How NAIDOC grew from a one-day protest to a week-long celebration.

Extract from ABC News

By the Indigenous Affairs Team's Tahnee Jash and Stephanie Boltje

• Topic:Indigenous Australians

Sunday 5 July

NAIDOC celebrates 50 years as a week-long celebration.  (ABC News Graphics)

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WARNING: This article contains language that some readers may find offensive. It also includes the name and image of people who have died.

Aunty Millie Ingram remembers a childhood under the watchful eye of the state government and the "rife racism" that existed in the wider community.

Born in 1940, when NSW was transitioning from the protection era to one focused on assimilation, Ms Ingram, 86, was living on Erambie mission near Cowra, in the central west region of New South Wales.

Fighting against the "oppression" was a groundswell movement led by Aboriginal people that had been steadily building for years, one that Ms Ingram's mother was a part of.

"My mother was a real fighter as well, with terrible circumstances and none of the comforts of a nice home or anything like that," the proud Wiradjuri woman said.

Two years before Ms Ingram was born, her mother, Louisa Agnes Ingram OAM, was photographed holding her child at one of Australia's largest civil rights movements, called the Day of Mourning protest.

It came as Australia celebrated the beginning of colonisation, with the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet landing.

Aunty Millie's mother, Louisa Ingram OAM, is pictured on the right holding her older sibling. (Supplied: State Library of NSW)

A famous black and white photo taken in 1938 captured an important moment in time.

A one-day protest that fought for recognition and rights has evolved into a week-long celebration now known as NAIDOC Week.

Today, NAIDOC Week is marked in different ways — from the glitz and glamour of the national awards ceremony to art exhibitions and local festivals. 

Events are hosted in small regional towns and capital cities.

Traditionally, NAIDOC Week was celebrated by First Nations people, but it has become an invitation for non-Indigenous Australians to get involved, with some of Australia's biggest companies marking the event.

The history of NAIDOC Week

Sitting just a 10-minute drive from where the protest photo was taken, Aunty Millie Ingram reflected on the early days of the movement.

"Back in those days, we were all concerned about survival," she said.

"We were just so oppressed at that time, but there was a lot of fighting [for rights] going on before all of this started," she said.

A National Aborigines Day event was organised in 1965. (ABC archives)

It later shifted to the first Sunday in July to also incorporate the celebration of Indigenous culture and achievements.

Events included debutante balls, community events organised and attended by government bureaucrats and marches led by activists echoing calls from the original protest.

A National Aborigines Day event is held in Martin Place, Sydney, in 1965. (Supplied: NSW State Library)

Ms Ingram said gatherings like Aborigines Day or "A Day" as some call it provided a platform for rights, recognition and pride in the face of discrimination that Aboriginal people were facing.

"Back on the mission at Erambie, there was a lot of good musicians, and they would have regular dances and concerts, as long as the mission manager approved it of course. This was just a continuation of what we were always doing," she said.

"NAIDOC and all of these gatherings are very, very important to us as a people."

Young girls get ready for their debutante ball in Nowra, NSW, in 1973. (Supplied: ABC Archives)

It was not until the mid-1970s that the organising committee, then known as NADOC (National Aboriginal Day Observance Committee), had all Indigenous people at the helm.

That was when it was decided that the day would become a week-long event.

Inala Cooper, who is a member of the National NAIDOC Committee, said the event expanded to represent the growth of the movement.

"The momentum of activism as well as celebration has meant that one day just wasn't big enough, we needed a whole week," the proud Yawuru woman said.

In 1991, the "I" was added to NAIDOC, to represent Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Continued legacy of recognition

Inala Cooper says this year's theme is about honouring the past and celebrating the future.  (ABC News: Patrick Stone)

Ms Cooper said while NAIDOC Week still played an important role in advocacy, as it did in the late 1930s, how people respond to those calls had evolved.

"I think whilst there are still threads of similar struggles, similar challenges that we're fighting against, there have been changes," she said.

The theme for NAIDOC Week this year is 50 Years of Deadly, which marks the inaugural NAIDOC Week celebration.

