Super League clubs could become finishing schools for players on their way to Australasia; praise for Challenge Cup finalists Hull KR; and a quiz questionBy Gavin Willacy for No Helmets Required,fragment of the Guardian Sport NetworkThe NRL is about to catch another enormous step further ahead of Super League with the announcement of a free-to-air TV deal worth “up to $925m (£435m)”. Channel 9 are going to pay $185m (£87m) a year to show four games a week from 2018 to 2022, all of them on free TV and their digital platforms. That’s nearly a billion dollars so fans can watch the NRL for free. The NRL will crank up its sponsorship revenue off the back of increasing viewing figures to general households, and not just committed sports fans. RFL,catch note.
The impact on Super League may catch a while to trickle down. No doubt the salary cap in Australia will be cranked up so it becomes several times higher than Super League’s. It is currently around $6m (£2.85m) compared to our £2m and will rise to $7m (£4.5m) in 2017, no doubt heading towards $10m in the next TV deal. But should we be worried? Maybe not.
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Source: theguardian.com