The NRL has struck it rich after inking a new broadcast deal until 2027.
The five-year agreement is set to net the game more than $2 billion, with Channel Nine, Fox Sports and Sky NZ to broadcast the NRL premiership and NRLW season.
Nine will have exclusive rights to the Grand Final and State of Origin, with the latter resorting to three Wednesday night fixtures from 2023, ending the Sunday time slot experiment.
Given the packed fixture, the mid-year Pacific Tests will be pushed back to October or November.
With the International fixtures moving back, the league has received criticism for failing to prioritise the global aspect of the game, but NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the move had to be made for logistic purposes.
“We care very much about the International game,” Abdo said via a statement.
“We are very committed to International football, but an International football window that happens in October and November makes more sense for everyone.
“It's where we can standardise and play meaningful and regular competitions at the back end of the season.”
With the NRLW season set to take place over two periods next season, Abdo says the league will get a better idea of when to place the fixture come 2023.
He also added that Women’s Origin could be expanded by that time from one game to two or three fixtures.
“We get the benefit next year of testing a (NRLW) competition at the early part of the year,” Abdo continued.
“As we grow those number of teams, we will start to think about when the best place is to hold the NRLW competition.
“In terms of the women's State of Origin, we are very much looking at how we can move from one match to two or three.
“In 2023, we will probably be at at least a two-match series or potentially a three-match series.”
The inclusion of the Dolphins will also mean the representative break round will be scrapped, with all teams to receive two byes per year from 2023.