NRL boss warns Channel Nine and Foxtel he will AXE their rights to show the footy

NRL boss Peter V'landys has warned Foxtel and Nine the league will sell TV rights to a rival network if they team up to try to drive the price down in negotiations for the next broadcast deal.

Nine and Foxtel currently have a $1.7billion, five-year rights deal that will expire in 2027.

The NRL intends to start negotiations for the new deal once footy's Ashes Test series finishes in November, and V'landys is adamant he won't put up with a joint bid from Nine and Foxtel.

'If they collude, it will be at their peril,' V'landys told the AFR.

'We will take the rights elsewhere. If they think they can behave as monopolists, they will be in for a shock.'

V'landys says the new deal will be even bigger than the last one.

'The deal will be record-breaking because we built the game up and doubled our audience,' V'landys said.

The NRL is in a much stronger financial position than it was when the last deal was signed.

'Our strategy of waiting is the right one,' V'landys said. 

'The NRL is in a premium position right now.'

 V'landys said free-to-air television needs sport more than ever.

'Paramount, Amazon, and Netflix have taken content away from free-to-air.

'If you think about free-to-air, it's all news, sport, and reality TV. It needs sport for the future of the business.'

Coverage of the NRL grand final this weekend could exceed the audience for the AFL decider for the first time in 10 years.

The AFL grand final had audience of 4.18 million on Seven last weekend - beating out Nine's State of Origin coverage to become the most watched-program of the year.

However, the number of viewers watching the NRL’s preliminary finals last week was up 35 per cent on 2024's mark.

The last time the NRL decider attracted more viewers than the AFL grand final was when the Cowboys played the Broncos in 2015.