The ghost of a past £40 million-a-year TV deal is haunting the Super League’s expansion debate, serving as a stark reminder of how far the league’s fortunes have fallen and fuelling fears that the move to 14 teams will only accelerate the decline. This historical context is a key factor in the clubs’ rebellion against the plan.
Not long ago, the league enjoyed a broadcast rights fee from Sky Sports worth £40m annually. That figure has since been slashed to just £21.5m. This dramatic drop in income has fundamentally changed the financial reality for every club, and it is this new reality that makes the prospect of expansion so terrifying to many.
The ghost of the larger deal serves as a constant point of comparison. Clubs know what a healthy financial environment looks like, and they know the current situation is far from it. When the RFL proposes adding more teams to the league, the clubs immediately calculate what their share of a £21.5m pot would be, and the numbers are not encouraging.
This has created a deep-seated pessimism about the future. With Sky now opposed to the expansion, clubs fear the £21.5m figure is not the floor, but just another step on a downward escalator. The memory of the £40m deal makes the current situation feel like a crisis, and they see the expansion as pouring fuel on the fire.
The RFL’s challenge is to convince clubs to look forward to a new future, but it’s difficult when they are so haunted by the riches of the past. Until the governing body can present a credible plan that shows a path back towards financial growth, the ghost of the £40m deal will continue to loom over the debate, a powerful symbol of what has been lost and what could be lost again.