When the broadcasting rights for the National Rugby League (NRL) come up for grabs, its like watching starving piranhas fight over the last morsel of meat.
Rumours of Nine, Stan Sport, Foxtel and Southern Cross Media (owner of Seven Network, Paramount and Network Ten) all threw their hat in the ring to be considered the next broadcaster of sport, which holds an eye-watering record net asset worth of $387.3 million.
So now that the deal is finalised, who came out on top and what does it all mean?
Who now has the NRL broadcasting rights?
After slamming $5.3 billion down on the table, Nine Entertainment and Foxtel have maintained the broadcast rights to the NRL and NRLW between 2028 and 2034.
What does this mean for NRL?
For Australian viewers
Foxtel will broadcast every regular series and finals match live via both Kayo Sports and Foxtel. This also includes exclusive rights to Saturday matches.
The State of Origin series and the NRL Grand Final will continue to air exclusively live on Nine.
This deal also means Nine will have free-to-air and free streaming rights to three live NRL matches each week as well as the NRL Finals Series, and Men’s Test Matches played in Australia.
For New Zealand viewers
Since the NRL has a New Zealand team, the deal also includes Sky NZ. Not only will Sky NZ keep its NZ rights, but it plans to expand its offering by broadcasting more than 130 matches via its free-to-air platforms as well.
What does this mean for NRLW?
In the new deal, 33 live NRLW matches, the NRLW Final Series, the NRLW Grand Final and Women’s Test Matches played in Australia will all be broadcast via Nine.
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Is your internet connection fast enough for streaming?
Find out what your current internet plan can handle - and if you could be saving money.What is Kayo Sports?
Kayo Sports is Foxtel's way of having its own sports-only streaming service. It has a huge collection of sports-themed content, even aside from the usual AFL, NRL, Rugby Union, Cricket and Soccer matches. It has bowling, competitive pool, lacrosse, eSports and even lawn mower racing! If there's a sport you're into, chances are Kayo is streaming it.
How does Kayo Sport compare?
Compared to other Pay TV services, Kayo Sports isn't the most affordable one on the market. But what you're paying for is a huge selection of sporting content, some often with exclusive streaming rights.
It also boasts a bunch of clever features that only enhance the overall viewing experience. This includes an intuitive 'No Spoilers' function, which censors match scores and key moments upon sign-in and browsing throughout the app. Or if you think you're too late to the party and can't be bothered watching the whole thing, simply skip the match altogether and easily catch up on the 'Key Moments'.
Its 'SplitView' function means you can watch multiple games simultaneously on one screen, plus enjoy no ad breaks during play.
Compare Kayo Sports' pricing to other popular streaming services below:
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Paramount+
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Prime Video
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Disney+
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Stan
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Link not supplied
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Binge
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beIN Sports Monthly Plan
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Link not supplied
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DAZN
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Apple TV
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Kayo Sports 
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Foxtel Now
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Editor's Pick: Great NBN 100 plans for streaming
In addition to signing up for a subscription to Kayo Sports, you'll also need a reliable NBN plan. If you already have one that covers all your needs like online gaming, scrolling socials and downloading movies and TV shows, you shouldn't have any issues watching every millisecond of the big race.
But if you think you'll need something a little speedier, you may want to upgrade to a high-speed NBN plan. Check out our top NBN 100 plans, which cater to Kayo Sports' streaming requirements:
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#1
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iiNet
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
nbn Home Fast Liimitless
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
Min. cost $79.99
Link not supplied
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#2
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Superloop
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
Family nbn100/20
$74/mth
Min. cost $74
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#3
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TPG
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
nbn Home Fast Unlimited Plan
$74.99/mth
Min. cost $74.99
Link not supplied
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#4
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Aussie Broadband
nbn® Fixed Wireless Plus Unlimited
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
Link not supplied
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#5
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Optus
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
Optus Fast nbn®
$84/mth
Min. cost $84
Link not supplied
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Is Kayo Sports compatible with my device?
Do you have a Chromecast or Amazon Fire stick and you're curious if Kayo Sports is compatible? Check out our handy table below to see which streaming devices work with Kayo Sports.
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| Apple TV (2015+) | * | ||||||||||||
| Fetch TV | |||||||||||||
| Chromecast | ** | *** | |||||||||||
| Hubbl | |||||||||||||
| Amazon Fire devices | |||||||||||||
| PlayStation 4 | |||||||||||||
| PlayStation 5 | |||||||||||||
| Xbox One | **** | ||||||||||||
| Xbox Series X | **** | ||||||||||||
| Xbox Series S | **** |
* Foxtel Now is only available through Airplay, and not as a standalone app.
** Chromecast 1st Generation is no longer supported by Kayo. For optimal streaming using Chromecast, Kayo recommends Chromecast Ultra and latest 3rd generation.
*** Foxtel Now is streamed through the Foxtel GO app.
**** Kayo Sport is only available on Xbox One S (2016), Xbox One X (2017), Xbox Series S (2020), and Xbox Series X (2020) models.
Legend
Streaming Device Compatibility
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| Apple TV (2015+) | ||||
| Telstra TV 3 | ||||
| Fetch TV | ||||
| Chromecast | ||||
| Hubbl | ||||
| Amazon Fire devices | ||||
| PlayStation 4 | ||||
| PlayStation 5 | ||||
| Xbox One | ||||
| Xbox Series X |
Legend
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Netflix
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Stan
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Amazon Prime Video
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Disney +
More streaming deals
Looking for something to stream tonight but don't want to pay full price? We've rounded up the best deals from Australia's major streaming services.
Christie Graham
Digital Content Editor
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