Add-ons set to take NRL rights price up to $1.25b
THE ARL Commission is tipped to match the AFL's $1.25 billion media rights deal once it completes a broadcast agreement in New Zealand and sells the online and mobile rights.
The Herald has been told those deals may include a ''season-pass'' arrangement similar to the deal announced yesterday by the National Basketball League that will enable fans to subscribe to matches on a new website.
Other sports, including NBA, NFL, MLB and the AFL, sell similar packages to allow fans to watch either their team or all matches online.
''Watch this space, because I think that is a real opportunity going forward,'' a source close the negotiations said. ''That is where this deal could be even better than it already looks. There is actually a fair bit to go.''
Advertisement The broadcast deal announced last week was worth $1.025 billion, with Channel Nine contributing $475 million for three free-to-air matches per week and Fox Sports paying $550 million for five games on pay TV. Fox Sports is also able to offer Foxtel subscribers the ability to watch games on personal computers, mobile phones and tablets.
However, the ARL Commission is negotiating to sell the online and mobile rights with a number of companies, including Telstra, which paid the AFL $153 million for those rights.
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