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Wallabies, Super Rugby TV deal: Channel 9 secures rugby rights
Jamie Pandaram, The Daily Telegraph
November 9, 2020 10:08am
Subscriber only
Rugby union will move away from Fox Sports for the first time since it turned professional in 1996, with Nine Network securing broadcast rights for the code from 2021.
Under the new deal worth $30 million a year, Nine will create Stan Sport and show most Super Rugby games on the streaming service, in a move to rival Foxtel’s Kayo.
Wallabies games, and other Rugby Championship Tests, plus one game of Super Rugby will be shown live on Nine’s free-to-air network, while the remaining Super games, as well as Shute Shield, will be shown behind a paywall on Stan Sport.
The deal will be announced at Rugby Australia’s Sydney headquarters at 11am on Monday.
I wonder if this is an additional cost for stan account holders, or inclusive in current subscription fees...?
Dear Lord, if you give us back Johnny Cash, we'll give you Justin Bieber.
Another question, should Stan Sport be extra, is what other content will they have as incentive to subscribe? They can't put NRL, for one, behind a pay wall - yet. A bit surprising that the Shite Shield will be fenced off too.
https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2020/1...broadcast-deal
Rugby Australia have reached an in-principle agreement with Nine Entertainment Co. that is now subject to final sign-off by the SANZAAR Unions.
The three-year partnership commencing in 2021 includes a two-year option to extend, ushering in a new era and a new home for Rugby in Australia, that will result in an overall benefit to the sport worth $100 million over the initial three-year period.
All Super Rugby AU matches will be live and ad-free on video-on-demand streaming service, Stan, alongside Super W and all matches of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Saturday night’s Super Rugby AU match will be live, free-to-air on the Nine Network every week. All Super Rugby AU finals matches will also be live, free-to-air on the Nine Network.
Stan will also exclusively stream every Wallaroos Test, The Rugby Championship, The Bledisloe Cup, as well as all inbound Tests for Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina with select games also broadcast free-to-air on Nine.
The rivalry and tribalism of Club Rugby is also included in the landmark deal, which will see every match from two of Australia’s oldest premier Rugby competitions – the Shute Shield in New South Wales and the Hospital Challenge Cup in Queensland - on Stan.
The new partnership with Australia’s leading media and entertainment company will also see unrivalled support and promotion of Australian Rugby across its blue-chip holdings in radio, newspaper publications, digital media, streaming services and free-to-air television broadcasting.
Moreover, Australian Rugby will benefit from additional investment into a world class broadcast production which will be integral to growing fan engagement from the grassroots up.
Rugby Australia interim Chief Executive Rob Clarke said: “Firstly, on behalf of Rugby Australia, I’d like to thank everyone involved in this process.
“A special thank you to FOX Sports and Foxtel as well as its Chief Executive Patrick Delany, who have done so much for our game throughout its professional history. We have enjoyed great highs over our 25-year partnership, and we would not be in the position we are today without their support.
“I would also like to acknowledge Network Ten and Beverley McGarvey who, over the last five years, have been ardent supporters of Rugby in Australia and have helped take our game into new homes right across our country.
“Rugby Australia is very excited about our new partnership with Nine Entertainment Co. and what’s in store for our great game over the next three years and beyond. I would like to make special mention of Nine’s CEO Hugh Marks and Stan’s CEO, Mike Sneesby, for their professionalism throughout this process, as well as their shared vision for the future success of Rugby in our country.
“Rugby has found its new home on Stan and the Nine Network, with broad reach on free-to-air television as well as ad-free, extensive access on the Stan platform.
“The fantasy has become a reality for the Australian Rugby community. This is a landmark deal that includes everything in the showbag, and it gives more Australians more access to more Rugby than ever before. Australian Rugby is transforming with an exciting future ahead, and this innovative partnership enables us to fast-track that growth from the grassroots up as well as showcase and promote the game like never before.
“We’re particularly pleased for Super Rugby to be live on free-to-air for the first time in its history. We’re also thrilled to partner with streaming service Stan, which now boast more than two million Australian subscribers and are growing at a rapid rate. We’ve recognised that the broadcast landscape has changed, and we’re changing with it.