Comedian Kevin Kropinyeri said it meant honouring those who continued to make an impact for their community.

Kevin Kropinyeri says he loves performing for his community during NAIDOC Week. (ABC News: Trent Murphy)

"'Deadly' to me means [recognising] those champions on the front lines in their communities doing great jobs in the community, around health and education," the proud Ngarrindjeri man said.

"I love my people and that's what deadly means to me."

Recognition is still a centrepiece of NAIDOC Week, with a national awards ceremony held every year to recognise significant contributions that First Nations people have made to the community.

There are 10 categories honouring the work of people across industries.

The Lifetime Achievement Award and NAIDOC Person of the Year are the most coveted accolades.

Aunty Millie Ingram says it was an honour to receive the 2024 Female Elder of the Year award. (Supplied: NAIDOC Committee)

Aunty Millie Ingram was the recipient of the 2024 National NAIDOC Female Elder Award, recognised for her advocacy and work establishing the first Aboriginal-run preschool in the country.

"Not many of us get to this age and to be an elder," she said during her speech.

"Our legacy should be to give hope and opportunities to our younger people, and I am so proud of our younger generations of Aboriginal people that we have coming up today."

While this year's national awards ceremony has been delayed until August, the celebrations will continue at state and local level.

There were performances at the 2024 National NAIDOC Awards in Adelaide. (ABC News: Tiarna Stehr)

Mr Kropinyeri, who will be the emcee for the South Australian gala ball, said he was looking forward to bringing "big laughs" and seeing people shine in their best outfits.

"I love seeing the mob all dressed up, looking deadly, and I love seeing so many skinny ankles," he said with a laugh.

Ms Cooper said she, like others, called the week "Black Christmas".

"It's our time to shine, it's our time to celebrate each other," she said.

NAIDOC Week 2026: 50 Years of Deadly

The ABC has gathered the best First Nations films, TV shows and documentaries to enjoy during NAIDOC Week.

Mr Kropinyeri said the week could also be an opportunity to challenge ideas.

"What I've seen a lot more of is a lot of our non-Indigenous brothers and sisters that have come along and celebrated NAIDOC with us and that's amazing, that's what we're about," he said.

"I use comedy as a vehicle to get out there and change perceptions of our people and change stereotypes."

It is a sentiment that Ms Cooper agrees with.

"[NAIDOC is] part of the truth-telling of our country; it is part of reconciling with our past and our future," she said.

National NAIDOC award finalists announced

Each dot marks 250 years — together they reveal Australia's ancient story

How First Nations people outlived giant animals, survived an ice age and thrived amid massive landscape change.

For her lasting impact on the arts and cultural scene, the late Rhoda Roberts AO has been named the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The finalists of the National NAIDOC Awards were announced today.

Finalists for The Person of the Year Award are Aunty Pat Turner AO, Dr Lana Leslie-Henfling OAM and Timmy Duggan OAM.

Nominated for Female Elder of the Year are Aunty Lorraine Peeters, Christine Corby AM and Regina Pilawuk Wilson, while Dr Dean Yibarbuk, Oscar Colbung and Dr Stephen Hagan are up for the Male Elder Award.

Professional basketballer Alex Wilson, rugby player Caitlyn Costello, and Australian field hockey player Mariah Williams are vying for the Sportsperson Award.

Creative talent category nominees are Brolga Dance Academy founder and artistic director Jodie Welsh, Anangu contemporary artist Kaylene Whiskey, and illustrator and journalist Molly Hunt.

Finalists for other categories:

Youth Award: Brenton Woods, Levi Briggs and Tyson Neal Edwards

Caring for Country and Culture Award: Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, Miromaa Aboriginal Language & Technology Centre and Southern Aboriginal Corporation

Education Award: Aunty Stephanie Armstrong, Ninti Training Ltd and The Aboriginal & Islander Independent Community School (The Murri School)

Innovation Award: 17x16CDP Youth Collective, Bars Behind Me and Young Indigenous Women's STEM Academy

NAIDOC Week runs from July 5 until July 12. You can watch special NAIDOC Week programming on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Researchers call for rare WA reptiles to be listed as endangered.

