STARZPLAY Lands Rugby World Cup Rights

STARZPLAY in the Middle East and North Africa has shored up the rights to deliver coverage of the Rugby World Cup, which runs from September 8 to October 28.

The SVOD platform has exclusive rights in MENA to the tournament and will stream all 48 matches live and on-demand. On September 1 it will roll out a pop-up channel, STARZPLAY Sports Rugby World Cup, to deliver coverage as well as related content.

The platform has been building its sports lineup since last August, offering up Serie A, Coppa Italia, World Championship boxing, UFC, ICC events and NBA League Pass.

Andy Warkman, head of sport at STARZPLAY, commented: “We are thrilled to be streaming Rugby World Cup 2023 exclusively across MENA. This deal further cements our commitment to bring world-class sport to STARZPLAY. We are looking forward to delivering our extensive Rugby World Cup coverage to fans and working with World Rugby to grow the sport in the region.”

Alan Gilpin, World Rugby CEO, added: “We are delighted to partner with STARZPLAY to showcase Rugby World Cup 2023 in a rapidly-growing rugby market. This collaboration reflects our shared vision of expanding the reach and popularity of rugby in the region, by making the sport more relevant and more accessible to more people. With STARZPLAY’s commitment to delivering comprehensive and fan-friendly coverage of rugby’s showcase event, we are confident that France 2023 will be the most memorable and accessible for rugby enthusiasts across MENA.”