The sports governing body World Rugby has acquired the popular online platform RugbyPass and its global stable of digital properties as part of a rights deal with Sky New Zealand.
What does the World Rugby and RugbyPass deal mean?
World Rugby says “the deal represents a landmark step in World Rugby’s strategic mission to grow the sport globally by accelerating its direct-to-consumer offering, including content, streaming and programming services to establish a deeper relationship with fans, growing rugby’s popularity across the globe.”
The deal also means that Sky New Zealand gains unprecedented rights for all World Rugby events and content between 2023 and 2029 including men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup, the new WXV women’s 15s competition and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said of the deal: “World Rugby’s mission is to grow the global rugby family. To do that, rugby must be more accessible and more relevant to more people more of the time and we must create deeper relationships with those who love the game, those who are casual fans and those who are yet to discover our sport.
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 emerging markets.”
Sky bought Dublin-based RugbyPass in 2019 in a deal it said at the time was thought to be worth US$40 million and in July 2022 it hinted that it was close to a deal which is now confirmed.
Sky New Zealand and World Rugby
World Rugby and Sky New Zealand will have a “joint approach to the production of exclusive programming, particularly in the women’s game, a strategic priority for both parties” said the statement online.
Sky New Zealand Chief Executive Sophie Moloney added: “The partnership includes an agreement to co-produce some exciting new programming with an emphasis on the women’s game, a strategic priority for both Sky and World Rugby. We look forward to working together to tell stories that motivate, inspire and challenge.”
The statement added that “World Rugby does not intend to change RugbyPass’s authentic and impactful editorial tone, ensuring independence from the international federation’s existing corporate channels.”
Editor’s note – we were big fans of RugbyPass when it started but its shift to clickbait-style reporting as well as its use of social media content to divisively engage fans was never a strategic decision we enjoyed. They have been excellent at producing more video content as well as shining a spotlight on schools and some grassroots rugby, podcasts and hiring former players to produce content.
They also still left a bitter taste in many rugby fans’ mouths following their streaming debacle which went from providing an unprecedented amount of rugby to fans in Asia no none at all over a short amount of time.
We wish World Rugby and RugbyPass all the best in this venture.
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