BY JOHN DAVIDSON

Exclusive: The Super League clubs are targeting DAZN as a broadcaster for the competition when the current television rights deal expires at the end of 2026.

In December DAZN announced the acquisition of Australian pay TV network Foxtel for US $2.2 billion. Foxtel holds the rights to the NRL, which is the highest-rating sport on subscription television down under.

This acquisition has piqued the interest of Super League, rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads understands, who is keen to increase the value of its own broadcasting rights. The current deal with Sky is worth just £21.5 million a season.

It is believed DAZN has said in the past that they are interested in rights to Super League, and in potentially doing a global deal for them.

It is understood the Super League clubs are exploring this opportunity and have already met to discuss a potential partnership with DAZN. The NRL’s TV deal is up at the end of 2026 and the competition is seeking a multi-billion deal, which could see games shown on Amazon or Netflix.

One Super League club owner has already spoken openly about ditching Sky and setting up its own streaming service.

All Super League clubs lost money last year, with a reduced TV deal hitting UK rugby league, including the Championship and League 1 clubs, as well as the RFL, hard.

DAZN was originally founded in 2007 in the UK and is headquartered in London. It broadcasts sport in more than 200 different countries and as of 2023 had 20 million paid subscribers globally.

DAZN’s portfolio includes extensive football rights and rights to the UFC, NFL, golf, cricket, boxing, basketball and more.

Sky has been the primary broadcaster of Super League since the competition began in 1996.