Peter V'Landys, the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, has indicated that the upcoming NRL TV deal will prioritize fan considerations over total financial value.
During a press conference, it was announced that CEO Andrew Abdo would be departing from the NRL in mid-July. V'Landys expressed a desire to finalize the TV deal before Abdo's exit.
"Andrew's contribution will be extraordinary. That's why I'm hoping it will all be done before Andrew leaves," V'Landys stated regarding the TV agreement, as Abdo prepares to transition to Tennis Australia.
"As I said, we have presentations tomorrow on broadcast, and that's very exciting because the game is in a great position. I've never seen so much interest in getting the broadcast rights," he continued.
Discussions surrounding the true worth of the NRL's next television rights have intensified, with some suggesting they might be divided among various platforms and certain events like the finals series and State of Origin sold separately.
V'Landys, however, hinted that such fragmentation may not happen, emphasizing decisions would focus on the interests of fans.
"As I've said all along, it's not about the money, it's about making sure the fans can afford the subscription. We aren't going to make the cost prohibitive," he asserted.
"The greatest negotiation isn't how much we get, it's how much is going to be charged back to the fan. Any person, any broadcaster will naturally want to recoup what they want to invest in the broadcast because they aren't there to make a loss, they are there to make a profit."
"The last thing we want to see is that the cost becomes prohibitive, so that's going to be the hardest part of the negotiation," V'Landys concluded.