Media group Nine Entertainment has confirmed it has secured the broadcast rights to the upcoming Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups.
Nine said it would show the Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2025 and 2029 and the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 live and on-demand on its Stan Sport subscription streaming channel with Wallabies and Wallaroos World Cup games live and free on the 9Network and 9Now channels.
The deal, which Nine newspaper the Australian Financial Review reported was worth A$210 million (US$134 million) before correcting it to say no value was known, also includes:
- World Rugby U20 Championship (2025, Italy)
- Pacific Nations Cup (2025, USA)
- WXV Tournaments (from 2026), and
- HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series (2025–2029)
“Securing the rights to these global events is a testament to Nine’s long-term strategy and deep commitment to delivering value for audiences, partners and shareholders,” Nine Chair Catherine West said in a media release.
CEO Matt Stanton said Nine could bring rugby to Australian audiences watching at home on 9Network, streaming on 9Now or Stan Sport, listening on radio or reading analysis on its publishing mastheads.
World Rugby Chair Brett Robison said the partnership with Nine would ensure rugby was accessible to a wide audience in Australia.
Coverage begins with the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England from 22 August to 27 September (GMT) 2025 with all 32 games available live and on-demand on Stan Sport Wallaroos matches shown live on 9Network and 9Now.
Stan Sport will stream all 52 Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 matches in Australia live with replays, mini matches and highlights available on demand, and all Wallabies games will be broadcast live and free on the 9Network and 9Now.
The company earlier declined to comment on an article in The Australian it had won the rights to broadcast English Premier League (EPL) football under a $100 million per year deal.
The Australian reported Nine had been negotiating with EPL rights holder Optus Sport, which is half-way through a A$600 million six-year deal to broadcast the competition from 2023 to 2028.
Nine Entertainment owns the Nine television network, Fairfax newspapers like The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and AFR, and a stake in the Macquarie Radio network.
At the time of writing, Nine (ASX: NEC) shares were trading three cents (1.9%) lower at $1.55 on Friday, capitalising the company at $2.46 billion.
