RL COMMERCIAL has held talks with DAZN about entering the running for Super League broadcast rights.

The streaming giant reportedly had representatives at the first Ashes Test between England and Australia at Wembley.

It has been mooted that RL Commercial is eager to persuade DAZN to launch a bid for TV rights when they go out to tender at the beginning of next year.

The competition’s current deal with Sky Sports runs out at the end of the 2026 season.

Sky have held a monopoly on Super League since its creation in 1996, being the principal broadcaster for its full 30-year history.

But the value of the deal has dwindled in recent years, with the current deal of £21 million a year a fall from £40m in the previous rights cycle.

That’s despite every game being available for broadcast for the first time under this contract, albeit with the production costs covered by Sky themselves.

City AM have also reported that Sky are refusing to cover the extra £500,000 in production costs to televise additional games next year.

Super League’s expansion from 12 to 14 teams next season means there will be an additional match in every round.