The Rugby Australia (RA) governing body has made a move to secure its long-term future, agreeing a renewed domestic broadcast partnership with the country’s free-to-air Nine Network.
Starting in 2026, the new deal will run through 2030, covering men’s and women’s national team fixtures, and will see Rugby Australia through the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup, both of which are set to be hosted in Australia.
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Every home test fixture from the men's and women's teams, as well as the entirety of the annual Bledisloe Cup will be aired on both Nine’s linear free-to-air (FTA) network, and its Stan Sport OTT platform.
Additionally, the Super Rugby Pacific men's and Super Rugby Women's fixtures will continue to be aired on the platform, a boon for the competition that has experienced significant financial turmoil in recent years.
The deal is reportedly worth in the region of A$210 million (US$129 million) to A$215 million, with reports suggesting additional incentives could bring the rights fees paid up to A$240 million depending on the on-field performance of the national teams.
That fee is a major uplift on the current A$150 million Nine currently pays for the rights, after picking them up on a cut-price deal in 2020 after the end of Rugby Australia’s broadcast partnership with rival Foxtel, and the body’s failure to agree a deal with Optus Sport amid the struggles of the pandemic.
Nine claims it has grown audiences over its tenure, citing 17% linear TV growth in audiences and 11% Stan Sport viewership growth year on year.
Speaking on the new partnership, Nine chief executive Matt Stanton said: "We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Rugby Australia at a time when live sport continues to demonstrate its ability to drive strong growth across streaming and free-to-air audiences."
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh added: "The continuation of this partnership is a significant step forward for rugby in Australia. Working with Nine and Stan Sport, we have been able to deliver exceptional coverage to our fans while continuing to invest in the growth of the game."
Although the club rugby situation in Australia remains fraught (RA was forced to take control of the beleaguered Melbourne Rebels side after it collapsed into administration in 2024), this new broadcast partnership could pave the way for a recovery of sorts given its strong value uptick.
Rugby Australia has consistently struggled to break even in recent years and across the 2023 calendar year, Rugby Australia posted a deficit of A$9.2 million, a figure that the body claims was driven by the France 2023 Rugby World Cup, which it says caused lower gate revenue and grew costs.
In addition to the new deal, 2025 may see the body start to find its footing, with the upcoming British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia set to be a major revenue-driving event for the country ahead of the two World Cups it will host.
