Peter V’landys launches Netflix, Amazon charm offensive

Few topics have dominated chatter within media circles over the last year quite like the high expectations set by Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys heading into a fresh round of negotiations over the NRL broadcast rights.

The NRL top boss, who also serves as chief executive of Racing NSW, has expressed confidence that he can get more for the NRL rights than the $4.5 billion broadcast deal struck by the AFL in 2022. V’landys has even gone so far as to warn the code’s broadcasters, Nine (publisher of this masthead) and Foxtel, against colluding on a joint bid.

So, naturally, our ears pricked up when we heard V’landys has quietly met with two of the world’s largest streaming platforms.

The NRL boss met with Netflix just before Christmas last year, according to two sources familiar with the get-together, who were granted anonymity to discuss confidential information. But that meeting, we’re told, was primarily held to discuss a racing project. There have also been discussions with Amazon Prime Video, said one of the sources, which we were led to believe canvassed NRL-related matters.

What is PVL up to? Streaming industry sources insist that Netflix and Amazon are not considering a bid for the NRL broadcast rights after V’landys fired the starting gun on heavily anticipated rights negotiations this year. After all, it’d be a massive investment in a sport that doesn’t have a large global audience.

But the chatter suggests V’landys may be exploring the possibility of a Drive to Survive-style series tied to the NRL. Even then, nothing has been finalised and no commitments have been made. Netflix and Amazon declined to comment.

When we reached V’landys, he confirmed the NRL broadcast rights have officially hit the market. “We had a record year last year,” V’landys told CBD. “We’ve started and we’re talking to some interested parties. But one of the things that we’re going to be very, very careful about is not to ruin the experience for the fans.”

Nine and Foxtel, the latter of which was acquired last year by global streamer DAZN in a $3.4 billion deal, have both indicated that they’d like to continue having some sort of relationship with the NRL. The agreement is worth $1.7 billion and expires in 2027.

There are a few different ways the next deal could ultimately be carved up. But as with everything, we expect it’ll all come down to price. Let the posturing begin.

Right-wingers descend on Darling Harbour

We look forward to the wash-up on this one: The usual suspects are set to descend on Sydney’s Darling Harbour on Friday for a carnival of right-wing politics hosted by the ultra-conservative lobby group Advance Australia.

Conference-goers can look forward to an early panel appearance from Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. She will front the audience before former prime minister Tony Abbott throws some red meat to the base with his musings on immigration, in a session forebodingly titled “Mass immigration across the Anglosphere must cease”.

Then, an anti-China rant from Dr Bradley Thayer in his session, “The CCP’s Unrestricted Warfare: The threat to Australia”, before settling into dinner, a prayer, and a national anthem singalong performed by Mr Jacinta, Colin Lillie. Liberal senator Alex Antic will give an address over supper for good measure. And that’s only the first of two days at the circus!

NSW Greens MP’s failed anthem

A good political hype track can be hard to come by. There are the obvious issues with authorisation. Then there’s the issue of lyrical content. But the NSW Greens have discovered a new challenge to contend with: listening to a song before using it.

Consider a recent clip posted online by NSW Greens MP Kobi Shetty, which depicts the MP rolling up to parliament flanked by her colleagues, Reservoir Dogs-style, before telling viewers that the party had reintroduced a bill to repeal NSW’s anti-protest laws. All fairly innocuous, we guess.

But it’s the opening soundtrack, The People Are Rising, We Stand As One by Canadian cookers Right Choice which caught the attention of one CBD spy. Shetty’s clip only carried a small section of the song. And we can see why! A quick search for the lyrics revealed the track to be an anti-vax, anti-trans anthem.

“Since 2020, the truth we all know. A shot they demanded, a cure they sold fast. But questions ignored as the bodies are made,” the Canadian rock-country group laments, in what struck us as a nod to the anti-vax movement.

Then: “They step in our schools with their twisted plan. Confusing the hearts of the young in our land. So giant slogans, the gender disguise. Telling our children the truth is a lie. A boy’s not a boy, a girl’s not a girl.”

We reached out to Shetty to find out whether our instincts were right. In a text message, she said: “I only listened to the opening lines of the track, which was suggested by Meta as music for the reel. Having now reviewed it in full, we won’t be using it for any future content.”

Quelle surprise.

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