Menu
Events and Attractions

Rugby World Cup Expected To Draw Record Crowds, Pull In $370M In Revenue

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is "promising a record payday for the sport," according to Ossian Shine of REUTERS. World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper said that "new markets and record attendances" will help the event, starting in London on Friday, pull in some $370M in revenue. He said that 65% of that figure will come from TV rights, "boosted by new growth markets and mushrooming interest." Gosper: "This will be the most viewed, with 103 broadcasters in 205 territories -- that is up on about 15 percent on the previous (2011) World Cup. We will have 24 live matches screened in Germany. ... 22 live matches in China for the first time." Gosper said that organizers had focused on free-to-air broadcasters to maximize reach. The action "will be accessible to a potential reach of more than 770 million households." The Sept. 18-Oct. 31 World Cup, hosted across 13 venues in England and one in Cardiff, has sold 2.25 million tickets -- 95% of those available. World Rugby said that it would commit an "anticipated injection" of more than $277.45M between '13 and '16. World Rugby said that part of that is to fund "participation and increasing competition across the 120 national member unions" (REUTERS, 9/15).

CALLS FOR CHANGE: In London, Gavin Mairs reported Europe's leading clubs "are to demand a say in the structure of the global season" for the next World Cup in Japan in '19 amid fears that this year's tournament "could put player welfare at risk." European Professional Club Rugby Chair Simon Halliday said that it is "critical that the clubs should be involved in future discussions about restructuring the global season." He is adamant that the "fixture overload" in a World Cup year must be addressed before the next tournament in Japan. Halliday: "We cannot afford to pay lip service to this. The physicality of this year's World Cup is going to bring it home to all of us" (TELEGRAPH, 9/15).

SECURITY MEASURES: In London, Alex Lowe reported England has "ramped up security" at its training base and installed a privacy screen reminiscent of the "ring of steel" that Clive Woodward put in place during the 2003 World Cup in Australia. England coach Stuart Lancaster insisted that he was "not paranoid about teams spying on England's training sessions," but the Rugby Football Union made a request to tournament organizers for the screens to be erected. When asked about the threat of "rivals spying on England," Lancaster said, "We're quite relaxed. I trust our security is more than adequate" (LONDON TIMES, 9/15). In London, Matt Maltby reported fans have been given the opportunity to "rally the England troops -- and have their messages projected onto the roof of The O2." Supporters can tweet their messages for the team using #WearTheRose starting at 8pm local time on Tuesday (DAILY MAIL, 9/14). THE JET reported the Vodafone-led consortium of sponsors has confirmed that it has sponsored Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who is also the president of Fiji Rugby Union, to attend the Rugby World Cup (THE JET, 9/15). World Rugby has implemented a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy for the RWC. Interest has never been higher, and with that rise in profile, it is expected that it will attract record levels of betting compared with previous tournaments. World Rugby has put in place an integrity program with a stated purpose of protecting the tournament and its participants from corrupt practices and unauthorized gambling. It also partnered with the UK Gambling Commission and U.K. police to establish an integrity framework around the event (World Rugby).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2015/09/16/Events-and-Attractions/RWC-Pay.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2015/09/16/Events-and-Attractions/RWC-Pay.aspx

CLOSE