Footy supremos Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo ‘personally complained to Channel Nine boss’ about NRL’s ‘unfair treatment’ on Today show
- Footy bosses complain to Channel Nine over coverage
- V’landy’s and Abdo are not happy on the Today show
- The NRL feels Today gives the AFL more network coverage
The relationship between the NRL and Channel Nine is strained, with footy bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo reportedly complaining to the network about a lack of promotion code on the Today show.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, V’landys and Abdo in recent weeks formally complained to the network’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, to protest what they saw as unfair treatment by Nine.
The Today show, which was recently in Adelaide for the AFL’s Gather Round, regularly runs stories promoting the AFL but according to NRL top brass, doesn’t focus on their sport in equal measure.
Nine’s push for AFL content on Today is an attempt to take TV ratings from Channel Seven’s Sunrise, the report says.
Channel Seven holds the AFL rights, making it an unusual move from Nine to promote a rival’s flagship sport.
Footy bosses Peter V’landys (pictured) and Andrew Abdo have reportedly complained to the Nine network about the lack of promotion on the Today show
The Today show regularly runs stories promoting the AFL but says the NRL doesn’t focus on their sport as much as it should.
The Now show is expected to make more of an effort during Origin, with the game opening on May 31.
The NRL is demanding ‘more consistent season-long coverage’ from the network as it tries to grow the sport across Australia.
The relationship between the NRL and the free-to-air TV giant has been rocky at times in recent years.
Nine hit out at ‘mismanagement of the code’ in 2020, in a scathing bombshell statement after it emerged that rugby league bosses had rubber-stamped a date for the competition to resume during the pandemic without consulting them.
‘At Nine we look forward to working with the NRL on a solution to the issues facing rugby league in 2020, caused by COVID-19,’ the statement began.
‘But this health crisis in our community has highlighted the mismanagement of the code for years. The nine have invested hundreds of millions in this game over the decades and we now find that they have squandered those funds with very little going back to support the clubs, the players and the supporters.
‘In the past the NRL has had problems and we have bailed them out many times with a $50m loan to support the clubs when the last contract was signed.
‘It now appears that much of that has been squandered by a bloated head office that completely ignores the needs of clubs, players and supporters.’
NRL insists on ‘more consistent season-long coverage’ from Nine (NRL CEO Andrew Abdo pictured)
A few weeks later, NRL boss Todd Greenberg stood down from his position amid mounting financial pressure on the game.
