SKY SPORTS have been the primary broadcast partner of Super League since the summer game was created back in 1996.
Back then, the Rupert Murdoch-inspired broadcasting machine had been wanting to expand its influence into other sports after its purchase of live rights of Premier League football back in 1992.
Sky and Murdoch took rugby league by storm, bankrolling the Super League – a dominance that has continued right to the present day.
Back in 1996, a £52 million deal was signed with the broadcasting giants for three years – a figure which has since fluctuated.
Back in 2017, the then RFL chief executive Nigel Wood managed to secure the biggest sponsorship deal ever seen in rugby league, with a £200 million contract signed over a period of five years.
Unfortunately, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, that figure significantly dropped for 2022 and 2023 seasons, but it is hoped that new shareholders IMG will be able to lure a better deal for 2024 and beyond – especially with a new structure and competition name mooted.
Here are all seven deals and their worth since 1996:
1996-1998 (3 years) £52m (£17.3m a year)
1999-2003 (5 years) £57.8m (£11.56m a year)
2004 to 2008 (5 years) £45m (£9m a year)
2009 to 2011 (3 years) £53m (£17.6m a year)
2012 to 2016 (5 years) £90m+ (£18m+ a year)
2017 to 2021 (5 years) £200m (£40m a year)
2022 to 2023 (2 years) £52m (£26m a year)
