Hull KR chief gives broadcasting latest and explains why DAZN might lose out on Super League rights

   27/01/2026

HULL KR chief executive Paul Lakin has provided a broadcasting rights latest as Super League’s 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.

Now Lakin believes that a change in footballing broadcasting rights could have a domino effect on rugby league.

“Sometimes the broadcast rights is very much dictated to by what happened previously,” Lakin told the League Express podcast.

“If you’re in line with a broadcaster who has just spent a load of money on another set of rights, it can either leave you in a stronger or weaker position.

“There has been a lot change on the football front recently. TNT, formerly BT, had the Champions League and Conference League and they have lost those rights to Paramount.

“Paramount have got the Champions League and Sky have picked up the Europa League whilst DAZN didn’t pick up anything.

“We move into our cycle now. You want more than one runner bidding for the race because that will then dictate the price.”

So why does Lakin believe DAZN may not get the rights to rugby league?

“I’m hopeful there will be more than one runner in the race because TNT may well look at the situation and feel that they have subscribers and a portfolio of sports such as rugby union and cricket and that they need to fill that void they are losing with football.

“Sky have been a fantastic long-term partner. I don’t think DAZN have enough rights over here to be strong enough potentially to pick up rugby league, though they have rights in the NRL.

“Time will tell, we aren’t going to go from our current figure, I don’t believe, back to where we were but we need to make big strides in that direction.”