Grand Prix Entertainment, a sports and entertainment event promoter, extended its deal with USA Rugby, the governing body of rugby union in the US, for worldwide broadcast distribution rights for the Professional Rugby Sevens series for six years, until 2018.
Grand Prix Entertainment plans to sell the rights in multi-year packages for the first time in the new cycle. “On a global basis, these exclusive multi-year rights make my job much easier as the ability to deliver consistent major league sports content over a period of years versus a single season is what international carriers strive to acquire,” Gary Marenzi, who oversees Grand Prix Entertainment’s international distribution rights, said.
Grand Prix Entertainment’s broadcast representative, Neal Pilson, added: “These live telecast rights to Grand Prix’s exciting rugby sevens tournaments have great value here in the US and abroad. We fully expect to finalise a carriage agreement with a US network partner very soon.”
The agreement extends a partnership that began in 2005 and also includes event promotion and licensing of the seven-a-side rugby union series.