Australian Rugby [RA] says the response to the first broadcast of Super Rugby AU on Nine Gem and Stan Sport has been “terrible”, with the governing body praising the high standards from the opening night of the tournament.
Friday night’s doubleheader marked the beginning of the sport’s new streaming time on Stan Sport, which broadcast both Super Rugby AU matches live and without a hat, and also saw a regional match streamed live on free television. for the first time In addition.
The UK are seemingly ecstatic with the early response, too, with a spokesman saying the Reds-Waratahs opener on Friday night was 161 per cent up on viewership for the only Round 1 opener on Fox Sports. last year.
The spokesman said the free-to-air broadcast for the Reds-Waratahs game on Nine Gem was rated 146K across both metro and regional.
“It was a great start to our new partnership with Nine and Stan Sport,” said UK chief executive Andy Marinos.
“The response from the community has been overwhelming. People have been telling me how much they liked the new look and feel of the broadcast, the accessibility of the games as well as the quality of the show.
“This is just the beginning and we look forward to growing with Nine and Stan.”
Nine and Stan had led a major marketing campaign before they started, with Super Rugby AU promoted throughout the Open Nine broadcast in Australia while Stan Sport was widely seen across various advertising media.
“Friday night’s Rugby launch on both Stan Sport and 9Gem was a huge success, exceeding all expectations,” said Nine Williams, Brent Williams ’sports director.
“We look forward to growing on this strong foundation as we continue to work closely with Australian Rugby, the teams and the players to build our coverage throughout the season. “
Stan Sport announced on Friday that they had made a deal to select games from the Japanese Premier League where Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is currently set as part of a six-month leave.
Playing with All-Blacks captain Kieran Read, Hoop’s Toyota Verblitz defeated Toshiba Brave Lupus while Wallabies substitute Samu Kerevi helped Suntory Sungoliath power to a 75-7 win over Mitsubishi Dynaboars. Both games were shown live on Stan Sport, although the quality of the broadcast went down to the end of the Toyota-Mitsubishi match.
But it was not a smooth sailing for Stan Sport, with the streaming service currently struggling to secure a contract for pubs and clubs across Australia.
A break in talks with TABcorp on the eve of Super Rugby AU prevented Friday night ‘s second match between the Brumbies and the Force from being featured in hotels and clubs with an unlikely intention to reach Round 2.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Stan Sport is exploring the use of Smart TV in hosting venues as a way to ensure that the specific games of the streaming service are seen in such places.
With Super Rugby Aotearoa kicking off this weekend, Stan Sport will be looking to find a quick solution as the tournament is popular with rugby fans and will not be shown on free-to-air television. -air between.
Host venues could also explore digital throwing solutions themselves, as long as they have access to a Stan Sport account.