The rights in France for the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and 2019 have been put on sale.
Rugby World Cup Limited, the company that oversees the tournament, has invited organisations interested in taking part in the rights tender to apply to the Paris office of the IMG agency, which will be brokering the deal.
Initial expressions of interest must be submitted by May 31, and a shortlist of candidates allowed to enter the bidding phase is likely to be drawn up about one week later. Rugby World Cup Limited said that only parties with the “necessary stature, experience, financial resources and technical expertise” would qualify to participate in the bidding process.
Commercial broadcaster TF1 and Eurosport France, the French division of the pan-European broadcaster, had the rights for the 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cups in a two-tournament deal. TF1 sublicensed on some rights for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to public-service broadcaster France Télévisions and pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup will take place in England and the 2019 tournament will be staged in Japan.
France reached the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup before losing to host New Zealand.