 Extract from ABC News

By Yousuf Shameel

• Topic:Endangered and Protected Species

19 hours ago

Pilbara barking geckos use a dog-like bark as a defence mechanism. (Supplied: Robert Audcent)

In short:

The Pilbara barking gecko and Bungle Bungle robust slider face the threat of extinction due to increasing climate pressures.

Researchers from Monash University are calling for the native reptiles to be reclassified as endangered.

What's next?

The state government will review the study before making a decision.

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The Pilbara barking gecko and Bungle Bungle robust slider, two of Australia's least-studied reptile species, could soon be facing extinction due to the rapidly warming climate.

Researchers at Monash University, which recently conducted separate studies on each species, want the reptiles to be classified as endangered, saying sightings in the wild are declining.

Pilbara barking geckos prefer higher altitudes and cooler temperatures. (Supplied: Robert Audcent)

Monash University herpetology researcher Robert Audcent said the study was the first of its kind on the Pilbara barking gecko, named for the dog-like bark that it emits when threatened. 

It prefers the higher elevations and cooler temperatures of the Hamersley Range, about 1,400 kilometres north of Perth, but its habitat is under threat.

"There is a potential it could go extinct under a warming scenario, which is very likely given the trajectories for climate change," Mr Audcent said.

He said the species would try to disperse up the mountains to access cooler habitats as the climate warmed.

"Once it gets too hot, then they will experience stress, increased disease accessibility and there is that chance they can go locally extinct and the whole population might suffer serious declines,"

he said.

Mr Audcent said researchers had to utilise spotlighting, a technique that involved using a head torch at night to see the reflective eyes of the gecko, to find the reptiles.

Spotlighting was used to find the evasive gecko. (Supplied: Robert Audcent)

Before the study, there were only 55 confirmed sightings of the reptile.

Mining impact 

Monash University senior research officer Jules Farquhar said the reptiles were also under threat from the expanding mining operations in the Pilbara region.

"One thing they can do to be sympathetic of the geckos is to know where they do and don't occur and employ ecologists and experts on the species to do thorough surveys before they are deciding where to mine," he said.

The Bungle Bungle robust slider is facing the threat of extinction. (Supplied: Jules Farquhar)

Mr Farquhar said the recent studies would help raise more awareness about conservation for the reptiles.

"These species are on the radar of these companies, especially now that there is this research done and we are calling for its conservation status to be elevated," he said.

Slider's struggle to survive

There were only three recorded sightings of the Bungle Bungle robust slider, named after its habitat in Purnululu National Park, before the researchers began looking into the species.

They found 21 new individual sliders across eight sites in the area.

The Bungle Bungle robust slider was seen only in Purnululu National Park. (Supplied: Jules Farquhar)

Mr Farquhar said the findings proved the rarity of this species and its exclusivity to the Bungle Bungle ranges in WA's north-west.

He said the restricted habitat increased the slider's vulnerability.

"One of our key findings was it seemed to be affected by fire and the region is quite prone to fires," Mr Farquhar said. 

"This species seems to only live in sheltered gorges."

More conservation efforts needed

Under the WA Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, both species are listed as being "data deficient", which means there is not enough information about them.

After conducting the studies, the Monash University researchers have put forward the Pilbara barking gecko to be listed as endangered.

A DBCA spokesperson said the department had received the nomination and would present it to the WA Threatened Species Scientific Committee at its 2026 meeting.

Wildfires devastate forests in Europe as temperatures rise again.

 Extract from ABC News

• Topic:Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

7 hours ago

Flames fill the sky as a wildfire burns through factories and threatens houses in Oreakastro, Greece. (AFP: Sakis Mitrolidis)

In short: 

Wildfires have devastated more than 17,000 hectares of land across France, Spain and Portugal.

In Greece, a fast-moving wildfire broke out near Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city, causing evacuations.

What's next?

Temperatures in some places are forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, local time.

