I think it's funny people talk about BT Sport being a channel nobody has, the last reported figures from BT state "BT has said it has around 3 million direct BT Sport customers and with wholesale deals is in around 5 million homes. It has also signed up 19,000 pubs, clubs, hotels and other commercial premises." I don't think that's a channel that nobody has somehow.

The RFL signed a deal without going out to tender and inviting bids, either the RFL were scared that SKY would walk away and BT wouldn't bid or they're idiots, I'll let you choose.

I have BT broadband so I get BT sport free. There is nothing on the channels that I would want to watch so I don't and that includes ESPN.
BT sports is wasted on me and I am probably not alone but am counted as a "SUBSCRIBER".

I've read some e on here over the years but this takes it to a new level. It turns out 'massively undersold' is actually 'potentially slightly undersold but still significantly the best deal we've ever had' depending on your view of how much difference a tendering process would have made. I am generally in favour of tendering so would have gone for that as a principle but don't have the RFL advantage of knowing their market

On top of the completely inaccurate opening post we've had somebody post a link to an article explaining it and somebody who's posted a simple breakdown both of which people have ignored to continue to make factually incorrect posts. Why do we bother?

Me too, never watched it but it comes free so I am a "subscriber".

I would not get BT sports until they roll BT cable in this area.

Watching anything through the phone wires is hardly worth watching at all.

Thank you.
Interesting to see that the RFL clip the ticket twice with their 10% of the total fee then getting another 1/13th over the 5 years.

True, they do quite well out of it.

Let's hope they are spending it well.

On cakes, pies and biscuits for Nigel.

At least the 10% "fee" is staying in the game instead of being paid out to external consultants.

The RFL have an annual wage bill of ~£6m per year and lose money on staging events like Magic Weekend. They also distribute some of their income back to the clubs, particularly the community game, via grant funding for various things.

Without this income it's difficult to see how events like Magic and taking internationals to the Olympic Stadium could happen as it is the RFL that underwrites the losses on these events.

Additionally, if the RFL is profitable then the profits are redistributed to the member clubs as they are the shareholders of the company.

What? You mean I can't be outraged over the sports governing body using money to actually run the sport?

Who the hell are you?
And what could you possibly want?

If this 30m from SL is paying for things like the community game and the international game, then what is the money from sport England for the community game and the 20m from sky for the internationals and cc paying for?

That is a lot of money they are taking, it's not inconsequential especially for an organisation that wouldn't underwrite the WCS and that has said that things like on the road games etc are down to the clubs to put on and underwrite and when we have seen a huge cut in development officers etc.

If I were an owner of an SL club looking at the rfl taking 15m immediately and then another 10m over the course of the contract from SLE, and then another 4m a year for the CC and internationals (plus more from the bbc) I wouldn't think I was getting Vue for money. It seems very top heavy that we are giving 1.8m a year to clubs to run a side in the comp but it takes 6m a year to the rfl administer it.

People tell me it's too risky for us to have a proper tour or a proper WCS in big stadiums, that we are a small game that can't afford this that and the other, there is nigh on 6m a year sloshing around the pot.

You've obviously not taken big Nigel's lunch allowance into account.

I see no reason why the RFL would lose money on Magic or big internationals. In fact they should both make a profit, especially Magic where the local authorities are competing for the event and the 60k visitors to their city for the weekend.