The NRL will rake in more than $400 million per year in broadcast rights after the game secured its free-to-air future in a five-year deal with the Nine Network.
The deal, which is active from the 2023 season through to 2027, will see Nine join Fox Sports and New Zealand's Sky in extending long-term agreements with the NRL in recent months.
The Nine Network contract is worth $115 million per year as well as $15 million in contra deals.
Nine retains exclusive rights to the men's grand final and all three games of State of Origin for that period, with the three-game interstate series to be solely played on Wednesdays from 2023 onwards after experimenting with Sunday night fixtures.
The network will continue to broadcast games on Thursday and Friday nights, Sunday afternoons, and will show Saturday evening fixtures in the five rounds preceding the finals.
As a result of the addition of the Redcliffe-based Dolphins for the 2023 season, Nine will have three extra free-to-air games across a 26-round campaign.
The company's radio platforms, Brisbane's 4BC and Sydney's 2GB, have also secured new deals with the NRL, with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys saying the money will be reinvested into the game's grassroots.
"Today is an exciting day for our fans with the free-to-air broadcast deal of the NRL premiership, NRLW and State of Origin locked in until the end of 2027," V'landys said.
"This is more than a broadcast deal, it's a partnership to grow rugby league using all of Nine's media platforms - television, radio and print.
"It was a priority for the commission to secure the long-term future of the game.
"In doing so it was important to ensure that a long term partnership reflected the commission's desire to grow the game at all levels, to invest in innovation and to ensure we have a partner that can help grow the game from participation to pathway competitions and premierships."
