FOX Sports in Super Rugby deal
FOX Sports confirms its live coverage of Super Rugby matches in a broadcast deal with SANZAR and Nine.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Subscription
Following on from media reports this morning, FOX Sports has confirmed a new broadcast agreement with SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) and the Nine Network to take effect in 2011.
The new agreement sees FOX Sports retain its exclusive rights to broadcast live coverage of every match from the expanded Super Rugby competition, which from 2011 will feature an additional 34 matches and 15 teams. Under the agreement FOX Sports has also acquired digital rights for mobile and online use.
FOX Sports continues live coverage of Wallabies Tests, sharing the rights to all Wallabies Test matches with Nine.
The two networks will also share rights to Australia’s matches in the Tri Nations series, with matches not featuring the Wallabies to remain exclusive to FOX Sports.
David Malone, CEO of FOX Sports, said “We’re delighted to announce today that FOX Sports will continue to deliver the most comprehensive live coverage of rugby on Australian television over the next five years.
“The expanded Super Rugby competition which will enable us to broadcast 125 live matches next season, plus we will continue to provide live and uninterrupted coverage of every Wallabies Test and every match of the Tri Nations series,” he said.
“With broadcast rights to the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups already secured, the new arrangement with SANZAR enhances FOX Sports’ position as Australia’s leading broadcaster of international rugby.”
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- Tagged with Rugby Union, Tri Nations, World Cup
5 Responses
Souns a bit like Nine are throwing up the white flag on bidding for the NRL coverage. Seven will get a it lot cheaper now and the NRL won’t be too pleased..
This deal isnt good enough. Rugby is going to go backwards even more. If the aru wanted to enhance the games coverage then this has just been a bad move. Nine will butcher it as much as they have butchered rugby league. My inclination is that they bidded for the rugby because they knew that seven network would snatch the Rugby League away from them.
“Is there any word if One were involved in bidding for the Super 14 or for the Wallabies matches?”
Yes. Apparently they put in a substantial bid, about 40 million as opposed to Nine’s 10 million. But they wanted live Super 15, which News Limited aren’t going to give them.
@Ed: yes, Ten/One offered US$40 million to broadcast Wallabies matches plus one Super 14 match live each week, but the offer was rejected by Fox Sports (which owns the overall rights) because it wanted to retain exclusive coverage of Super 14.
Is there any word if One were involved in bidding for the Super 14 or for the Wallabies matches?