News had intended to maintain a grasp on the broadcast rights by demanding first and last rights of refusal in negotiations until 2027 as a key condition of surrendering control of the game to the ARL Commission in 2012. But former News boss Kim Williams agreed to forego that right in order to complete the current deal between Fox Sports and the NRL, prompting one leading official to this week say: "Even if we don't get the same money as the AFL we have finally got our game back and you can't put a price on that." However, there is unlikely to be another Super League war, as happened the last time Murdoch missed out on a share of the rugby league broadcast rights, because Fox Sports and the NRL need each other. Of Fox Sports' 2.8 million customers, it is estimated about 500,000 or almost 20 per cent, only subscribe because of the NRL coverage and those figures are supported by pay TV viewing numbers. According to ratings figures up until August 19 for live sport on Fox Sports, 49 of the top 100 most watched programs were NRL matches, including 25 of the top 50.

In comparison, 35 AFL matches feature in the top 100, including just 14 in the top 50 and none in the top 10. The number of NRL and AFL matches in the top 100 is down on previous years because of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which makes up five of the top 11 most watched programs on Fox Sports, including the top three, and the Asian Cup, which had five matches in the top 100, including three of the top 10. The second Bledisloe Cup match between the Wallabies and All Blacks was ranked No.14 and the A-League grand final was 65th. The most watched NRL match on Fox Sports so far this season was the April 20 Cronulla-South Sydney clash (sixth), with 335,000 viewers tuning in to watch the teams slog it out in horrendous weather conditions. Even if we don't get the same money as the AFL we have finally got our game back

Souths' matches against North Queensland (325,000) and St George Illawarra (321,000) also feature in the top 10, with the most watched AFL match, Sydney Swans v Collingwood (317,000), being 12th. Another 10 NRL matches are ranked between 15th and 28th. ​ Overall viewing numbers for NRL matches on Fox Sports are up 3 per cent from 22,455,571 for the corresponding period of the 2014 season to 23,199,335, with the average numbers of viewers for each game being higher than AFL. The NRL will use the figures as ammunition to prove why the code should receive a similar pay TV deal to the one between Fox Sports and the AFL, which is.estimated to be worth $1.25 billion over six years. However, Fox Sports negotiators will argue their highest rating NRL matches are usually on Saturday night, which will now be on free-to-air as part of the $925,000 deal with Channel Nine for four games per week, and Monday night, which is being axed from 2018.