NZR+ to offer free live streams of New Zealand rugby union ...

NZR+, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service operated by New Zealand Rugby (NZR), will offer live streams of 24 international matches to viewers in countries not covered by a television deal, including games involving the All Blacks, in 2024.

Confirmed: Deal with southern hemisphere federation Sanzaar allows NZR+ to show selected matches in ‘dark markets’ Games will be shown at no cost to registered users Covered territories include China, India, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine Context:

NZR launched NZR+ last year, backed by the investment made by private equity firm Silver Lake, which injected NZ$200 million (US$122 million) into the federation’s commercial arm in 2022. It forms part of the union’s attempt to build on the global brand of the All Blacks and unlock new revenue streams.

The addition of live games should attract new signups from fans of multiple nations, not just New Zealand.

NZR+ builds on recent moves made by World Rugby to expand the sport’s global presence. RugbyPass TV, launched in time for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, offered live coverage to non-traditional rugby union markets and recently acquired the UK rights to Japan versus England after no British broadcaster signed up for a deal. The game attracted 512,000 unique views despite an unfavourable time zone.

Coming next:

The first game to be covered is New Zealand versus England on 6th July, followed by Australia versus Wales, South Africa versus Ireland, and Argentina versus France on the same day. All matches from the Rugby Championship will also be streamed later this year.

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