? Satellite broadcaster strikes five-year deal with RFL
? Talks continue over internationals, cup and other matches
Sky has agreed a record deal that may exceed �90m to maintain its position as the Super League's primary broadcast partner until 2016. The news will be welcomed by the clubs as it represents an increase on the funding they have received under the deal that expires at the end of this season and provides greater financial stability than they have enjoyed in the past.
There is unlikely to be any formal announcement until next month because various other details surrounding the coverage of international matches, the Challenge Cup and the Championship have to be finalised. But the 14 Super League clubs have been briefed about the agreement, which is the second to have been secured since the Rugby Football League appointed IMG Sports Media as agents for television contract negotiations.
The RFL refused to confirm that a deal has been done but a spokesman said: "We are happy with the way negotiations are going with broadcasters and we hope they are drawing towards a conclusion."
The slight increase in funding will come as a relief and possibly even a pleasant surprise to some of the clubs, who had been worried by recent indications of the state of the market, notably the 26% reduction in the value of the latest Football League contract with Sky that was announced in April.
Sky has held exclusive live rights to the Super League since it paid �87m in the spring of 1995 in a deal which was artificially inflated by the agreement of the British professional game to switch to a summer season and side with Rupert Murdoch in his battle to secure television rights to Australian rugby league.
Subsequent deals fell in value until a five-year agreement worth only �63m to run from 2004-08 was struck, although that was renegotiated upwards in November 2007 when the arrival of Setanta Sports as a genuine threat to Sky helped the RFL and IMG secure around �50m in a new three-year contract to run from 2009-11.
With Setanta no longer in the market, there were doubts whether the RFL would be able to maintain the value of the deal, although the executive chairman, Richard Lewis, claimed before the start of the Super League season that ESPN had expressed an interest.
But Sky was keen to maintain its strong association with a sport that continues to deliver solid viewing figures throughout the summer, especially but not exclusively in rugby league's traditional northern heartland.
Wigan's coach, Michael Maguire, has confirmed that the England forward Gareth Hock is likely to make his comeback from a two-year drug ban in Saturday's Sky game against Huddersfield, after the champions' second-row Chris Tuson received a one-match suspension at Tuesday evening's disciplinary hearing for a dangerous tackle in last Friday's derby victory at St Helens. Hock will be named in a 19-man squad on Thursday.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/21/sky-tv-super-league-rights
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