“Nine and Stan have also made a commitment to our women’s game, both at a domestic and international level. Rugby Australia is passionate about the growth of the women’s game in Australia and we look forward to working closely with them to showcase our competitions and talented players as well as encouraging more women and girls to pick up a Rugby ball,” Clarke said.
Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan said: “I’d like to thank Rob, the Rugby Australia broadcast sub-committee as well as the Rugby Australia Board for running a strong and rigorous process. This agreement ensures the future of our sport and this exciting new chapter enables Rugby Australia to dynamically grow the game from the grassroots up.
“I too, would like to echo Rob’s remarks, and thank Foxtel and FOX Sports for their long service to Rugby in this country and their support over the last 25 years,” McLennan said.
Stan’s CEO Mike Sneesby said: “Rugby Australia is making bold moves in the development of the sport – something that fits perfectly with what we do at Stan. This partnership with Rugby Australia will see Stan launch its live streaming capability in 2021 as we take Australian sports television into a new era. Through the combined audience reach and engagement across Nine’s television platforms we are well positioned to bring Rugby Union to more Australians than ever before.”
From 2022, Rugby Australia will work with Nine Entertainment Co. in establishing new assets, like State of Union as well as Men’s and Women’s Sevens tournaments.
NRC kicked to the kerb?
If Foxtel is smart, they will at lock up the rights to the NZ and SA comps as quick as possible...
Also, the Force better finalise the negotiations they're working on with any Australian based senior players.
The other franchises will have contracts ready, there will be a flurry of signatures once the money is approved, none of them will have a problem with spending it long before they actually get it.
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Hey Alison,
You're the one on here with the numbers closest to hand,
How does 33 Million a year stack up? Other than being a lot less than they were on previously.
Where will the cuts be made, the usual suspects are already trimmed to the bone
Nothing for Development Officers
Already next to nothing for the Community Game
Very little does direct to State Unions
Shute Shield pay for themselves (somehow)
Women's Rugby is not professional, so costs next to nothing
Sevens is an Olympic sport, I wouldn't be surprised if that was funded solely by the AusGOV funding, with RA putting not a single cent in (probably taking what they can get away with out TBH)
I don't see much else that can be slashed apart from Elite Junior Programs, the optimistically named High Performance Unit, Player Salaries and the high cost of treating executive managers and board personnel like royalty.
I can't imagine any of that will be hit too hard, so surely the players are the ones who will get the shitty end of the stick.
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It’s simply not enough to make ends meet. At least not at the moment with World Rugby and HSBC sitting proudly on RA’s balance sheet. I guess if there is no SA or Japan or Arg in the SR comp, that will reduce travel costs significantly, but I still don’t reckon that’s enough of a saving.
What odds on RA considering a private equity model for the SR franchises like in England and France????
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
OK, so RA spends about 6 Million a year (according to their reports) directly on Super Rugby Teams, then another roughly 18 Million on "High Performance" stuff (which is, for the most part Wallaby Top Ups and paying for Blokes like Scotty 'Can't remember this last name, that's how little work he's actually done'
If you take Private Equity in, surely that'll only cover the 24 Million that's going directly to the Reds, Tahs, Brumbies and Rebels
IT won't cover the few million each year that just gets given to Qld and NSW rugby, the multiple millions of dollars that are hidden in the accounts to give Melbourne a heartbeat or the expense of champagne, caviar and first class flights for Clarke et al
That's assuming that they can find a private equity partner who is willing to commit to the deal and who is solvent enough to be able to honour it, which I think is a fantasy.
Edit, still glad it's Nine, it was easy to convince her indoors that I needed to get Stan for the rugby
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It will be interesting to see how this pans out for Fox. With plenty of AFL and NRL on FTA plus Saturday SR OZ now, I'd imagine plenty of punters might sit pat for a while. I was going to flick Fox this month anyway. So I'll likely be among them.
Well this was a surprise given I figured Rugby would end up staying with Fox.
What other sport do they own the rights to?
I know Cannel 9 is obviously the FTA partner of the NRL and I remember Channel 9 have a hissy for at the NRL of its digital rights earlier in the year.
Coincidentally, after posting above I got a text that my package on Fox was going up double and ring to discuss. They made a few lame offers but I'm on wait to cancel now. Joining the 21st century - streaming.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David