Discovery Invests in OTT Sports Platform

SINGAPORE: Discovery Communications has picked up a minority stake in RugbyPass, an online sports platform available in 20-plus Asian markets.

Coliseum Sports Media (CSM) launched the platform in Asia in February, with a lineup that includes competitions such as Super Rugby, Aviva Premiership, European Champions Cup and next year’s British Lions Tour in New Zealand. Select content from Discovery-owned Setanta Sports Asia will now be available to all RugbyPass subscribers. The service costs $14.99 per month, granting access to 1,000 live games each year in 23 countries, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

“In partnership with CSM, our investment in RugbyPass will provide sports fans with greater access to the world’s best rugby competitions, making content that they love available on more screens, when and wherever they choose to watch it,” said Arthur Bastings, president and managing director of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

Tim Martin, CEO at CSM, said, “RugbyPass is a successful product with an increasingly strong and loyal following, and now with Discovery’s added resources and expertise, we are excited to not only expand the sports content available on the site through Setanta but also invest in further growth.”