The Australian Rugby Union today announced that their share in the new SANZAR TV rights deal is worth $285 million, a substantial increase of nearly 150% on the last five-year deal.
The deal extends from 2016-2020 and the ARU says the extra money will be used to re-energise the game’s grassoots and to invest in the future.
Fox Sports will continue as the exclusive broadcaster of the new Super Rugby competition, which sees teams from Argentina and Japan, as well as another South African team, join the list of franchises. They will also be the live broadcaster of all Australian, New Zealand and South African Test matches.
No information was contained in the release about digital rights, but given its exclusive status, it appears Fox Sports will have them for the duration of the deal.
Network Ten remains the free-to-air broadcaster of Wallabies matches, including all games played on Australian soil and their Rugby Championship game.
Ten has also agreed to show a full replay of the “Super Rugby match of the round” on Sunday morning. Every Super Rugby final game involving an Australian franchise will also be replayed in full.
Fox Sports has agreed to sign on as the exclusive broadcaster of the National Rugby Championship for the next five years, as well as broadcaster of the Currie Cup and New Zealand’s NPC.
An agreement is in place for Fox Sports to be a key partner of the NRC.
ARU CEO Bill Pulver was thrilled with the result of the deal.
“These new media rights arrangements are a wonderful result for our game and we thank Fox Sports for its incredible support of Rugby over the past two decades.
“Fox Sports provide an absolutely world class coverage of Rugby and we are privileged to announce that we will continue our partnership for a further five years.
“We are also delighted that Network Ten will continue to broadcast Qantas Wallabies Test matches and will for the first time feature a replay of the Australian Super Rugby match of the round each Sunday morning, along with a Super Rugby highlights show each Monday night. This added coverage for Super Rugby on free-to-air television will allow more fans to experience the best provincial competition in the world.”
Pulver said the revenue from the new media rights will be reinvested in the game.
“With these new media rights arrangements in place the ARU will have surplus funds to re-invest in the game from grassroots through to the Wallabies and to address strategic priorities to grow the game including community Rugby, women’s Rugby and our development pathways.
“Early in 2016 we will announce a new five-year whole of game strategy for Australian Rugby that aligns with our media rights cycle and sets the direction and vision for the game of Rugby in Australia. Importantly, the Australian Rugby Strategic Plan has been built collaboratively by the Rugby community and underpins our plans for future investment in the game.
“We have also taken steps to improve the governance in our game through the execution of a National Charter, which has been supported by the formation of the Australian Rugby Strategy Group, consisting of CEOs from across Australian Rugby, which will oversee the delivery of the Strategic Plan.
“We will also provide greater assistance to our Super Rugby clubs and member unions and will establish a future fund for the game which will ensure its long-term health and prosperity.”
Fox Sports CEO, Patrick Delany said: “It’s an exciting time for Rugby in Australia. The Wallabies Rugby World Cup fairy-tale run has reignited Australia’s passion for the sport and Fox Sports will be the place to take Rugby forward.
“As the foundation partner of Super Rugby, we have been there from the beginning and our commitment and investment has been instrumental in securing the future of the sport and helping Australia return to a powerhouse force again.
“With an expanded Super Rugby competition, a highly-anticipated Test series against England at home, plus a growing domestic competition in the NRC, the future is bright for the sport and we are excited to continue as the home of Rugby in Australia.”
Network Ten CEO, Paul Anderson said his company were committed to rugby as a product. =
“The new agreement strengthens and extends our commitment to Rugby and will bring more great matches to fans across the country.
“Rugby is a vital part of our premium sport content on Network Ten. We are delighted to be expanding our partnership with the Australian Rugby Union and Fox Sports to ensure viewers get the best possible coverage across all television.
“The Wallabies are on fire at the moment and we’re very excited about being part of their journey and success over the next five years.”
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Pulver's deliberate removal hey? So everything was rosy until 2013?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
The product is not designed to suit the Australian market. It's played in multiple time zones.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
The ARU run the administration and provide grants to the State Unions. If you want to ask where fees are going, ask the State Unions. The QRU charged $65 per player in 2015. That's after the ARU granted the QRU money. The district fees went to supporting their DO's, these were not funded by the QRU. The levies were explained. They were to fund insurance and central administration which the ARU previously had been covering the cost of.
Emric
Guest
If this is the aus part of the sanzar deal it's a good deal Assuming that each union gets a equal share based on teams nz and aus get 285 million aus for 10 teams sa 342 million and August Japan 14.25 million that makes this a 1 billion dollar deal
Tinfoil Hat
Guest
Australians have an entitlement mentality where they expect to be given things for free. A free market situation where you pay to view sport you want to see is considered a bad thing in leaner-land.
Hello
Roar Rookie
It is great to get more NRC coverage. Really enjoyed the thurday game this year
EastsFootyFan
Roar Guru
Doug, You make some great points and in general I agree with you on most fronts. The FTA coverage really is a kicker... I honestly believe that the ARU would have been better off accepting less money from the Aussie broadcasters if it could have secured one live match a week in prime time featuring an Aussie side. I also agree with you about the money from overseas (I made the same point really). TWAS is right that it shows the strength of the competition to a degree, but by the same token you do have to wonder what has happened to the support for the code in Australia when most networks are utterly disinterested in the product. That said, I do see there being quite a bit of potential for further growth in international rights, particularly if they can get Japan right. Rugby has been a mainstay of their university sports scene forever, with the likes of Keio and Waseda daigaku getting pretty massive crowds to their age old grudge matches. It's a big if though, as the Top League in Japan has been pretty obstinate about releasing their players to the Sun Wolves, but once they come to the party (which they will eventually) if their team can do well then the value of Super Rugby in Japan will sky rocket. We saw 25 million people tuning in to watch the national team - the Sakuras - after their upset of South Africa, and if Super Rugby can even draw a quarter of that then the next time around these rights could be a big deal.
