Which NRL team has the most free-to-air games in 2022?

In an ideal world you could watch your favourite team on TV every single week for free, but that's also not realistic. The NRL relies on funding for the salary cap from its broadcast agreement.

It's simple supply and demand. The more providers that want to show NRL on the telly, the more funds available for the competition.

The NRL's current broadcast agreement sees games shown on free-to-air, pay TV and streaming services. For 2022 free-to-air provider Channel 9 will once more show just 3 matches live per week until round 21 when it picks up an additional fixture.

These are typically Thursday and Friday nights plus a Sunday afternoon fixture. The fourth game Channel 9 picks up will be a 7:30pm AEST Saturday night game. However, there are some one offs like Good Friday and ANZAC Day when Channel 9 does change its schedule around.

For fans hoping to watch every single game they've got a few options. All NRL games are broadcast live and ad-free on Fox League via Foxtel IQ, Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now.

NRL free-to-air breakdown

Every year fans are left to analyse the draw or check their local guides hoping to see if their beloved team is on TV. However, the schedule isn't spread evenly, with a huge disparity between clubs.

In 2022 it's no surprise that the Brisbane Broncos feature the most on Channel 9 yet again, with 17 games that are predominantly Thursday and Friday night fixtures.

Coming in second place this season are premiers the Penrith Panthers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters with 13 games on free-to-air. Third place for most Channel 9 appearances is another three way tie with the Parramatta Eels, Manly Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm.

It's yet again bad news for supporters of the New Zealand Warriors and Canterbury Bulldogs who are once more the two least featured teams on free-to-air with just 2 and 5 matches respectively. Just as it was in 2021 9 of the 16 teams in the NRL have less than 50% of their footy on Channel 9 yet again in 2022.

Those snubbed teams include the North Queensland Cowboys, Cronulla Sharks, Canberra Raiders, Wests Tigers, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights, in addition to the Bulldogs and Warriors mentioned above.

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Which teams fare better in 2022?

There really isn't a whole lot of noticeable movement among teams free-to-air share in the 2022 draw.

On the additions side no club has gained more than 2 additional Channel 9 games. Those to achieve that feat are the Broncos, Knights, Sharks and Manly.

Otherwise the Roosters, Rabbitohs and Titans were all able to score one additional match on the free-to-air network.

Which teams are worse off in 2022?

The Eels are the only team to have lost more than 2 of its Channel 9 games decreasing from 15 last year to 12 in 2022. While 3 doesn't seem like a huge amount it still results in a 20% reduction.

The Tigers and Storm are the only other clubs to have lost two fixtures. Given the Tigers struggles now for the last decade it comes as no real surprise. However, it's interesting that the Storm have suffered a decrease given their star studded team and ongoing success.

Other than the Tigers and Storm the Warriors are the only other side to cop a decrease. The poor Warriors fans who are used to not seeing their team on Channel 9 have been cut back from 3 to just 2 games in 2022.

So when you compare the actual percentage of free-to-air fixtures of teams in 2021 vs 2022 there isn't anywhere near as much variance compared to what we saw between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. So it's likely the same fans as last year who will be happy or sad with how their team fared in this years broadcast schedule.

You can see our full NRL schedule for viewing details for every single match and broadcast details.

Stream every match of your favourite NRL team on Kayo: Start your 14-day FREE trial now

What if you're overseas?

If you're across the ditch in New Zealand, NRL games are broadcast via Sky Sport. Then from almost anywhere else in the world, excluding the Pacific Islands, you can stream every game overseas live via Watch NRL.

Watch NRL gets you access to every NRL match, State of Origin, tournaments such as the NRL 9s live and shows like Sunday Night with Matty Johns.

You can read more on how to watch the footy be that in Australia or overseas in our how to watch NRL guide.

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