NRL fans have had to wait until the preseason to get their first glimpse of newly assembled squads. Now that the teams are ready for their first real action in 2024, it’s time to review all the options for watching your favourite team, players and rivalries.
Here’s how to watch every match in the 2024 NRL Pre-Season Challenge, including the Charity Shield and World Club Challenge.
NRL Pre-Season 2024 TV Guide
This year the NRL pre-season kicks off on Thursday the 15th of February, and concludes on Sunday the 25th of February, and each team with the exception of the Penrith Panthers will participate in two matches. This is because the Panthers will be travelling to England for the annual World Club Challenge.
The TV broadcast rights for the 2024 NRL Pre-Season Challenge belong exclusively to Fox League, and every game across both weeks will be available to watch live on Foxtel, Foxtel Now, Telstra and Kayo Sports.
That’s a total of fifteen Pre-Season Trial games, in addition to the annual NRL All Stars matches (16 Feb), the Charity Shield (17 Feb), and the World Club Challenge (25 Feb).
In 2024, the pre-season challenge format and points system will not change. This means that $100,000 in prize money will be awarded equally to players and clubs. Also, bonus points will be awarded to teams for tries, line breaks, and offloads. Each week, the number of players may not exceed 28 per squad.
On Friday, February 16, Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville will host both of the yearly All Stars matches, which showcases the finest Indigenous and Maori players in the game.
How to watch the 2024 World Club Challenge live
The 2024 NRL pre-season trial session also sees the return of two long-standing traditions, the Charity Shield and World Club Challenge.
The St George Illawarra Dragons go up against the South Sydney in Charity Shield 2024, Saturday the 17th of February, where the Rabbitohs hold the all-time series lead by a single game, 18-17.
The World Club Challenge features Premiership winners, the Penrith Panthers, taking on Betfred League champions, the Wigan Warriors, on Sunday 25 February.
The World Club Challenge is available live courtesy of the Fox League channel, which means it can be watched on Foxtel, Foxtel Now, Telstra and streamed on Kayo Sports. Likewise, you can also catch the World Club Challenge live on free-to-air channel 9Gem, as well as their streaming partner 9Now.
| NRL Provider | Preseason Challenge | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Kayo Sports | LIVE coverage of all 17 Preseason matches plus the All-Star games | Yes – 7 day Free trial |
| Foxtel | LIVE coverage of all 17 Preseason matches plus the All-Star games | Yes – 10 day Free trial |
| Channel Nine | No preseason games, just All Stars & World Club Challenge live | World Club Challenge only |
Where can I stream the 2024 World Club Challenge live?
The 2024 World Club Challenge is an iconic pre-season fixture. Here’s the options for streaming the Penrith Panthers vs Wigan Warriors live.
| Provider | Charity Shield | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Kayo Sports | LIVE: Sun, 25 Feb at 7:05am – 9:30am | Yes – 7 day Free trial |
| Foxtel Now | LIVE: Sun, 25 Feb at 7:05am – 9:30am | Yes – 10 day Free trial |
| Nine | LIVE: Sun, 25 Feb at 7:05am – 9:30am | Yes – 9Gem |
World Club Challenge 2024 TV replays
The 2024 World Club Challenge is played in England and therefore has an early start time. Here’s a couple replay options for fans looking to catch the game after it has concluded.
Foxtel and Foxtel Now will have one-hour replays at scheduled times after the match have concluded, while the Kayo Sports replays will be available on-demand 30 minutes after the live broadcast has ended.
| Event | Date/Time (AEDT) | TV Provider |
|---|---|---|
| World Club Challenge | Replay: Sun, 25 Feb at 9:50am – 10:50am | Foxtel / Foxtel Now |
| World Club Challenge | Replay: Sun, 25 Feb on-demand (all day) | Kayo Sports |
When are NRL Pre-season trial games live on TV today?
Every NRL Preseason Challenge and All-Stars game will be broadcast exclusively live on the Fox League channel (Kayo/Foxtel).
There are no NRL Preseason games available on free to air, as Channel Nine did not acquire the broadcast rights for these matches.
Use these broadcast fixtures to see when and where to watch the Pre-Season matches that are live on TV today:
| NRL Pre-season | Date/Time (AEDT) | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbitohs vs Roosters | LIVE: Fri, 23 Feb at 6:00pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Sharks vs Bulldogs | LIVE: Fri, 23 Feb at 8:00pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Storm vs Knights | LIVE: Sat, 24 Feb at 1:45pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Warriors vs Dolphins | LIVE: Sat, 24 Feb at 3:45pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Eagles vs Broncos | LIVE: Sat, 24 Feb at 5:55pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Dragons vs Tigers | LIVE: Sat, 24 Feb at 8:05pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| World Club Challenge: Wigan vs Penrith | LIVE: Sun, 25 Feb at 7:00am | Foxtel / Kayo / Nine |
| Raiders vs Cowboys | LIVE: Sun, 25 Feb at 3:00pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Titans vs Eels | LIVE: Sun, 25 Feb at 5:00pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
How to watch the 2024 NRL Preseason live in Australia
FeaturedFortunately, there are several options for watching every match of the 2023 Pre-Season Challenge live in Australia, including Foxtel, Foxtel from Telstra and Kayo Sports.
