New International Broadcaster Partners Announced For GUINNESS PRO14
Following on from the news that ESPN will broadcast the GUINNESS PRO14 in the United States, PRO14 Rugby can reveal that DAZN, Rugby Pass and Sky New Zealand have joined the Championship’s broadcast family to bring the fast-flowing action to a further 30 countries.
As the GUINNESS PRO14 embarks on a new era with its host broadcasters in the UK, Ireland, Italy and South Africa, new record-setting agreements have been reached for worldwide coverage thanks to media rights specialists RDA.
DAZN, who have already agreed to the first multi-year deal for the Championship’s Italian rights, will also screen the GUINNESS PRO14 in Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria until 2021.
Sky New Zealand will be able to show some of the most exciting rugby from the GUINNESS PRO14 for the next three years where rugby fans will be able to see nearly 300 international stars in action while keeping up with the wide array of players from New Zealand in the Championship.
Rugby Pass have won the rights for South East Asia (24 countries & territories) and Australia and continue their association with the Championship until 2021. Rugby Pass, who produced a behind-the-scenes feature on the 2018 PRO14 final, provide on demand content and the latest rugby news and opinion across their digital platforms and will use the Championship as a key part of their coverage.
Martin Anayi, CEO of PRO14 Rugby, said: “In the past three years we have worked hard to evolve our offering to broadcasters both at home and across the world and the three-year commitments from DAZN, Sky New Zealand and Rugby Pass proves that we are delivering on those ambitions.
“We know that fans of our teams are spread right across the world and are keen to keep up with their local teams, but we have also seen the desire of supporters everywhere to watch the fast-flowing, entertaining rugby that the PRO14 provides year after year.
“To know that the Championship is widely available across some of the most important rugby markets in the world is terrific news for the continued growth of the PRO14 and I would like to thank Richard Dennis and his team at RDA for securing these long-term deals.”
Dermot Rigley, Commercial & Marketing Director of PRO14 Rugby, commented: “Right across the board we have raised broadcast revenues significantly in the past 12 months and that means we can return more resources to our teams. We work hard to invest in our clubs, provinces and regions to enhance the product on the pitch and across all aspects of our business this has driven commercial interest in the tournament to unprecedented levels.
“This is evident in the record-breaking broadcast deals we have secured with Premier Sports in the UK and eir Sport in the Republic of Ireland. Our earlier announcement regarding ESPN is a massive endorsement of what we are doing and the interest in the PRO14. We look forward to revealing further rights holders in due course and announcing new innovations to offer our games to fans in every corner of the world.”
Richard Dennis, CEO of RDA, added: “To secure these terrific agreements in a matter of weeks is a testimony to a great collaborative effort between rights holder and agency. We’re delighted to welcome new GUINNESS PRO14 broadcasters in the USA (ESPN), DAZN (Italy) and Rugby Pass (Australia), as well as established partnerships in Canada and Germany, Austria, Switzerland (DAZN), in New Zealand (Sky) and South East Asia (Rugby Pass). We anticipate adding further broadcast partners for the PRO14 in the coming weeks.”