NRL Las Vegas opener dumped from primary channel Fox Sports 1 due to college basketball game running long

NRL Las Vegas opener dumped from primary channel Fox Sports 1 due to college basketball game running long

It didn’t take long for the NRL Las Vegas opener to hit a snag, with the first game of the season being temporarily moved off of its intended channel.

While initially scheduled to be shown on Fox Sports 1 in America, the game was forced to be moved to Fox Sports 2, due to a college basketball game.

At the time of kickoff, the game between Xavier and Georgetown still had around six minutes left, forcing the NRL’s heralded opener to move to Fox Sports’ backup channel, which in turn moved a Major League Rugby game out of the slot.

NRL Las Vegas opener moved to back-up channel

The move from FS1 to FS2, while not disastrous, will ensure that many fewer people will be exposed to the NRL’s season opener between the Manly Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

According to Fox Sports Australia’s Max Laughton, the game’s intended channel ranked 41st overall in 2023 in viewership, while FS2 ranked equal-138th, a significant drop-off.

While FS1 did eventually bring the NRL opener back, it caused viewers to miss the first 16 minutes of action.