The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has signed off on a massive increase in its share of broadcasting rights for the Super Rugby competition and international matches after announcing a five-year agreement worth A$285 million (US$205.19 million).
The figure was a 148 percent increase on revenue achieved from previous media rights arrangements, the ARU said, adding that it paled in comparison with the billion-dollar deals achieved by rival Australian football codes.
“Anything with a ‘B’ in front of it is clearly tempting, but we are very, very happy with our meagre pickings,” ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said. “To achieve a 148 percent growth in revenue from your broadcast outcome, I suspect is the largest increase of any code and it reflects, I think, the growing status that we enjoy in the Australian sporting landscape. And I’m confident that that sort of trend will continue. So, look, it’s not for us to try and match those codes in terms of the total broadcast value. It’s up to us to get the right growth we need for the growth of our game and I’m very confident that we’ve achieved that.”
Photo: Reuters
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) last month announced a new broadcast and media rights deal worth A$1.8 billion over five years, while the Australian Football League (AFL) sealed an A$2.508 billion six-year deal from 2017 in August.
Rugby league is the dominant football code in New South Wales and Queensland, while AFL is the most popular sport played in winter in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
Soccer, the world’s most popular football code, is gaining in popularity, but still lags behind in commercial muscle, netting just A$160 million from the current four-year deal for the Australia national team and A-League matches.
Cricket dominates summer sport in Australia and attracted a domestic television deal for 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 in June 2013 worth A$590 million.
The agreement, which runs from next year to 2020, is the ARU’s share of a wider broadcasting rights package still being finalized by the governing body SANZAR, which will expand to include Argentina next year.
Pulver said the overall package, which is expected to be finalized by early next year, would be close to A$1 billion.
New Zealand Rugby said they had completed an agreement with pay provider Sky Television in New Zealand in October last year, although they did not announce any details while the overall package was still being negotiated by SANZAR.
Britain’s Sky Sports also said in October they had secured rights to broadcast southern hemisphere games in the UK.
MOORE’s REDS RETURN
Reuters, SYDNEY
The ACT Brumbies have confirmed that Australia captain Stephen Moore will be returning to Super Rugby rivals the Queensland Reds after next season, making clear they felt they had been misled during contract negotiations.
The 32-year-old hooker came through the junior ranks at the Reds before moving to the Brumbies in 2009 and has played 102 times for the Canberra-based side, matching exactly his tally of Test caps.
A statement released by the Brumbies yesterday said that next year’s season would be Moore’s last with the team “following his decision to rejoin the Queensland Reds.”
“We are exceedingly disappointed about today’s announcement that Stephen Moore will leave the Brumbies at the end of 2016,” Brumbies chief executive Michael Jones said. “The discussions with myself and coaching staff left us in no doubt and with a clear impression that his long-term future would be with the Brumbies if we met the demands we were given. We met every one of those demands. So we were surprised and disappointed to find out he has agreed to join the Reds late last night.”
The Queensland Reds were unable to confirm that Moore had signed for 2017.
Moore, who led the Wallabies to this year’s Rugby World Cup Final, had also spoken to clubs in Europe about a possible move to the northern hemisphere, Jones said.
“After speaking with Stephen personally, he spoke passionately about wanting to remain a Brumby and pleaded with us to come up with an offer to meet his demands and counter offers from Europe,” he said. “He clearly expressed the desire to stay in Canberra, wanted to be a Brumby and to extend his career through to the next Rugby World Cup and ultimately finish his career here. We have no issue whatsoever with any player making any decision regarding their careers, that’s their right and prerogative and we are 100 percent supportive of this. However, there is no hiding the fact that we are very disappointed with this outcome. At least there is some consolation that he will be staying in Australia.”
The Brumbies lost another former Wallabies captain last year when loose forward Ben Mowen decided to leave for Montpellier, former Australia scrumhalf Nic White joining him at the French club at the end of last season.
Wallabies midfield back Matt Toomua will also leave the Brumbies at the end of next season to join English club Leicester Tigers.
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