Live sport is a key part of ad campaigns for many brands and is central to their marketing strategy. In the winter months in Australia that means securing packages with the broadcasters of NRL or AFL – if they can justify the cost.

With the NRL on the verge of doing its biggest ever rights deal, these costs are sure to rise.

Major sponsors of Foxtel’s 2026 NRL coverage include Red Bull, Bunnings, Club 4×4 Insurance, Youi, Westpac, AAMI, McDonald’s, Chemist Warehouse, Sportsbet, Aussie Broadband, Harvey Norman, KFC, Ford, and Toyota.

Several of those brands, including Harvey Norman, McDonald’s, Chemist Warehouse, Westpac, Youi and Sportsbet, also sponsor Nine’s NRL coverage. Other Nine sponsors include Telstra, Ford, Kia, and Isuzu UTE, Lion, Carnival Cruise Line, Jim Beam and Universal Pictures.

Those sponsors seemed happy with existing NRL broadcast partners. When asked about the prospect of Prime Video securing rights to some NRL matches, Foxtel and Nine sponsor, Harvey Norman CEO Katie Page told the AFR: “We are happy with the status quo,” she said. “It works for us.”

Just 10 days earlier, I examined whether Nine was preparing for “life without league” as it was outbid in the race for rights.

The commentary from Nine insiders, in this case its daily........

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