The only problem with that is that NRL and AFL are an Australian competition and the NZRU comes from our lands. If you compare apples with apples then compare the NZRU to the NZRL and union and league in NZ. Its like comparing the NRL to NFL and NBA and I know that's unfair consider the population different in numbers of America to Australia.
Like I said the NRL broadcasting deal is bigger then the 3 SANZAR nations combined.
We have articles here in NZ during the rugby season taking digs at league like rugby here is a bigger business then league in Australia. When SBW signed with the Roosters it was reported that he should have signed with the NZRU cause they have a new deal with AIG and were cashed up. This was after the ARLC signed a $1.2 billion deal as well as signed up deals with Telstra and Holden for naming rights of the NRL and under 20's and sponsorship that would be equal to that deal or larger.
It was reported last year that the NZRU is a $100 million a year business and that included at the time fully funding the Super Rugby franchises. The NRL does not fully fund the NRL clubs they pay them grants which now cover the salary cap and maybe a bit more. The average NRL club needs 20-30 million dollars a year in funding.
The NRL/ARLC is a $440 million dollar a year business with a $1.2 billion dollar TV deal. They need to find another billion dollars in the next 5 years through sponsorship, digital rights etc for projects, future funding. SANZAR would love to have those headaches.
We keep hearing that rugby how many countries play rugby and how little league is. Like the competitions you mentioned in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB you don't need to be in a lot of countries if you have the population. The average rugby watching New Zealander was shocked when the NRL got a billion dollars cause they have been told that league has no money and big global rugby is now professional and well funded including SANZAR and the NZRU.