Network Ten has taken over the domestic free-to-air rights for the Australian rugby union national team Test matches for three years, from 2013 to 2015, from rival commercial broadcaster Nine.
The rights include live coverage of all Australia Tests in the southern hemisphere – including matches against the touring British and Irish Lions team next year – plus some internationals on Australia’s annual tour of Europe. Ten will also broadcast a weekly highlights show covering club competition Super Rugby, which takes place in South Africa and New Zealand as well as Australia.
The deal is worth A$2.5 million (€2 million/$2.58 million) per year, according to the Australian newspaper.
Ten acquired the rights from pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports, the principal rights-holder in Australia, after Nine cancelled its sub-licensing deal with Fox two years into a five-year deal due to programming conflicts.
Australian Rugby Union, the sport’s governing body in Australia, had been frustrated with Nine delaying broadcasts of rugby union Test matches to accommodate live coverage of rugby league games when there were scheduling clashes between the two codes.
“Rugby league is our staple, and the issues came with the scheduling clashes,” Nine’s head of sport Steve Crawley said. “I have huge respect for rugby, and it made us uncomfortable we couldn’t please everyone. This is a good result.”
ARU managing director and chief executive John O’Neill added: “We know there were programming conflicts for Nine over that period. We also appreciate that Nine not only understood this but the frustration it was causing for many in the rugby community, and this resolution is certainly a beneficial one from that perspective.”
Fox Sports holds all the rights for Australia Test matches in a five-year deal, from 2011 to 2015, and had sublicensed pay-television rights to Nine. Ten, Nine, Fox Sports and the governing body had been in talks for six weeks about transferring the rights to Ten from Nine.