Source : THE AGE NEWS
The NRL is keeping a close eye on a breakdown in relations between pay TV provider Foxtel’s new owner – DAZN – and France’s top football competition as it gets ready to seek its own multibillion-dollar broadcast rights deal.
DAZN, which took control of Foxtel this month, is locked in a dispute with France’s top-flight football league after a majority of clubs voted to prematurely terminate the league’s broadcast contract with the UK-based sports streamer.
The stoush is being closely watched by top NRL executives, a senior NRL source with direct knowledge of the matter, who did not wish to comment on the record, said.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo (left) and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys.Credit: Dean Sewell
The NRL will now take its next rights package to market, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’Landys confirmed on Sunday, after approving last week an expansion bid in principle to include an 18th team, in Perth.
While the dispute between DAZN and France’s premier football league does not directly affect Foxtel, it has put the NRL on notice as it looks to vastly increase the value of its own media rights deal this year to apply from 2028 onwards.
The NRL’s top executives, V’Landys and league chief executive Andrew Abdo have sought to position the NRL as the larger and more valuable competition compared with the AFL.
It took representatives from several Australian media companies, including Nine, News Corp and Seven, to its season launch in Las Vegas in March.
The Panthers celebrate in Las Vegas in March.Credit: Getty Images
The AFL’s contract, renegotiated in 2022 with Foxtel and Seven, is much more lucrative than the NRL’s. However, V’Landys has been upfront about seeking to bridge the revenue gap.
V’Landys and Abdo have said they expect the world’s largest streamers to show interest in the rights, arguing they control the most valuable product in the market, in the hope of promoting a cross-market bidding war.
This masthead does not suggest Foxtel is considering a review of its current contracts with the NRL, AFL or any other sporting body.
Current NRL rights holders Foxtel and Nine are expected to be the key players in the next set of negotiations. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, two of the largest streamers in the market are not considering a bid, a source with knowledge of the process but not authorised to speak publicly said. Netflix and Amazon declined to comment.
While Foxtel remains a profitable business, its new parent company has faced scrutiny over its financial sustainability following several years of successive losses as it continues to expand globally. It posted a loss of close to $2.5 billion in 2023.
DAZN’s majority owner, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, has invested more than $10 billion in the business over the past decade. The Saudi Public Investment Fund’s SURJ Sports Investment took a minority stake in DAZN this year.
DAZN is backed by British-Ukrainian billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik.Credit: Getty Images
Ligue 1 is one of Europe’s largest domestic competitions and includes the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille.
The €1.6 billion ($2.84 billion) rights agreement between it and DAZN is in doubt less than a year into the four-year deal.
DAZN has alleged the league fraudulently misrepresented the value of the competition in its negotiations, claiming its losses have so far amounted to €200 million to €300 million. It said it would not respect the contract because of the losses and the league’s failure to bring in subscribers, according to The Financial Times.
Four months of discussion and six weeks of mediation failed to bridge the gap between the outcomes the two parties sought, a DAZN spokesperson said.
“It has therefore not been possible – at this stage – to reach an agreement for an amicable resolution of the situation,” they said.
The NRL would not agree to subscriber or revenue targets with any potential broadcast partner as part of its next contract, this masthead was told.
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