Nine has announced the launch of Stan Sport, a live and on-demand premium sport package to be offered as a bundle to Stan’s streaming customers, with the initial content through 2021 stemming from Nine’s new partnership with Rugby Australia.
The parties have reached an in principle commercial agreement between Nine and Rugby Australia, pending SANZAAR sign off. The three-year deal will include live free-to-air and ad-free subscription coverage and is worth approximately $100m in cash and contra. There is also a two-year option for Nine to extend.
Further to rugby union, Nine will look at opportunities to invest in a range of additional exclusive sports rights, on either a pay or cross-platform basis, focusing on content aimed at driving its long-term subscriber growth and profitability objectives.
The launch of Stan Sport will enable Nine to deliver a “whole of television” approach to sports as it offers extensive live and on-demand coverage to Stan subscribers, as well as making select premium events available on Nine’s FTA television channels. The move will allow Nine to choose the appropriate platform for its various sports offering while also enabling our partners to fulfil their growth ambitions.
“The launch of Stan Sport is a bold expansion for Mike Sneesby and the team at Stan, to sit alongside our hugely successful Stan entertainment offering,” said Hugh Marks, Nine CEO. “We will bring all our collective expertise from decades of experience in live sport broadcasting to deliver the best possible outcomes for viewers, rights holders, and the growth ambitions of the sports we partner with.
Hugh Marks
“At Stan, we are focused on bringing Australians the best local, international and original programming, which has seen our audience reach significant scale. Today’s announcement will see us extend that offering through the launch of our live streaming capability, bringing live sport to Stan in 2021 and opening up a range of new programming opportunities. Our partnership with Rugby Australia is the perfect place to start this new business.”
Stan CEO Mike Sneesby said: “The team at Stan are excited by the possibilities for our business as we embark on this expansion into live sport. We are looking forward to expanding our partnership with our colleagues at Nine and building on their knowledge and experience over decades in this space.”