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he New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) has launched NSWRL TV, a digital broadcast channel dedicated to all matches and related content.

The NSWRL TV channel will be featured on the NSWRL Facebook page and will live stream more than 100 games across all NSWRL competitions in 2021.

After the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the number of fans able to attend matches last year, NSWRL trialled the live streaming of games, with as many as 45,000 viewers tuning in on average for the Presidents Cup last year, which involved teams from the Sydney metropolitan area and regional NSW.

The Group nine Preliminary Final between the Tumut Blues and Young Cherrypickers raked in as many as 85,000 viewers.

Competitions set to be live streamed to the new channel include; the Andrew Johns Cup, SG Ball Cup, Harold Matthews Cup, Laurie Daley Cup, Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup, NSW Cup, Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership, and Group competitions in regional NSW.

NSWRL chief commercial officer, Jodie Cross, said: “The NSWRL has always been committed to our fans and NSWRL TV represents an opportunity for us to showcase our competitions from Manly to Mudgee.”

“Fans will be able to tune in to the NSWRL Facebook page every weekend and catch all the skills on offer from our junior stars through to our senior players.”

“This is a significant investment by the NSWRL and I’m looking forward to all the opportunities it will provide this season and the future for keeping our stakeholders connected,” Cross said.

The move follows a similar decision made by Queensland Rugby League (QRL) in late 2020, who released a new strategy for 2021, whereby they will become their own host broadcaster.

Competitions including the Intrust Super Cup, and other state competitions, will be shown on platforms including the NRL Network, the Intrust Super Cup app, QRL’s official website, and 9Now.