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Hundreds of firefighters have been battling forest infernos in heatwave-scarred Europe, as temperatures are set to rise again on Sunday, local time.

The latest wildfires have already devastated more than 17,000 hectares of land across France, Spain and Portugal where temperatures in some places are forecast to reach 40C.

Authorities registered thousands of excess deaths during one of Europe's worst heatwaves in June, and with more extreme weather on the way.

A firefighting helicopter drops water on a wildfire near the Col des Auzines, near Trevillach, southern France. (AFP: Matthieu Rondel)

In Spain, a fire near the north-eastern Costa Brava coast burned more than 2,200 hectares in two days.

Firefighters "worked tirelessly throughout the night to consolidate the perimeter of the La Bisbal d'Empordà forest fire, which is now stabilised," the Catalunya fire service said in a statement.

Catalunya regional government president Salvador Illa said that a man had been detained in connection with the fire which has badly hit the Gavarres protected natural area between Barcelona and the French border.

A woman on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece. (AP: Giannis Papanikos)

In France, nearly 600 firefighters have been mobilised to contain a wildfire that has burned more than 1,000 hectares on a mountainside at Trevillach, about 36 kilometres east of Perpignan.

Record European heatwave

More than 150 million Europeans sweltered "extreme heat", which scientists say is the worst the continent has ever recorded.

Another 300 firefighters battled another forest fire in a mountainous district of the south-eastern Drome department.

In Portugal, emergency services said they had controlled 80 per cent of a wildfire that had devastated about 13,000 hectares of forest in the north of the country.

Several regions across Portugal, Spain and southern France stepped up heat alerts on Sunday as temperatures rose again. 

On Monday, the heatwave is expected to move north, with forecasters saying it could last until next weekend.

Evacuations in Greece

In Greece, a fast-moving wildfire broke out Saturday evening, local time, near the suburbs of Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city.

Residents of the small settlements of Anthoupoli, Filothei and Galini were notified by text to evacuate.

While residences were spared, several businesses were damaged.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a warehouse on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece. (AP: Giannis Papanikos)

Residents of Thessaloniki could see the flames and even heard explosions as flammable materials inside businesses burned.

About 115 firefighters along with 38 fire engines and an unknown number of volunteers battled the blaze, the fire service said.

Authorities in several countries fear more summer trouble ahead. (AP: Giannis Papanikos)

Authorities announced overnight that a 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. 

Additional blazes were burning around Thessaloniki on Saturday, including in the Halkidiki Peninsula and the city of Kilkis to the north.

More trouble ahead

Western Europe has already seen heatwaves this year in May and June that would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.

Big wildfires hit Greece and France

Firefighters have been tackling huge wildfires in parts of Greece and southern France. Two people have died near Thessaloniki.

Following a two-week surge in temperatures in June, France said there had been more than 2,000 extra deaths than usual in just one week, while Spain and Belgium each reported more than 1,000.

Authorities in several countries fear more summer trouble ahead.

"Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July," said French fire service Colonel Eric Belgioino.

"The season is going to be long for the soldiers fighting fires. You have to help us,"

he said.

AFP/AP

Fears for Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya detained in Israel.

 Extract from ABC News

By Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran

• Topic:Unrest, Conflict and War

6 hours ago

Signs call for the release of Hussam Abu Safiya during a protest in front of the Shin Bet offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 1, 2025.  (AP Photo: Matias Delacroix)

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Lawyers for prominent Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya have issued a dire warning about their client's wellbeing, alleging he has been severely beaten by Israeli prison guards and is at risk of being killed behind bars.

Dr Abu Safiya was the head of the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya and was arrested by Israeli forces in late December 2024 after a long siege of the facility.

Family fears for Gaza hospital boss after arrest by Israel

The Israel Defense Forces' latest raid on the crippled Kamal Adwan Hospital, and the detention of medical staff, leaves the facility out of operation.

Despite allegations he is linked to the militant group Hamas, which his lawyers and family reject, he has been held without formal charge and moved between a number of Israeli prisons during his 18 months in custody.

Advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) published fresh revelations about Dr Abu Safiya's fate in a statement over the weekend, after a meeting between the doctor and his lawyer Nasser Odeh at the Nitzan prison east of Tel Aviv.

"According to Attorney Odeh's affidavit, Dr Abu Safiya was brought to the meeting shackled by his hands and feet and accompanied by masked prison guards," the group said.

"He bore fresh, severe injuries to his head, around his eyes, and on his ears and neck — to the extent that his lawyer initially struggled to recognise him.

"During the visit, Dr Abu Safiya experienced difficulty breathing and speaking continuously. He appeared extremely weak, struggled to sit upright without falling, and on several occasions seemed on the verge of losing consciousness."

PHRI said Dr Abu Safiya's lawyer described him as appearing "frightened" and "reluctant to speak freely due to fear of being targeted."

"Based on these direct observations, Attorney Odeh concluded that Dr Abu Safiya's life is in immediate danger,"

the group said.

PHRI said the doctor was being held in an underground interrogation facility at the prison, called "Rakefet", which the group said had a reputation for allegations of violence and abuse against detainees.

The fate of Hussam Abu Safiya and the other people arrested following the attack is unkown. (Reuters: Stringer)

"He further detailed that since his transfer to the Rakefet facility on June 24, 2026, he has been subjected to daily beatings, resulting in several instances of loss of consciousness, but without receiving appropriate medical treatment," the statement read.

"He expressed grave fear for his life, stating: 'This is the last time you will see me… They brought me here to kill me. I don't see myself surviving. This is the end.'"

The Israeli Prison Service, which runs Nitzan Prison, described the allegations as "false and entirely without factual basis", but refused to comment specifically on Dr Abu Safiya's condition citing "privacy obligations and security considerations".

"All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law and receive medical care based on professional medical judgement and in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines," it told the ABC in a statement.

"The Israel Prison Service rejects allegations of abuse, torture, starvation, or denial of medical treatment.

"Any specific complaint or allegation raised through the appropriate legal and official channels is examined by the competent authorities in accordance with established procedures."

PHRI said Israel's Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that Israeli authorities had until Tuesday to provide a response to a legal challenge by the group against the imprisonment of 14 Palestinian doctors, including Dr Abu Safiya, and address concerns about his health.

A rare sighting

Dr Abu Safiya was seen for the first time in more than a year in June, when he briefly appeared on a video screen in the Israeli Supreme Court during a hearing challenging his ongoing detention — an application which was rejected.

Hussam Abu Safiya was captured by the Israeli military in Gaza in late 2024, now appearing via video link at the Israeli Supreme Court hearing in Jerusalem on June 10, 2026. (Reuters)

He had been one of the most vocal medics in Gaza at the start of the war in the territory, regularly posting videos from the Kamal Adwan Hospital about the state of the facility and the deluge of patients coming through its doors.

Before that, Dr Abu Safiya was last seen in vision walking through the rubble of the destroyed streets around Kamal Adwan shortly before his arrest on December 27, 2024.

An Israeli TV network, Channel 13 broadcast vision of him handcuffed and shackled in the Ofer Prison in March 2025.

He has been held under Israel's Unlawful Enemy Combatants Law, which gives authorities sweeping powers to detain people without charge for up to six months at a time, pending review by a judge.

Israel has accused Dr Abu Safiya of being affiliated with Hamas, repeatedly denied by his lawyers and family, and alleged the Kamal Adwan Hospital was being used by Hamas fighters.

Commentary accusing Dr Abu Safiya of ties to the militant group, considered a terrorist organisation under Australian law, regularly refers to a photo of him from 2016 where he is seen in a military-style uniform.

Earlier this year, Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem published data from the end of 2025 showing more than 3,300 Palestinians were being held without charge or trial under administrative detention by the Israeli Prison Service.

Rescue mission launches to save NASA telescope falling back to Earth.

