Online subscription service Coliseum Sports Media has acquired rights to French top-tier rugby union league the Top 14 in New Zealand and will exploit the property via a new direct-to-customer platform.
Terms of the rights deal between CSM and Top 14 operator Ligue Nationale de Rugby were not disclosed, but Top14Pass.com will launch on November 29, providing every game of the league live for the first time in New Zealand.
Top14Pass.com will also offer review and highlight shows, and will be streamed live and on-demand via Apple TVs, iOS and select Android phones and tablets, as well as through computer devices.
The new service will be available to New Zealand rugby fans for the special introductory price of NZ$49 (€31/$39) for the remainder of the ongoing 2014-15 season, or $5 per month. Games will be presented in a mixture of English and French with the three best matches of each round offered in English and in HD.
Emmanuel Eschalier, LNR chief executive, said: “New Zealand truly is the home of rugby but to be able to showcase our internationally acclaimed championship, to so many people in such an important country, is great for the competition.”