Super League is within "10 to 14 days" of a new broadcast deal with Sky Sports, according to The Guardian, as the competition rides a wave of near-record attendance that its schedulers deliberately engineered to strengthen their negotiating hand.

Nearly 85,000 fans passed through the turnstiles across the seven fixtures of the 2026 Rivals Round — the highest single-round figure of the season and the sixth-highest in Super League history The Guardian. Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and Hull FC each drew crowds approaching 20,000. The round was slotted into the summer calendar on purpose: the competition wanted maximum live gate numbers on the board while the television contract was being renegotiated.

On the pitch, the title race is tightening. Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors have been trading first place for weeks, separated by a single win. Leeds moved two points clear at the top after beating Bradford Bulls 24-12 in front of nearly 17,000 at Headingley — their 16th victory of the season BBC Sport. The BBC also reported that Leeds winger Sivo suffered an injury during that match, though the extent has not been confirmed.

The other Rivals Round derbies produced one-sided scorelines and one upset. St Helens beat Wigan Warriors 34-24, dealing the league leaders' closest challengers a blow at exactly the wrong moment. Hull KR, who won a historic treble in 2025, beat Hull FC 24-6 in the east Yorkshire derby. Warrington Wolves thrashed Leigh Leopards 42-6, Huddersfield Giants saw off York Knights 34-14, and Catalans Dragons edged Toulouse 33-26 in the French fixture Super League.

But the story off the pitch is just as consequential. Sky Sports' current three-year deal — worth £21.5 million, as reported by The Guardian in July 2025 — expires after this season The Guardian. The next rights cycle begins in 2027 SportsPro. The existing contract already requires only two of the seven weekly Super League games to be shown on Sky's main channels; the rest are tucked behind the red button or on SuperLeague+, the competition's own streaming platform.

The expected new deal would bring increased money but televise only two or three games per round — down from all seven in the current arrangement. That means fewer matches on mainstream television, even as the live audience grows.

For fans, the tension is real. Super League's in-person following is clearly in good health: clubs are filling grounds, the Rivals Round concept is working, and the table-top battle between Leeds and Wigan with seven rounds remaining is genuinely competitive. Yet the sport's most visible platform could shrink just as the on-field product is hitting its stride.

For now, with seven rounds left and a broadcast agreement roughly a fortnight away, Super League is playing the best hand it has dealt itself in years — and waiting to see what the house will pay for it.