Abdo eyes NRLW as standalone product in next TV rights talks | dan_walsh64
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has flagged potential for an expanded NRLW competition to be sold as a separate entity in the next broadcast rights cycle in the hope the women’s game can stand on its own feet financially by 2028.was doubled down with Abdo “pretty confident we’re going to be announcing a further expanded competition in 2024.”Industry sources have indicated that running an NRLW program, including feeder sides and pathways programs, can cost a club upwards of $1 million a year.
One NRLW CEO indicated that overall costs would see clubs emerge with “not much change from half a million” after the NRL grant. Negotiations around the next free-to-air and subscription television deals are likely to be broached in the next few years given both Nine, publishers of this masthead, and Foxtel are locked in as broadcasters until 2027.While several players and coaches have expressed concerns over talent depth as the women’s game rapidly expands, Abdo is hopeful the NRLW is a significant bargaining chip in its own right in five years’ time.
“In the meantime, outside of TV deals and those cycles, we’ll work with corporates and sponsors to increase those streams and the clubs are the same.