimated total of $57 million over five years, after more than a year of high-powered negotiations.

It represents the NRL first significant expansion drive into the northern hemisphere under V’landys’ bold plan to make rugby league a world game.

Well-placed sources say at least 10 of Super League’s 14 clubs are supportive of the NRL’s financial package with several influential English bosses urging the RFL to accept the deal.

In an interview with this masthead last month, V’landys revealed Super League talks were on a knife’s edge, but said it was critical for rugby league to have a presence in the northern hemisphere.

“We’re a firm believer in having a strong game in England and we’re a firm believer in the international game,” he said.

“You can’t have an international game without England.

“At the moment, it’s got its challenges, but rugby league has to be strong in England.

“We’re doing everything we can to see how we can assist in the future.”

The original offer from the NRL - made last month - was valued at around $11.5 million a year over a five-year period.

In return, the NRL would take a 10 percent share of Super League each year until they eventually owned 50 percent of the European game.

The offer was rejected by Super League clubs. However, talks have been ongoing in the weeks since and they are poised to reach a crescendo this week with the future of Super League at stake.

Super League clubs have been struggling to keep their heads above water in recent seasons, leaving them reliant on the largesse of their wealthy owners.

Wakefield Trinity were the latest club to report mammoth losses in a sign of the challenges confronting Super League clubs.

Trinity have been one of the better run clubs in England, even posting profits on occasion in recent years under the ownership of Matt Ellis and his family.

However, their parent company - Spirit of 1873 - posted a loss of £1,409,163 ($2.65 million) for 2025.

Nearly every club Super League club runs at a loss as they endure shrinking broadcast revenue and increasing financial strain.

The NRL, on the other hand, is entering a golden age thanks to a $5.3 billion broadcast deal masterminded by V’landys.

V’landys and the clubs are happy to spend some of that money to help propping up the European game as they look to take the fight to rugby union and help globalise the game.

They need the Super League clubs on board and the hope is that a deal can be finalised this week that will unify the southern and northern hemispheres.

Before his departure as NRL CEO in July, V’landys’ right-hand man Andrew Abdo led a fact-finding mission to England and made it clear Super League could not die.

“We really believe in the globalisation of rugby league,” Abdo said during his trip to the UK.

“This is a great game, and we want to take it to as many people as possible. We want to win as many fans as possible.

“So while the game is growing really well in the southern hemisphere, we also want the game to be strong here in the north.

“This is about a partnership where we can collaborate on how we can grow the game, how we can grow revenues, and how those revenues can be pumped back into the game.

“That’s pretty nuanced, and that’s something we have to develop together.”
 
If it is close to a deal, I think they should announce the partnership/takeover during the World Cup. When all eyes and ears are on international footy and the presence of the English side. I think it's important to not waste time trying to establish those real links in the minds of fans.
 
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