England rugby fans looking for payback after being knocked out of the World Cup by Australia will be able to see the teams’ first re-match on Sky Sports, after the satellite broadcaster secured a new five-year deal that includes England’s next three tours down under.
Sky is thought to have paid significantly more than the current multimillion-pound deal with Sanzar, the umbrella body representing New Zealand, Australia and South African rugby, to block rival BT Sport from breaking into international rugby.
The deal, which runs until 2020, includes southern hemisphere tours by Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
England will play a three-test series next year with Australia, whose defeat of England made them the first host to go out of the World Cup in the group stages, as well as South Africa in 2018 and a probable tour to New Zealand in 2020.
The 150 fixture-a-year deal includes the Rugby Championship, the annual tournament between New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina, as well as the domestic rugby competitions including Super Rugby, ITM Cup, the Currie Cup and the National Rugby Championship.
“This deal offers our viewers more mouth-watering fixtures from the world’s best teams that have been entertaining fans throughout the Rugby World Cup,” said Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports. “As well as the Rugby Championship, we also have the next two England summer tours, fascinating home nations fixtures and of course, more of the All Blacks, Wallabies, Springboks and Argentina than anywhere else.”
Sky’s move blocks any further incursion into rugby by BT Sport which outbid Sky for the TV rights to England Premiership Rugby.
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BT also has the rights to the best matches from the new European Champions Cup, formerly known as the Heineken Cup.
“Sanzar is delighted to be renewing its broadcasting deal with Sky Sports that has been our valued partner for the past 20 years since the inception of professional rugby in 1996,” said Mark Alexander, chairman of Sanzar. “We have a very strong fan base in the United Kingdom and Ireland and it is important for us that they can see as much Sanzar content as possible. Sky Sports delivers this for us.”
Sky still holds onto the rights for England’s autumn internationals, the probable next major rugby rights battle ground.
