LEIGH LEOPARDS owner Derek Beaumont has shot down the suggestion Sky Sports are refusing to broadcast the extra games in an expanded Super League next season.

City AM have reported that Sky don’t want to cover the extra £500,000 cost to televise an additional game per round.

Beaumont, a key ally of RL Commercial chair Nigel Wood, said the body would fund the coverage themselves and may broadcast them exclusively on its own channel, SuperLeague+.

“That’s news to me and it’s not theirs to show anyway,” he said of Sky.

“‘Won’t show’ infers we need them to and they are refusing. Think about it, their contract gives them a certain number of games.

“That’s their starting position of negotiating and playing hard ball. If they have said they don’t want it then that’s what I would see it as and nothing more.

“We have our own platform, we show all games live except their two main picks which they get exclusive. 

“We want to test the water in what we could attract if the only place you can get rugby league is on our platform. 

“It is a risk to break completely free from Sky so whilst under the comfort of their contract in 2026 we can dip our toe in and find out.”

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

The current deal ends with the 2026 season and Beaumont believes that it is imperative that the sport “dips its toe” into the wider market.

“We want to test the water in what we could attract if the only place you can get rugby league is on our platform,” he added.

“It is a risk to break completely free from Sky so whilst under the comfort of their contract in 2026 we can dip our toe in and find out.”

However, Beaumont added: “I believe Sky do want to keep rugby league and, as I have always said, they are the core reason the sport exists at an elite level. If correctly valued, why would we want to break their loyalty?

“The sensible solution will happen, which will be a meeting of parties and a negotiation taking place before the last year of the contract starts, seeing it rewritten with an extension and a new value for 2026 that includes all rights including the additional game.

“(They will) keep a solid place in rugby league – whether that is with all games over future years or a share of them will no doubt depend on the discussions.”