Super League TV struggles laid bare as rival sport signs HUGE Sky deal

Super League’s place on the sporting food chain has been illustrated by the dwindling value of its Sky deal in recent years: and that has been proven yet again after news of another sport signing a bumper broadcast deal.

Rugby league’s income from its Sky Sports deal is the major source of income for clubs. But the figure has gradually decreased in recent years; this year, Super League got £21million from the broadcaster – almost half of what it received as recently as three years earlier.

The insistence from the governing body is that TV deals in general are shrinking: but the Telegraph have reported this weekend that the Professional Darts Corporation have agreed a bumper new five-year deal with Sky Sports which underlines how that perhaps isn’t the case.

According to the report, the PDC and Sky have signed a five-year contract worth at least £125million with the broadcaster. That means that for the first time, Sky Sports are now paying darts more than they are rugby league to showcase the sports.

It is a deal that has largely been driven by the emergence and profile of Warrington Wolves super-fan – and newly-crowned world champion – Luke Littler. His dramatic rise has taken darts into more homes than ever before, a move which is reflected by the value of the new deal.

It is also a stark reminder to rugby league as to what is required in order to make a sport more appealing to a broadcaster: more stars, and more individuals who can captivate audiences rather than a reliance on the ‘product’.

Crucially, the PDC attracted interest from other broadcasters including Netflix and Amazon, who reportedly both made bids for the PDC rights during the tender process. In contrast, Super League has traditionally struggled to attract other broadcasters, which has led to a reduction in Sky’s offers.

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