Optus Bidding For Australian Rights To 2019 Rugby World Cup

Optus has "emerged as a shock bidder" for the Australian rights to this year’s Rugby World Cup broadcast rights, just months after the "debacle" of its football World Cup coverage, according to Jamie Pandaram of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. With less than eight months remaining before the tournament kicks off in Japan, World Rugby has yet to secure a broadcast partner in Australia, the "only tier one nation still awaiting an announcement." Last November, Channel 9 confirmed it had "no interest" in the RWC, while Channel 7, Ten and Fox Sports refused to comment. It is now understood that Ten and Fox, which both hold the rights to Wallabies internationals, are the "only interested networks." But industry sources said that Optus has "recently made a pitch" to secure the rights for the RWC and "stream the event exclusively" through its digital platforms (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 1/31).