Hello Channel 7, are you listening?!?!
New record broadcast figures for IRB Sevens
January 18, 2006 - 11:55am
Story by: IRB
The two opening events of the 2005/06 IRB Sevens series in Dubai and South Africa have seen a massive jump in interest and coverage among international broadcasters for the second year running.
The season's first two events were won in thrilling fashion by England and Fiji, which has set the season up for a fascinating battle with defending series champions New Zealand lying in sixth place going into their home event in February.
The events in Dubai (UAE) and George (South Africa) have so far enjoyed a television broadcast reach of over 150 million homes in over 120 countries worldwide, with 190 hours of coverage aired so far; an increase of 35% on figures for the same two events last year.
Furthermore, with added repeat coverage scheduled, and additional broadcasters yet to take the post-produced highlights, eventual airtime for the two events is expected to top 400 hours - 100 hours more than last season - with the popularity of the live and "as live" coverage the key to the on-going success.
Live coverage figures have indeed shown a steep climb. In Dubai, a record 10 broadcasters took more than 100 hours live - a 100% increase on 2004/05 - while in George, five overseas broadcasters took 36 hours of live coverage in addition to the 19 live hours shown locally - a 300% increase on 2004/05.
The unprecedented levels of exposure come at the beginning of a busy season of international Sevens, including two-day competitions at both the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne (16-17 March), which will see a 50,000 sell-out world record crowd for Sevens, and the Asian Games in Doha ( December).
"With Sevens tickets proving the second most popular sellers at the Commonwealth Games behind only athletics, this broadcast news offers another fantastic boost at the beginning of what is set to be a memorable year," said Beth Coalter, the IRB Sevens Manager.
"The figures for the events in Dubai and George indicate just how steep the increase is in the popularity and exposure of the IRB Sevens series, and Sevens as a sport."
The exciting IRB Sevens series continues on 3-4 February in Wellington, New Zealand, where the 34,000-seater Westpac stadium sold out in a matter of hours, and then at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles on 11-12 February, before going on to Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and London.
Pro-Active Television was appointed to manage the production of the IRB Sevens and maximize television output in 2004. The UK-based company specialises in the hands-on generation of news, features, and live coverage of various events and tours around the world.
In addition to television broadcast, radio figures for the IRB Sevens series are at an all-time high. The number of stations worldwide taking the IRB Sevens syndicated Radio News Service has risen 500% to over 120 since the Dubai and George tournaments in December 2004, while 74 stations in 27 counties currently air the 26-minute weekly Total Rugby Radio programme.
