[情報] SANZAR sign new five-year deal
SANZAR sign new five-year deal 22/12/04
The SANZAR triumvirate of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia has just
confirmed a new five-year broadcasting deal with News Limited and South
Africa's Supersport, which will significantly increase their income from
tournaments such as the expanded Tri-Nations and Super 14 from 2006.
SANZAR confirmed on Wednesday - in what is a timely Christmas bonus for the
three countries' rugby bosses - that they have secured a major increase in
the broadcast rights.
SANZAR confirmed US$323-million, five-year broadcast rights agreement with
News Limited and Supersport, which - according to media statements made in
both Australia and New Zealand - will "secure the financial future of the
game" in the three countries.
A statement by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said that building on the
current ten-year agreement which expires at the end of 2005, the new
generation broadcast agreement represents an historic step for the SANZAR
joint venture and further development of the broadcasting partnership which
has underpinned the growth and development of rugby in the three countries
since 1995.
The new agreement covers broadcast rights for the three SANZAR countries and
the United Kingdom - with News Limited acquiring the rights for New Zealand,
Australia and the UK; and Supersport acquiring the rights for Africa.
The new agreement compares favourably with the US$555-million, ten-year
rights agreement struck in 1996. This agreement values the SANZAR properties
at 16 percent above the 1996 contract on an average per annum basis.
Ironically this new deals comes about a year after Newscorp suggested they
will not be prepared to pay such a high price again, unless they have a
better product into the table. Newscorp have clearly bought into the
expansion deal (Tri-Nations and Super 14) that SANZAR put on the table.
The new Super 14 will see the see the number of matches increase from 69
(in the Super 12) to 94 Super 14 matches from 2006 onwards. The Tri-Nations
series will expand from six Test matches to nine Test matches.
Importantly, the new agreement does not include the valuable broadcast market
of France, as well as other broadcast markets such as Asia, the Americas or
the rest of Europe, which will allow SANZAR to negotiate directly with
broadcasters in those markets to further increase the total broadcast
rights fee.
SANZAR estimates the rights in these additional markets could be worth an
additional US$20-million to US$30-million, which would raise the value of
the entire package to an estimated US$343 million to US$353 million.
On an average per annum basis, this would represent an increase of 24 to
27 per cent on the previous agreement.
Rugby officials in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia said that in
addition to securing the financial future of the three SANZAR Unions, the
new agreement would allow SANZAR to move ahead with its plans to expand
the Super 12 competition to a Super 14 competition, to expand the
Tri-Nations series to a nine-Test series, and to continue growing the game.
SANZAR and New Zealand Rugby Union Chief Executive Chris Moller described
the new deal as a "superb result for rugby" and added that it allows them
(SANZAR) to plan the future with certainty and confidence.
"The agreement also demonstrates that our broadcasting partners view Super
Rugby and Tri-Nations Rugby as high value television events. Crowd figures
and television ratings for Super 12 and Tri-Nations matches have grown every
year since 1996, and this agreement allows us to continue that growth,"
Moller said
Australian Rugby Union (ARU) CEO and Managing Director, Gary Flowers said
that this agreement "secures rugby's future", both at an elite level and a
grassroots level.
"It will allow us to fund the expansion of the Tri-Nations and the Super 14
competitions, including the new team in Perth. Importantly this income will
enable us to continue growing participation in the game at the grassroots,"
Flowers added.
SA Rugby CEO Johan Prinsloo said that this broadcast agreement is a "vote of
confidence" in the game's future, and contradicts the predictions of many
commentators who said SANZAR would not receive as much for these rights as
we did in the original agreement.
"We have negotiated a significant increase in our rights fee, and we are
still yet to sell rights in some markets, so there is no doubting that
rugby and the SANZAR competitions are in good shape," Prinsloo said.
News Limited chief executive officer, John Hartigan, said the new deal
would underpin the future development of rugby union and give fans another
five years of outstanding television coverage.
"We are delighted that our tremendously successful partnership with rugby
union will continue for the next five years. Over the past 10 years, News
Limited has helped transform rugby from a largely amateur code into a major
international sport."
Hartigan said one of the greatest achievements of the current broadcast deal
had been the creation of the Super 12 and Tri-Nations series.
"The new broadcast deal will cement these benefits and give fans an even
better program of regional, provincial and international rugby over the
next five years."
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