ESS will air all 48 matches live across 13 territories in Asia with the coverage supported by streaming and video-on-demand through ESPN Player and MobileESPN in Singapore as well as weekly highlights programming in several countries. ESS will air games in Singapore, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Korea, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Vietnam.
According to the International Rugby Board (IRB), rugby participation in Asia has grown by 18% since the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. The 2019 edition will be staged in Japan – the first time the tournament will have been staged in Asia. This year’s Rugby World Cup will kick off on September 9 with host New Zealand taking on Tonga at Eden Park, and the final will be played on October 23.
“Asia is a major growth region for rugby and the IRB is committed to ensuring that sports fans across the region are able to experience our showcase event,” said Rugby World Cup managing director Mike Miller. “ESPN Star Sports is recognised as Asia’s leading sports broadcaster and through extensive Rugby World Cup 2011 programming it will deliver the platform for rugby to engage new fans across the region.”
ESPN Star Sports managing director Manu Sawhney added: “We are delighted to bring the third largest sporting event in the world to rugby fans across Asia. We have a proud history of rugby programming and have screened every Rugby World Cup tournament since 1999, which underscores our commitment to bring the best in worldwide sports to our viewers in Asia.”