The National Cup next autumn will air in the UK on the Amazon Prime video streaming platform. 13 matches will be telecast live on it. Is this the beginning of a new era in the broadcasting of rugby matches?

This weekend marks the beginning of a new competition, theAutumn National Cup. It replaces the regular autumn tour that countries in the northern and southern hemispheres usually encounter. Due to the Kovid-19 pandemic, the competition will be mainly for the selection of six Nations tournaments. Georgia and Fiji joined. Amazon won broadcasts of all matches from group stage matches to finals.

Thus 13 meetings will be broadcast on prime video. So UK rugby fans need to subscribe to this service to follow the match. In Ireland, Channel 4 broadcasts three meetings, and at home, in France, the meetings are broadcast on public service and on French television. XV of France, France 2. In a strange and difficult year for rugby, is the arrival of the Amazon in the world of rugby marking the beginning of a great revolution to come?

Be thankful these youngsters only distribute rugby

8️⃣ teams, 4️⃣ weekends, 1️⃣ winner #AmazonDeliversTheRugby Live #PrimeVideo 🏉 pic.twitter.com/aEyznDkUQC

– Amazon Prime Video Sport (im PrimeVideoSport) November 10, 2020

Six nations, even the premiership, are targeting the next prime video

The relationship between Amazon And Six Nations Rugby Limited, Which is organized every year 6 Nations Tournament, Has already begun during the broadcast of the Fall Nations Cup. This partnership between the two organizations revived the debate over whether or not the six countries should be released from independent television. In the United Kingdom, two British television channels are responsible for broadcasting meetings: BBC And ITV. The rights deal for these two channels expires at the end of the next tournament in 2021, so let’s assume that Amazon will try to intervene in the discussion.

At the beginning of the year, the investment fund CVC The Six Nations wanted to invest 300 300 million in the tournament, with a stake of up to 14%. However, the pandemic crisis hampered these discussions. But does CVC mean anything to you? The investment fund owns 27% of the premiership of the English Rugby Championship. For several months, there were rumors that rugby elites across the channel wanted to broadcast their matches on a single channel dedicated to rugby. Currently, the main broadcaster of the competition is BT Sports, from 2013-2014.

Thus, BT Sports contributes 40 million each year Premiership rugby To broadcast the entire match. However, the agreement between BT Sports and Premiership expires at the end of the 2020-2021 season. It is the channel’s main product, and has acquired the rights to broadcast English Premier League matches in football.

Premiership rugby and BT Sports are currently in talks to extend their contracts beyond next league season. However, BT Sports wants to revise the contract downwards due to the impact of Kovid-19. That way, Premiership rugby New competitors, including Amazon, may decide to open their doors.

Amazon is invading all markets

During this pandemic crisis, Amazon is one of the few companies that has rapidly expanded its growth. The figures are stratospheric: the group generated 75 billion euros in turnover in the second quarter of 2020, an increase of 40% in one year. With a turnover like this, there is no doubt that the group that wants to expand its streaming platform by acquiring sports TV rights is intimidating many broadcasters.

The first weapons on this platform affected tennis, especially with propaganda Masters 500 et 1000, Airing in the UK and Ireland until 2023, and Sky Sports’ Nose and Beard. Since then, Amazon has also extended its commitment to promotionUS Open In the next five years. Last April, the group announced that it would be broadcasting four English Premier League matches live in collaboration with Twitch.

To the future? The Roland-Garros TV rights Will be shared between France TV and Amazon for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions. Prime Video Thus the matches scheduled on the Simon-Matthew Court will be broadcast separately.

Cheap and cheap sports on TV
Roland Garros is on Amazon

In 2021, you will have to pay to watch some Roland-Garros matches on Amazon Prime Videohttps://t.co/j2SFDXkluB

– Gillum Lopez (@ Guillaume 74150605) October 13, 2020

Amazon also acquired the rights to the Champions League in Germany. Thus, one of the main matches of the best European Cup on Tuesday evening will be broadcast only on prime video. With such economic power, Amazon is clear through its streaming platform Prime Video Will become a major player in sports broadcasting. This is all over the world. For ‘Autumn National CupThere is a luxury channel for hiring famous consultants like Brian Havana, Serge Betson, David Flatman Or Sam Warburton. If this competition is successful, the group will no doubt face other markets.

Nicholas Messin