Magic Weekend becomes RFL's bargaining chip for new broadcast deal

The Rugby Football League is using this year’s Magic Weekend in Liverpool as a showcase to entice new broadcasters, as the current BBC and agreement expires at the end of the season. With 76,000 tickets already sold, the event offers a high‑profile platform for the sport. Leeds Rhinos face Bradford Bulls in one of seven fixtures scheduled for the Magic Weekend, while six matches will be staged at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The all‑French clash between Catalans Dragons and Toulouse will be moved to Castres to maximise attendance. Rhodri Jones, managing director of the Rugby Football League and interim chief executive, said: “The Magic Weekend is another shop window for us where we can deliver and portray the healthiness or the healthy state of the sport and the Super League in particular.” He added that the event “certainly does help us in our conversations with broadcasters, commercial partners, event delivery partners.”

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Everton hosted the second Ashes Test between England and Australia last autumn, drawing a near‑capacity crowd of 51,000. Jones noted that the stadium’s successful non‑football event demonstrated Everton’s willingness to host large‑scale spectacles beyond football. Jones said the talks to use the venue for Magic Weekend began within half an hour of the Ashes game’s conclusion, indicating a rapid agreement. He described the decision as a “leap of faith” by Everton that paid off. Around 76,000 tickets have been sold for the two‑day Liverpool event, making it one of the most successful Magic Weekends to date. This is the second time the weekend has been held in Liverpool, following the 2019 edition at Anfield, with previous hosts including Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Murrayfield, the Etihad Stadium and St James’ Park. Jones asserted that every club will walk away this year with more money than in previous editions, turning the earlier debate about the weekend’s future into a proactive discussion on its longevity. The RFL now aims to leverage the event’s commercial success to secure a longer‑term broadcast partnership.