Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has signed a new four-year deal to continue coverage of the World Rugby Sevens Series until 2023.
Under the agreement with World Rugby, Sky will provide coverage of every game from the men’s and women’s tournaments for the first time.
Sky will deliver more than 230 hours of coverage per series, with highlights programmes for each tournament to form part of the rights package.
The deal has been signed ahead of the start of the 2020 World Rugby Sevens Series in Glendale, Colorado this weekend with the opening match of the women’s series. The men’s competition gets underway in Dubai with an event from December 5-7.
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “New Zealand had a strong 2019 season with both men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games and with the women winning the overall series title, giving fans much to celebrate.
“We are incredibly excited that New Zealand will host its first women’s world series event this year alongside the men’s competition in Hamilton which is hugely important as we continue to grow our fan base in this market as we build towards Rugby World Cup 2021.”