News Corp. Australia in $1.8B five-year deal to cover rugby

• News Corp. (NWS -1.6%, NWSA -1.3%) says its Australian unit has secured five-year rights to the National Rugby League in an $1.8B deal.
• In conjunction with Nine Entertainment and Telstra (TLSYY +0.4%), Fox Sports secured the rights to show all games ad-free in 2016, and in 2017 will launch a dedicated NRL channel.
• Fox Sports package subscribers will also have access to the games and related coverage on tablets and smartphones.