ITV holds on to Rubgy World Cup rights

ITV has successfully pitched against Sky and three other rival channels to acquire the UK television rights to the Rugby World Cup in September 2011, and the tournament in England in 2015.

Under the terms of the new deal, ITV will broadcast live coverage of every match from these two tournaments, and matches will also be shown online at ITV.com.

The channel has held the rights to show the Rugby World Cup tournament since 1991.

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) used commercial agents IMG to sell the rights, and sources have confirmed that the contract was around twice the size of the last £30 million contract for the 2003 and 2007 World Cup tournaments.

An IMG spokesperson said, regarding the increase in value, that: “Obviously the fact that 2015 will be hosted in the UK makes this a very attractive contract.

“Also, the competitive nature of the bidding process this year is symbolic of how the global profile of rugby has grown over the last decade and reflective of the stature of the sport,” they added.

In 2007, 16 million UK viewers watched England finish as runners up, losing to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final. The 2011 Rugby World Cup is expected to be broadcast to a cumulative global audience of over four billion viewers.

“ITV and RWCL have enjoyed a long working partnership. Through its commitment to the sport and exceptional production values ITV has played a central role in the promotion and growth of rugby and the Rugby World Cup in the United Kingdom and we are looking forward to extending that fruitful partnership over the next two RWC tournaments,” said Mike Miller, RWCL managing director.

Niall Sloane, ITV controller of sport, added: “ITV has a long association with Rugby World Cup and we are delighted to have secured the next two Rugby World Cups free-to-air for ITV’s viewers, particularly as the 2015 tournament takes place in England. It is a key part of ITV1’s commitment to high-quality live sport.”