Footy bosses Peter V’landys Andrew Abdo ‘complain about NRL’s unfair treatment’ on Nine’s Today show
Footy supremos Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo ‘complained privately to Channel Nine boss’ about the NRL’s ‘unfair treatment’ on the Today show
- Footy bosses complain to Channel Nine about reporting
- V’landy’s and Abdo are dissatisfied with the Today show
- NRL feels Today is giving AFL more coverage on the network
The relationship between the NRL and Channel Nine is tense, with footy bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo reportedly complaining to the network about the code’s lack of promotion on the Today show.
According to a post in the Daily telegramV’landys and Abdo have formally complained to the network’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, in recent weeks to protest what they see as unfair treatment by Nine.
The Today show, recently in Adelaide for the AFL’s Gather Round, regularly shows stories promoting the AFL, but according to NRL top brass, it doesn’t target their sport equally.
Nine’s push for AFL content on Today is an attempt to take TV ratings away from Channel Seven’s Sunrise, the report said.
Channel Seven holds the rights to the AFL, making it an unusual move by 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 lack of promotion on the Today show
The Today show regularly features stories promoting the AFL, but according to the NRL, it doesn’t focus on their sport as much as it should
The Today show is expected to put in more effort during Origin, with the opening game set to kick off on May 31.
The NRL is pushing for “more consistent coverage throughout the season” from the network as it tries to grow the sport in Australia.
The relationship between the NRL and the free-to-air TV giant has been rocky at times in recent years.
Nine struck out in 2020 over “mismanagement of the code,” in a scathing statement after it emerged that rugby league bosses had stamped a date for the competition to resume during the pandemic without consulting them.
“At Nine, we had hoped to work with the NRL to resolve the issues facing rugby league in 2020, which have been so greatly impacted by COVID-19,” the statement began.
“But this health crisis in our community has exposed the code’s mismanagement over many years. Nine have invested hundreds of millions into this game over the last few decades and we now see that they have thoroughly squandered those funds with very little to fall back on to support the clubs, the players and supporters.
“In the past the NRL have had problems and we bailed them out many times, including a $50 million loan to support clubs when the final contract was signed.
“It now appears that much of that has been wasted by a bloated headquarters that completely ignores the needs of the clubs, players and supporters.”
The NRL pushes for ‘more consistent season-long coverage’ of Nine (NRL CEO Andrew Abdo pictured)
Weeks later, NRL boss Todd Greenberg resigned from his post due to mounting financial pressures on the game.