The National Rugby League today announced it has entered into a partnership with Fox Sports Australia to take the NRL global via a direct to consumer international streaming product, to be known as Watch NRL.
Rugby League fans living abroad will be able to follow all the on-field action live throughout the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership season as a result of the new partnership offering.
The new international streaming service will be available for round one of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership Season.
Fans will also able to view the Holden State of Origin Series, Australian men’s and women’s international matches played on home soil and Intrust Super Cup matches.
NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg said the partnership would provide thousands of rugby league fans living or travelling overseas with the opportunity to keep up with their teams’ results every week, as well as being able to tune in to watch many other live marquee matches throughout the year.
“This is a fantastic result for fans and it means that more people will have the chance to watch rugby league live than ever before,” Mr Greenberg said.
“We’re fortunate that we have passionate and enthusiastic NRL fans right throughout the world and many of them are just as vocal and committed as local fans that live in Australia and New Zealand.”
NRL Head of Strategy David Silverton added – “this partnership is about providing the opportunity for more fans to watch the best rugby league anywhere in the world.
“We thank Patrick Delany and his team at Fox Sports for bringing this initiative to life with us and we look forward to increasing viewing numbers world-wide next season and beyond.”
Users who log on to Watch NRL will be able to choose the way they watch – either from a dedicated website, via a Watch NRL mobile or tablet App for iOS or Android and via TV screens using Airplay or Chromecast.
Fox Sports has partnered with International Management Group (IMG) to promote the international NRL broadcast rights over the next five years, with Fox Sports managing the broadcast rights for the USA and the UK.
For more information on Watch NRL, including when the streaming service will be available, head to www.watchnrl.com
