MELBOURNE, July 7 (Reuters) - The National Rugby League (NRL) announced a A$5.3 billion ($3.68 billion) agreement with Nine Entertainment, Foxtel and Sky NZ on Tuesday in the biggest media rights deal in Australian sporting history.
The seven-year deal from 2028-2034 is a major hike on the previous five-year agreement with the same broadcast partners, which is worth about A$2 billion.
"The deal future-proofs the game for everybody," NRL boss Peter V'landys told a press conference.
"For the next 20 to 50 years ... it gives us the platform to not only grow the game here in Australia, but globally."
It also leaves the rival Australian Football League's (AFL) A$4.5 billion deal with Seven Network and Foxtel in the shade.
That 2025-2031 agreement was previously Australia's largest for sport media rights.
The NRL and AFL are by far the country's most popular winter sports and compete fiercely for fans, talent and broadcast dollars.
The AFL, the top flight of Australian rules football, is hugely popular in the nation's southern states but the NRL dominates the populous eastern states of New South Wales and Queensland, while boasting a New Zealand presence with the Auckland-based Warriors.
V'landys had made no secret of his determination to trump the AFL's media deal, aided by an aggressive expansion push.
The Dolphins' entry in 2023 gave the NRL a second team in the key market of Brisbane and new franchises in Perth next year and Papua New Guinea in 2028 will see the league grow to 19 teams.
V'landys said the NRL had given an undertaking to Foxtel owner DAZN that it would be looking at a 20th team in 2029.
"It could be in New Zealand, it could be in Queensland," he said.
The deal gives Nine free-to-air rights for three games a week and exclusive rights to the annual State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland.
Pay TV provider Foxtel has rights to all NRL matches barring the season-ending Grand Final, and is expected to pay around A$520 million annually, nearly double the amount under the current deal, local media reported.
($1 = 1.4420 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Jamie Freed)
