Rugby Union
TNT Sports adds Autumn Nations Series to rugby union portfolio
TNT Sports has acquired rights to the Autumn Nations Series, replacing Amazon as the rights-holder in the UK in a strengthening of the pay-television broadcaster's rugby union portfolio.
Top 14 domestic tender invites bidders to add extra season
Broadcasters bidding for domestic rights to French rugby union’s top-tier Top 14 and second-tier Pro D2 will be able to lodge offers across four or five seasons according to the details of the tender announced today (Tuesday).
Premiership Rugby secures blanket coverage in new TNT Sports deal
All matches from England’s Gallagher Premiership will be available domestically on a single broadcaster for the first time after Warner Bros. Discovery finalised a new rights agreement.
LNR goes early again with Top 14 domestic rights
French rugby union’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) will continue its strategy of taking its domestic rights to market well before the expiry of its current agreement by soon launching an invitation t…
Fox Sports to air Premiership Rugby following MLR deal
Premiership Rugby will enjoy heightened exposure in the US market after Fox Sports agreed to air 10 matches, including the semi-finals and final, as part of a deal between the broadcaster and Major League…
No carve-outs as Pitch to handle Lions international rights sales
Pitch International has won more business in rugby union after being appointed to sell international broadcast rights to the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia next year.
Sky NZ weighs up exclusivity balance amid rising subscriber costs
Sky New Zealand is considering an increased role for free-to-air coverage of sports events it acquires rights to, with the exclusivity balance to be “part of the conversation” during rugby rights negotiations lat…
SA Rugby to set up commercial unit with investor ASG
South Africa Rugby is to establish a commercial vehicle to manage its media and sponsorship rights after striking an agreement with Ackerley Sports Group (ASG), a new unit of the US investment firm
France 2023 sets new audience records, linear TV still dominates
France 2023 was the most-watched Rugby World Cup of all time, governing body World Rugby declared today (Tuesday).
The tournament, won by South Africa, achieved 1
Lions tour value dips slightly in Sky renewal
Pay-television broadcaster Sky will pay a slightly decreased fee for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2025, owing to a lack of strong competition for the rights.
In Focus: Rugby World Cup
SportBusiness Media takes a deep dive into the numbers driving the commercial success of the Rugby World Cup.
MLR brings in Globant to revamp OTT platform after success of Fifa remit
Major League Rugby has signed a wide-ranging commercial partnership with digital consultant and software provider Globant, which encompasses an overhaul of its over-the-top (OTT) platform, The Rugby Network
TNT Sports commits to multi-year coverage of Premiership Women’s Rugby
UK pay-television broadcaster TNT Sports has acquired rights to Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR), England’s rebranded domestic rugby union club competition.
Lions to stay on Sky for 2025 tour of Australia
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has maintained its long-standing connection with the British & Irish Lions by securing rights to the team’s 2025 tour of Australia.
Rugby World Cup boosts TF1’s financial results
French commercial broadcaster TF1 has pointed to the impact of a home Rugby World Cup (RWC) as group net profit and revenue for the media segment of the company rose year-on-year for the third quarter.
England semi-final defeat peaks at 8.7m to give ITV biggest audience of year
ITV, the UK commercial broadcaster, recorded its biggest audience of 2023, as 8.7 million people tuned into watch the closing stages of England's dramatic defeat to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-final.
TF1 falls short of Rugby World Cup TV record as France head out
France's thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat to South Africa drew the best audience of the year for commercial broadcaster TF1, but it was not enough to set a new all-time tournament viewership…
Court rejects challenge to MultiChoice’s RWC sublicensing terms
A legal challenge filed by South Africa’s eMedia Investments against the terms of pay-television operator MultiChoice’s Rugby World Cup sublicensing deal has failed after being struck from the roll at …