TV Guide: Eels v Storm in NRL round one on Nine and Kayo

The first round of the NRL is set to kick off on Nine and Foxtel, with 2022 Grand Finalists the Parramatta Eels hosting the Melbourne Storm in the first match of the season. Kick off is at 8pm AEDT on March 2nd, 2023.

Last week, Foxtel Media announced the 12 brands that have signed on as sponsors for the 2023 NRL season.

Sportsbet, McDonald’s, KIA, KFC, VB, McCain, Ford, Red Rooster, Harvey Norman, Chemist Warehouse and Telstra are the 2023 season game day sponsors, with Westpac coming on as the 2023 Fox League Super Saturday Naming Rights partner.

Westpac will partner with Fox League to produce a dedicated, first-of-its-kind Women’s Rugby League entertainment program, while Fox League will be amplifying the “Westpac Red Zone” across all platforms in season 2023.

For Nine, Harvey Norman, Telstra, Sportsbet and McDonald’s have returned as Full Season Partners, each leveraging Nine’s NRL content ecosystem.

Chemist Warehouse, Kia, Gulf Western Oil, Isuzu Utes, Stan, Tradie and RAM Trucks are also returning as sponsors, while a number of new partner brands, including Westpac, Youi and DoorDash, have partnered with Nine’s footy in 2023.

Mediaweek spoke to Nine’s director of 9Now and programming, Hamish Turner, about what the upcoming season holds, with Turner mentioning how important the Melbourne market is to Nine.

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“It’s exciting for the Storm, because we’ve got them first up against Parramatta on Thursday. The AFL doesn’t kick off for two weeks, so there’s a really great opportunity to showcase the strength of the Storm. The underlying narrative will be with Craig Bellamy and what he’s going do, whether this will be his last year.

“We’re always looking to increase the Storm’s prominence, especially in Melbourne, by trying to give that fanbase as many games on a free-to-air platform as possible.”