In this section you will find a list of the providers who will be carrying these games, and the features that make each of these choices unique.
Stream the NRL Preseason live with Kayo Sports
One option for watching the NRL Pre-season live is on Kayo Sports, which is currently offering a 7-day free trial for new customers.
Kayo Sports gives you access to the same NRL broadcasts as Fox League (every game of every round LIVE with no ad-breaks during play) so you can stream your favourite team’s matches live or on-demand.
For fans who want to catch up on the action, Kayo Minis provide a 10-20 minute recap after the final whistle has been blown.
Other Kayo features include Interactive Graphics, SplitView, No Spoilers and Key Moments, which provide highlights throughout matches in real-time.
Kayo also does not have a lock-in contract, so you’re free to pause or cancell your subscription at any time.
Stream Rugby League on Kayo Sports
Watch every game from every round of the NRL season + International Tests with a monthly no contract plan.
Watch the NRL Preseason live online with Foxtel Now
Every NRL Pre-season game is exclusive to the Fox League channel, and can be accessed via Foxtel and Foxtel Now.
To watch on Foxtel with a Standard or HD TV, you have several choices, including subscribing to the Foxtel Plus pack to access over 50 channels of entertainment, drama, lifestyle, docos, reality and more.
You also have the choice to watch the NRL Pre-season live online using Foxtel Now, which currently comes with a 10-day free trial offering. This option includes the ability to stream NRL using the Foxtel Go app.
Fox League comes as part of the Foxtel Now Sports Pack ($29 per month) which can only be purchased on top of an Essentials Pack ($25 per month) after a free trial.
Watch the NRL Preseason live with Telstra
Telstra also offers Foxtel, Foxtel Now, and Kayo Sports, as users can get these services by simply adding their favorite provider to their accounts.
The exact same programming as a regular Foxtel service is provided by Telstra’s Foxtel, which may be added as an extra service at a discounted monthly rate when a 12-month subscription is purchased.
Additionally, Foxtel Now from Telstra is typically offered at a lower monthly cost. You must first purchase the Foxtel Now Essentials Pack and then add the Sports HD Pack in order to watch live NRL games. It should be mentioned that no additional hardware or installation are needed.
Similarly, a cancel anytime function is frequently included in the Kayo Sports on Telstra bundle. Simply select from the Kayo Basic, or Kayo Premium plans to stream live NRL games. Similar to the Foxtel Now from Telstra bundle, the Kayo Sports plans don’t require any additional equipment or installation.
Streaming devices for Kayo and Foxtel
Here are some of the best streaming TV devices to use when streaming sport on your home TV.
Devices supported on Kayo
- PC/Mac: Yes – MacOS 10.12+ (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) & Windows 10 (Chrome, Firefox, Edge); web browser only
- iOS/Android Phones/Tablets: Yes – Via native apps (iOS 15+ and Android 8+)
- Hubbl: Yes – available on both the small device and Hubbl Glass
- Google Chromecast: Yes – Chromecast Ultra, 3rd Generation
and Chromecast with Google TV for optimal streaming. SplitView not available - Apple TV: Yes – tvOS 11+, 4th Generation or higher. Casting available to previous models
- Amazon Fire TV Stick – Yes
- Google TV: Yes – OS 8.0+
- Android TV: Yes – Via
app for version 8.0 andup on the following devices: Xiaomi Mi Box, Asus Nexus Player, NVIDIA SHIELD, Sony BRAVIA™ and select models of Hisense, Kogan, Mecool, Panasonic, Philips, Sharpand TCL - Samsung Smart TVs: Yes – 2017 and later models. SplitView not available
- LG TV: Yes – 2018 models or later using WebOS 4 and above. LG Netcast TV’s or via LG TV’s Web Browser Application not available.
- Hisense Smart TV: Select 2019 – 2023 models
- Gaming Consoles: Yes – PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
Devices supported on Foxtel Now
- Foxtel Now Box: Yes
- Sony Android TV: Yes – OS Android 8 – Android 12
- iOS Mobiles/Tablets: Yes – Via Foxtel Go app (iOS 9.35 or above)
- Android Mobiles/Tablets: Yes – Via
native app (Lollipop 5.0 or above) - PC/Mac: Yes – Windows devices running Windows 7 and above. Mac devices running OS X Yosemite 10.10 and above
- Google Chromecast: Yes – Via casting
- Google Nest: Yes – on Foxtel Go via a compatible Chromecast device connected or built-in to your TV
- Apple TV: Yes – Via AirPlay
- Gaming consoles: Yes – PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro (Foxtel Play on PlayStation 3)
- Samsung Smart TVs: Yes – Select 2017 models and above, running on Tizen 3.0 or above. (Foxtel Play on 2015 and 2016 models)
- LG Smart TVs: Yes – Select 2017-2022 models, running webOS 3.5 or above
- Hisense Smart TVs: Yes – Select 2019 – 2020 models
- Shield TV: Yes – on Shield TV and Shield TV Pro
