ARU set to seal bumper rights deal – report

The Australian Rugby Union is close to unveiling a new long-term rights deal with pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and commercial broadcaster Ten that will give the sport a bigger free-to-air presence in the country, according to The Australian.

The newspaper said that although the ARU failed to create a bidding war between Australia’s three main commercial broadcasters, it has secured an increase in terms with Fox Sports and Ten.

Under the current deal, which is due to expire in 2016, Ten shows coverage of Australia national team matches in a sublicensing deal with Fox Sports. The Australian said the ARU will announce within weeks a new agreement that will see Fox Sports maintain live coverage of all games from the Super Rugby club competition, along with sublicensing Super Rugby replay rights to Ten and ensuring all Australia matches are simulcast by the commercial broadcaster.

Ten’s Super Rugby rights will make the first time the competition has had a presence on free-to-air television in Australia since its inception in 1996. Under the new contract, The Australian said the ARU will garner about A$40m (€26.9m/$29.6m) in annual income from a new deal starting in 2016. Presently, the ARU generates about A$25m annually from its media rights.

News of the impending deal comes with Fox Sports unveiling its biggest broadcast commitment to a Rugby World Cup for the upcoming tournament in England. Subscribers to pay-television operator Foxtel will be able to watch all 48 World Cup matches live in high definition on a dedicated Fox Sports channel.

Fox Sports chief executive Patrick Delany has also revealed plans to show games without advertising breaks before kick-off and during play to provide an uninterrupted viewing experience in a bid to help retain and drive new subscribers to Foxtel.

While not commenting on the ARU deal, Delany told The Australian: “Rugby is important to Fox Sports and Foxtel. When we first started live 20 years ago Super Rugby was a competition we had to ourselves.

“We’ve got a rich heritage in rugby and that means some of our oldest and most dedicated subscribers are rugby lovers. It’s not about the ratings – it’s very much about subscriber satisfaction. Making sure they are happy, well attached and they stay with us.”