Extract from ABC News

• Topic:Space

18 hours ago

Artist's impression of the Swift observatory.  (Supplied: NASA)

In short:

NASA has launched a robotic mission to try to prevent one of its aging telescopes from burning up in the atmosphere.

The unprecedented effort involves sending a robot to rescue the Swift space telescope that is currently falling towards Earth.

The robot's launch was postponed earlier this week due to weather and then technical issues.

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A three-armed spacecraft has rocketed into orbit to rescue a NASA telescope that is in danger of crashing back to Earth.

Northrop Grumman launched Katalyst Space Technologies' Link spacecraft from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, on Friday local time.

The Pegasus rocket blasted off from the belly of a modified airplane, putting Link on course to reach and capture NASA's Swift Observatory in about a month.

The complicated operation is expected to last several months. (Reuters: Supplied/Ron Beard/NASA)

Launched in 2004, Swift is sinking faster than ever because of recent solar storms.

If successful, the mission could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life.

NASA is paying $US30 million ($43.5 million) for Katalyst to capture the telescope and boost its orbit so it can continue tracking some of the biggest explosions in the universe, like gamma ray bursts and exploding stars.

If all goes well, Swift could be back scanning the cosmos by September.

Observations are currently on hold to preserve the telescope's orbit as long as possible.

NASA to bump telescope back into space

US space agency NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope could be a candidate for a similar salvage operation in a few years.

It is also slipping in altitude because of increased atmospheric drag caused by the sun's outbursts.

The 1.4-metric ton Swift currently is circling 360 kilometres above Earth.

Katalyst aims to raise the telescope's altitude by 240 kilometres, back to where it all began.

Link's thrusters will fire to boost Swift slowly, so there's no heavy jostling.

Without such a boost, it's predicted to plunge to its demise in October.

The SWIFT orbital boost effort is the first US mission of its kind   (AP: Supplied/Sophia Roberts/NASA)

Bad weather and technical issues caused a series of last-minute launch delays.

"This is a high-risk, high-reward mission," Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said ahead of lift-off.

"The biggest danger was always we don't launch anything and we let Swift burn up in the atmosphere. So we were always trying to avoid that risk, and our team has done that."

AP/AFP

How rugby league became Australia's most valuable football code.

Extract from ABC News 

Analysis

By chief business correspondent Ian Verrender

• Topic:NRL

18 hours ago

A $5 billion-plus NRL rights deal is expected to be announced this week.  (Getty: Ezra Shaw)

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It's the archetypal rugby league post-match cliché from the victorious coach.

"The boys really done us proud. It was a game of two halves, but rugby league was the winner at the end of the day."

Business and team sports have a great deal in common. Matches and corporate seasons usually are divided into two halves, and the outfit with the biggest score is declared the victor.

With a stonking $5 billion-plus broadcast rights deal ready to be inked sometime this week, rugby league, or more correctly the National Rugby League (NRL), really is the winner. And not just at the end of the day.

Peter V’landys has been a key player in the broadcast negotiations. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)

It has also cemented the position of Peter V'landys, who assumed the chair of the Australian Rugby League Commission in 2019, as the nation's supreme sports administrator.

The seven-year deal, at $700 million a year, is easily the most lucrative television deal in Australian history. That's the bottom of the range. It could rise as high as $800 million if a 20th team is added to the competition.

It easily outstrips the seven-year deal struck by the AFL for $4.5 billion, which kicked off in 2025.

But it is an agreement that raises one very big question. Who, ultimately, will shell out the coin for this whopper transaction?

Will it be a Ukrainian-born billionaire, Nine shareholders or Foxtel subscribers?

When friends fall out

When negotiations over the new NRL broadcasting rights deal began last year, horseracing and football powerbroker V'landys warned both Foxtel and Nine of colluding on a joint bid.

He needn't have bothered.

For more than 30 years, the pair have divvied up the spoils when it comes to rugby league.

Nine has broadcast limited games on free-to-air television as part of a federal government system that ensured televised sport was available to all free of charge, while Foxtel subscribers had a much larger offering.

