Rugby Union

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France Rugby Union

Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has held on to one of its flagship properties in France by retaining rights to French rugby union’s Top 14 from 2023-24 to 2026-27 in a deal worth an average of €…
France Rugby Union

The invitation to tender for domestic broadcast rights to French rugby union’s Top 14 is reported to have attracted bids from broadcasters including incumbent rights-holder Canal Plus and free-to-air d…
United Kingdom Rugby Union

UK free-to-air broadcaster Channel 4 is close to further enhancing its sports rights portfolio by agreeing a deal for highlights of the British & Irish Lions rugby union series against South Africa, it…
New Zealand Rugby Union

Rugby union digital media platform RugbyPass will stream live coverage of New Zealand's Super Rugby Aotearoa competition this year in 100 territories around the world, under a new deal with New Zealand…
Australia Rugby Union

Australian broadcaster Nine Entertainment is said to be considering offering its streaming service Stan Sport directly to pubs and clubs via smart television apps, in an effort to ensure its Super Rugby…
Japan Rugby Union

Australian media group Nine Entertainment has announced an exclusive rights deal for the Japan Top League rugby union competition
France Rugby Union

France’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby has begun a search for a head of broadcast rights and content.
United Kingdom Rugby Union

The Rugby Football Union is actively seeking a domestic broadcaster for the top-tier women’s Premier 15s league.
France Rugby Union

Scotland’s win over defending champions England during the opening weekend of rugby union’s 2021 Six Nations was watched by a peak audience of 8.7 m

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Rugby Union
Global

An experimental deal between New Zealand Rugby and digital platform RugbyPass has underscored the difficulty the Sanzaar alliance and its member rugby unions have had selling international rights for the 2021-25 cycle.
Rugby Union
United Kingdom

Premiership Rugby Limited and UK telco BT’s agreement in December on a three-season renewal marked the end of a saga that saw its fair share of twists and turns. But while the rights-holder will see a drop in annual rights revenue compared with the final season of the current deal, it is thought to view a direct-to-consumer strategy as a viable means of addressing the shortfall.
Rugby Union
Asia-Pacific

Rugby union digital media platform Rugbypass has stepped back from the rights market after putting its streaming business ambitions on pause, resulting in falls in the value of Six Nations and European Professional Club Rugby rights it previously held, in replacement deals in the Asia-Pacific region.
Rugby Union
Global

Boutique agencies were at the fore in the sales process for international rights to the British & Irish Lions 2021 tour of South Africa, with the bigger players opting not to participate due to the carving out of key territories.
United Kingdom Rugby Union

Premiership Rugby’s plan to halt relegation and grow its league to 13 clubs next season has been put on hold due to opposition from pay-television broadcaster BT Sport, its domestic broadcast rights-holder.
France Rugby Union

France’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) has introduced more stringent financial guarantee measures and altered the payment schedule in its recently-launched domestic rights tender in the wake of the c…
France Rugby Union

The executive board of France’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) has approved the issuing of a domestic broadcast rights auction for the top-tier Top 14 in a sales process launched in the same week as t…
South Africa Rugby Union

Jurie Roux, chief executive of South Africa Rugby, has pushed back against proposals from the country’s broadcast regulator, ICASA, that would impose restrictions on media-rights contracts.
United Kingdom Rugby Union

Six Nations Rugby, the organising body of the annual national team tournament, has slightly delayed to February the restart of its sales process for broadcast rights in the UK to the Six Nations and Autumn…
Global Rugby Union

LiveWire Sport, the UK-based digital content agency, has been appointed in a two-year agreement with World Rugby to lead the international rugby union governing body’s social channel management and paid m…
United Kingdom Rugby Union

BT Sport has finalised its retention of domestic broadcast rights to Premiership Rugby in an agreement that will extend the UK pay-television broadcaster’s coverage to 2024.
United Kingdom Rugby Union

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport is reportedly closing in on an extension to its rights deal with Premiership Rugby after electing not to pursue a compensation claim for disruption to the rugby union…
Italy Rugby Union

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has agreed a two-year broadcast deal for rights to European Professional Club Rugby competitions
Kenya Rugby Union

The Kenyan Rugby Union has agreed a new five-year domestic rights deal with media group Mediamax Networks, boosting national coverage
Australia Rugby Union

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Entertainment has recruited Murray Shaw, an experienced sports production executive in Australia, as its head of rugby
United Kingdom Rugby Union

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport is to broadcast all Premiership Rugby matches played behind closed doors this season and will offer free access to club season ticket holders until at least the end…
Europe Rugby Union

Rugby Europe, the administrative body for rugby union in Europe, has hired the River Media Partners and Sports Media Venture agencies to develop its media and sponsorship rights revenues
United Kingdom Rugby Union

Six Nations Rugby, the organising body of the annual national team tournament, will restart its sales process in late January for broadcast rights in the UK to the Six Nations and Autumn Internationals,…
Italy Rugby Union

Commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights in Italy to the new Autumn Nations Cup rugby union competition
Australia Rugby Union

Australian broadcaster Nine Entertainment is launching a premium sports streaming service, Stan Sports, following its acquisition of Rugby Australia domestic media rights
Ireland Rugby Union

Pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports has acquired a package of rights in Ireland to the new Autumn Nations Cup rugby union tournament
Australia Rugby Union

Pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has acquired rights in Australia to rugby union’s new Autumn Nations Cup and Europe’s Heineken Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Global Rugby Union

World Rugby has recruited Chris Synnott from WRC Promoter, the commercial arm of the FIA World Rally Championship, as its head of broadcast and media rights sales as it builds up its in-house capabilities
USA Rugby Union

US-based sports streaming service FloSports has acquired rights for the upcoming Autumn Nations Cup, a new international rugby union tournament set up following the postponement of autumn Test tours
Australia Rugby Union

Australian pay-television broadcaster Foxtel has offered to place a handful of Super Rugby matches outside of its Kayo Sports sports streaming platform paywall as part of its pitch to win  Rugby Australia's …
Global Rugby Union

The UK-based RDA agency has been appointed as the exclusive media-rights distributor for the upcoming British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in a range of territories
United Kingdom Rugby Union

Commercial station TalkSport is set to retain radio rights in the UK for the British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa next year.
France Rugby Union

Canal Plus will show the French Top 14 rugby union match between Toulon and Brive on its C8 free-to-air channel