linkomatic
By all means, get efficient streaming onboard and make coverage accessible. I'm all over that as a concept...World Rugby has acquired RugbyPass (www.rugbypass.com) and its global stable of digital properties as part of a wide-ranging rights deal with Sky New Zealand announced today.
RugbyPass is an established destination for rugby fans across the globe, with comprehensive rugby news, analysis, shows, highlights, podcasts, documentaries, fixtures and results, and much more, and currently has a combined monthly audience of more than seven million across its properties.
The deal represents a landmark step in World Rugby’s strategic mission to grow the sport globally by accelerating its direct-to-consumer offering, including content, streaming and programming services to establish a deeper relationship with fans, growing rugby’s popularity across the globe.
Within the unprecedented rights deal, Sky New Zealand will underscore its place as New Zealand’s destination for World Rugby events and content between 2023 and 2029. This includes every men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup, the new WXV women’s 15s competition and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. This also includes a joint approach to the production of exclusive programming, particularly in the women’s game, a strategic priority for both parties.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “World Rugby’s mission is to grow the global rugby family. To do that, rugby must be more accessible and more relevant to more people more of the time and we must create deeper relationships with those who love the game, those who are casual fans and those who are yet to discover our sport.
“This deal reflects that mission. Supported by our Executive Board, we are undertaking a significant business transformation to better enable World Rugby to lead the growth of the sport through the establishment of a dedicated events and entertainment business which will oversee the running of the joint venture entities responsible for every men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup between 2025 and 2033, WXV and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
“RugbyPass is an established destination within rugby in terms of the audience footprint it generates on its own channels and, with our combined support and access to content, is perfectly positioned to grow exponentially, providing the platform to accelerate rugby’s advancement in emerging markets.
“We are excited by this deal and its potential to unify a very fragmented rights environment and support our unions by creating an engaged and unified audience that benefits everyone. I would like to thank Sky New Zealand for helping make this possible, and look forward to working in partnership with them to deliver our premium competitions to New Zealanders, and to working with our wider stakeholders and the RugbyPass team to supercharge rugby’s reach and engagement.”
Sky New Zealand Chief Executive Sophie Moloney added: “Sky’s goal is to connect New Zealanders with the sport and entertainment they love, in ways that work for them. This deal secures exclusive access to all of World Rugby’s premium competitions for many years, and we are thrilled to be able to offer them to all New Zealanders on the Sky Box, our streaming services and free-to-air.
but SkySport NZ? whaaaa....
it's part owned by NZR. We get parochial cheerleading instead of insightful analysis while some people hold Justin Marshall's incessant yapping up as a wonderful insight that explains the game. It's not and he's a **** who won't shut up.
How does this 'grow the game' in NZ? It cements an already cosy and self serving relationship that excludes those who can't or won't spend the money on subscription to a shit channel.