Emric
Guest
I think some people are confusing the process the aru has concluded negotiations with Foxtel and chan 10 but the process is not complete SA need to complete their agreement yet and there are on going agreements with other nations to be concluded someone got the brilliant idea to try and negotate all the TV deals in one hit (I think there is around 55 deals being negotiated) and this is why this process has taken so long- if I remember correctly sky and the nzru have come yes negotiations as well and around 60% of all contract negotiations had been cometed by the time of the World Cup final - this means SANZAR is getting close to making an announcement on what the combined contracts are worth and how the money will be split (Aus,NZ,SA,arg,jap)
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
The good news for me is we can get the Currie Cup now!!!!!! YAY Even when I lived in London from 2005-2009 we got most of the good Currie Cup games and all the finals etc. Finally Fox Sports in Australia has caught up :-) Great deal all round I reckon.
Chris
Guest
Sheek once again you speak so right....wish you where the head of World Rugby, SANZAR or the ARU.
Bob
Guest
Who is saying these games start at 8am? Surely their is some terrible sunrise style program on at that time
Banned again!
Guest
Really player rego should depend on how much of the ball you touch during a game. Makes it fairer for the battlers.
hog
Guest
They have been sweeping question 4 under the carpet for about 20years now.
Mike
Guest
On the up side the financials look great and the international interest is good. On the down side it was international interest not domestic that contributed most or all of the increase in money. The channel 10 replay game on Sunday mornings is a massive downer. Fair dinkum what is the point of that game? Its embarrassing. Bill should have kept his pants on and said no way. It sounds like he begged for anything FTA and this is what he got, rubbish. How can Rugby get any broader following with a TV deal like this. We're treading water and only just keeping our head above it.
wardad
Guest
I think the ARU still has more of a top down view ,I know what you mean about involvement at an early age via schools .Its something the Leaugies and AFL seem to be much better at here . Never see any rugby promoted at my kids schools but the NRL and AFL people seem to have a presence ,
Doug Graves
Guest
Thanks for the reply, just a few points: 1) The 114% increase looks great but too many people on here are letting it cloud their vision of the rest of the deal. 2) The NRC is a good idea and the coverage is probably better than nothing but NRC has little appeal to anyone other than the players. Put it this way, nobody is getting Foxtel to watch the NRC and I don't know what the crowds and merchandise sales are like but I'd suggest they're irrelevant. 3) The lack of FTA coverage is a scandal really. The people who agreed to that should be fired. It's worse than the A-League's coverage (and I have nothing against A-League). Having a competition that extends from South Africa to Argentina and the only time they can get a FTA game on is in the 8am Sunday morning slot? Really? If someone told me this I wouldn't have believed it, it is patently absurd and embarrassing. 4) The bulk of the money coming from overseas providers is a double edged sword. It's good they can sell the product overseas but it raises the obvious question. Why is there such mediocre support for the game in Australia? (apart from watching the Wallabies a few of times a year). I think that is probably the most important question Rugby will ever have to ask itself. The fact is nobody seems to care about the game outside of the Wallabies, this is not a tenable situation unless the wallabies start playing 25 tests a year or something. Overall I'd give it a 6.5/10. There is some money but there are some real issues with this that go right to the heart of the game.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
TWAS mentioned to me on another thread that the ARU had started to subsidise the five super rugby clubs from non super rugby revenue - I think this TV deal resolves that issue (meaning head office can get into the black as well). Unclear about the NRC, but on another thread again, Patrick appears to hint that some of the money is for telecasting the NRC.
Midfielder
Guest
Good news in some ways for Middy is my practice has experienced considerable growth over the last few months and this has meant time spent on looking at sports stats and watching things closely and posting is far less today... I still pop in on the Football tab but again no where to the same extent.. OK the above qualification over meaning the following questions may be solved ... however is the new media deal going essentially to player wages or has say half been left out for other things ... time will tell I guess... If we go a tad back say 6 to 9 months from the start of the WC a number of threads expressed concern about two maybe three criteria, these being; * growing union in Australia which the through was FTA is important, only being on pay made spreading the word difficult. * Identifying some key areas like national grass-roots coaching and funding these programs. * Developing the NRC to a major competition. Just wondering aloud as I have not been paying attention for maybe 8 to 9 months [blame work] how are these things going and will the media deal help...
Stripes
Guest
I agree, Great news, ignoring my spiel about the levies above, this is a great outcome from the ARU and it's disappointing to see mud-slinging about not more free to air or money compared to league/AFL, because it's just ill-informed. Need to recognise when good work has come about at that's what has happened here.
Stripes
Guest
Don't agree it's charging what it costs. Clubs pay levies to their local Unions to organise their local competitions. State Unions are providing Development Officers (and how certain state unions using those DO's aren't necessarily effective or useful to local regions and clubs) They already paid insurance. Any kids playing rep are paying for that themselves also short of any scholarships. What are they actually paying the ARU for? At face value, the average punter assumes the professionals. Which is a complete 180 on the previous model of the top of the sport, bringing in money for the bottom (Wallaby income). It truly seems the other way around now. I understand things cost money but these levies came out of nowhere, with little explanation as to why. Saying they are bringing it in to line with other sports sounds incredibly grubby. What does that matter, "everyone else is doing it, so I think we can get away with it"? it seems like a new revenue stream to draw out of the grassroots holding up the game, to prop up the governing body which is overspending on itself, not on participants or attaining new participants.