– Rugby fans in Asia will have access to more sport content on RugbyPass –
Singapore, Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Delivering on its promise to superserve fans across all platforms, Discovery Communications today announce an agreement to acquire a minority stake in RugbyPass – a digital content platform that reaches passionate rugby fans across 23 Asian markets with the world’s best competitions – live or on demand – from any device.
To further boost the RugbyPass offering to fans, select content from Discovery-owned Setanta Sports Asia will be immediately available to all RugbyPass subscribers.
Launched in Asia in February this year by Coliseum Sports Media (CSM), RugbyPass offers fans one destination to watch the world’s best rugby action including Super Rugby, Aviva Premiership, European Champions Cup and British Lions Tour in New Zealand in 2017 – all in high definition on the internet or any app-enabled device.
Arthur Bastings, President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, highlighted the company’s strategic goal to deliver innovative direct-to-consumer products to superfans as a key priority. “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.”
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.”
The launch of RugbyPass in Asia complements a boom time for the game, including World Rugby’s deal with Chinese broadcaster Alibaba, the return of Singapore to the World Rugby Sevens circuit and the inclusion of Japan’s Sunwolves in this year’s Super Rugby competition.
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About RugbyPass
• RugbyPass brings together the world’s best rugby competitions, including:
- All SANZAR content including Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa Inbounds tours, Mitre 10 Cup and Currie Cup
- British Lions Tour in New Zealand 2017
- Aviva Premiership
- European Champions Cup
- Autumn Internationals for England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland
- All home games played by England outside of the 6 Nations
- All home games played by Argentina
- The NRL
- The UK Super League
• To achieve absolute-broadcast quality in all 23 markets, Discovery and CSM work with NeuLion – the global leader in digital broadcasting technology that delivers more than 40,000 live and on-demand games for the NFL, NBA, World Surf League, UFC and more.
• RugbyPass costs US$14.99 per month with a one-month free trial and will broadcast more than 1000 live games each year in 23 countries including: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
About Coliseum Sports Media (CSM)
• CSM was first established in New Zealand before relocating to Singapore in 2016. The company has proven expertise in delivering compelling sport content across multiple digital platforms.
• Since 2013, it has delivered more than 120 hours of live sport a week across multiple digital platforms, including the English Premier League and the PGA TOUR.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the leader in global entertainment reaching 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery satisfies curiosity, entertains and inspires viewers with high-quality content through global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
About Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, a division of the number-one global entertainment company Discovery Communications, is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its portfolio of 15 brands. From survival to natural history, wonders of science to extreme jobs, motoring to travel and lifestyle, and the latest engineering marvels to live sporting events, each channel offers distinct must-watch programming to engage viewers across the region. The network’s 15 brands reach 695 million cumulative subscribers in 38 countries and territories with programming customised in 14 languages and dialects. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.