Super Rugby bosses "hope the biggest television rights deal in the competition's history and World Cup success can jointly be the catalyst to re-energise the sport in Australia," according to Chris Dutton of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. SANZAR, Super Rugby's governing body, "has finalised a new broadcast agreement" which will almost double the Australian Rugby Union's A$20M ($14M) TV revenue. An announcement on the broadcast deal "is likely in the coming weeks with free-to-air coverage also on the agenda as rugby continues its fight for supporters against its cross-code rivals." It falls "well short" of the Australian Football League and National Rugby League's billion-dollar contracts, "but will still provide the biggest television rights windfall since the start of Super Rugby in 1996." But "it eases the ARU's financial strain and Morris says the World Cup, which starts on Friday, can be a launching pad for a new era." Morris said, "The World Cup is the showpiece event ... we have to start making some noise now about the new competition structure and new teams. ... We're confident the new deal will set the game up for the next five years" (SMH, 9/15).
