Photo: Supplied / Richard Parsonson
Sky TV has nailed down the broadcast rights for major rugby events for the next seven years and confirmed the sale of its streaming service, RugbyPass.
The pay-TV operator said it had struck a deal with World Rugby for exclusive rights to major competitions, including men's and women's Rugby World Cups, and the Rugby Sevens series between 2023 and 2029.
Sky TV will also sell the RugbyPass service to World Rugby as part of the overall agreement.
"This agreement 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," Sky chief executive Sophie Moloney said.
"The partnership includes an agreement to co-produce exciting new programming with an emphasis on the women's game, a strategic priority for both Sky and World Rugby."
No financial details of either the cost of the rights or the price paid for RugbyPass were disclosed.
In July Sky TV was forced by media speculation to confirm it was close to securing the broadcast rights, and looking at the future of RugbyPass.
Moloney said RugbyPass was suited to be within the World Rugby structure.
"It is an exciting transition for the RugbyPass team to step into the World Rugby family, and to work with World Rugby to deliver on its strategic mission to grow the sport globally."
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said acquiring Rugby Pass would help increase the audience for rugby.
"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 key markets."