While there has been friction between the pair during that time, the relationship fundamentally shifted about a decade ago after Nine created its own streaming service, Stan.

From an uncomfortable partnership, the relationship gradually transformed into outright competition.

Stan nabbed some global soccer rights, including all the English Premier League games, Champions League, regional rugby union, the four grand slam tennis games and some motor sports, but always had its eye on a bigger prize.

For streaming and cable services, sport is paramount. It anchors viewers to your network and allows you to charge a premium.

This time around, Nine was desperate to secure a win while Foxtel was determined to defend its patch.

And so, the bidding war began.

Foxtel went it alone with a bid that would cut Nine out of the race by offloading games to rival free-to-air network Seven.

Nine attempted to outbid Foxtel for the entire package with an offer to secure the streaming rights for Stan in conjunction with its long-running free-to-air offering.

That put V'landys in the box seat, happily fending off escalating bids from a pair that have been partners forever.

V'landys approached the negotiations from a position of strength.

The NRL's finances have improved dramatically in recent years with five consecutive cash surpluses. The vast lift in cashflow from broadcast rights helped.

But stronger crowds, government injections through adding a PNG team, and competition from states to host State of Origin matches have bolstered the coffers.

A leak in time

A little over a week ago, details of the bids were made public in the Nine newspapers.

"Maybe they wanted to deflect from the furore surrounding Karl Stefanovic," one insider joked.

But the well-timed leak was more likely an attempt by Nine to push the deal across the line.

Foxtel was to pay $500 million a year, Nine would spend $150 million and a New Zealand broadcaster $50 million a year.

If a 20th team joined the NRL, the amount would increase. Add in some contra deals on advertising and, all up, the seven-year arrangement could be worth as much as $5.3 billion.

But the leak may have had the opposite effect. Instead of preceding an imminent announcement, there has been radio silence from NRL headquarters.

On Tuesday, the unofficial word was that some last-minute details needed to be ironed out. On Wednesday, negotiations were ongoing. By Thursday, the message was: "Nothing to say at this time."

There have since been unconfirmed reports that both media groups have continued negotiations with V'landys over gaining sole rights to the code.

Who will foot the bill?

V'landys has always been insistent that viewers shouldn't be slugged with extra fees to watch footy.

But someone has to pay.

Over the past decade, the NRL broadcast rights have risen from slightly above $1 billion to the soon-to-be-announced $5 billion-plus arrangement.

For Nine, it creates an existential crisis.

Former Nine boss Hugh Marks, now the ABC managing director, struck the deal for Nine's free-to-air rights through the COVID era for $90 million a year.

His successor Mike Sneesby upped that to $115 million. Under the new offer, Nine will now be paying $150 million in cash.

With advertising revenues in free fall after three interest rate hikes and plummeting business confidence, that puts Nine's earnings under pressure.

Nine's share price has fallen about 10 per cent since April but, so far, hasn't reacted since details of the bid were leaked.

Foxtel, meanwhile, is in a much stronger position than Nine.

One of the best-performing businesses in the Australian media landscape, it is now owned by DAZN, a UK-based global media group controlled by Ukrainian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik, with backing from Saudi Arabia.

Foxtel was bought last year by global streaming company DAZN, which is controlled by Len Blavatnik.   (Getty: Mark Robinson)

But it will still need to wrangle extra revenue, particularly since its former record-setting deal to secure streaming rights for AFL set it back $500 million. With the NRL under its belt, that is $1 billion a year in costs for just two codes.

Foxtel's ability to lift subscription prices will be kept in check by mounting cost-of-living pressures as struggling households try to rein in expenses, forcing the streaming operator to look at commercial customers for extra cash.

But some hotel owners, who can't operate without sports broadcasts, are up in arms.

"This whole rights deal is good for some, but not for others," one pub owner posted on Reddit.

"As a licensed venue, I now have to pay $4,120 a month for Foxtel. All I need it for is the NRL.

"That's $50,000 a year. I was paying $2,600 a month, which was still outrageous. And before you ask, I'm not allowed to screen Kayo or FoxtelGo."