Universal Sports Beefs Up World Series Rugby Coverage

from Rugby America:

It appears that Universal Sports is just beginning to scratch the surface of their coverage of the IRB HSBC Sevens World Series.

As reported on Rugby America a couple days ago, Universal Sports has added a World Series package to their online offerings. The pacakge includes Live and On Demand coverage of the semifinals and finals of all eight tournaments on the World Series.

They have now announced expanded coverage of the World Series to their other platforms including television and mobile networks.

Universal Sports and USA Sevens LLC announced today that the network will be the exclusive broadcaster and distributor of VOD coverage of the 2010-2011 HSBC Sevens World Series of rugby.

The partnership marks the first time the series will be available on “free-to-air” and will bring an international quality feed with English commentary to the properties’ widest-ever audience.

“It is great that Universal Sports is on board to help us take rugby sevens to the next level in the US and we are confident that having Universal’s world-class production and reach will deliver huge value to the American audience and the growth of the sport,” said Jonathan First, President of USA Sevens.

“With the addition of the HSBC Rugby Sevens World Series, our network continues to provide fans the most extensive rugby coverage in the United States,” said Perkins Miller, COO of Universal Sports.

“We look forward to broadcasting these great events across all of our platforms –TV, Online and Mobile.”

The Series opens in Dubai on December 3-4 and South Africa on December 10-11 and coverage will be streamed LIVE on universalsports.com beginning December 4th.

The remainder of the series, including events in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland, will be broadcast on Universal Sports cable network, LIVE on universalsports.com and other Universal Sports platforms, including mobile feeds.

It was also recently announced that NBC Sports and Universal Sports will broadcast 8 hours of the HSBC Sevens World Series from Las Vegas on February 12-13th, 2011.

Universal Sports Broadcast Schedule

• Dubai, December 4th, 2010 – 9am EST Live on Universalsports.com
• South Africa, December 11th, 2010 – 11am EST Live on Universalsports.com
• New Zealand, February 5th, 2011 – 7pm EST on Universal Sports TV
• Hong Kong, March 27th, 2011 – 10pm EST on Universal Sports TV
• Australia, April 3rd, 2011 – 9pm EST on Universal Sports TV
• England, May 22nd, 2011 – 10pm EST on Universal Sports TV
• Scotland, May 29th, 2011 – 10pm EST on Universal Sports TV

Team USA just kicked-off the 2010-2011 HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai against 8 time Series champion and defending Dubai Cup winner New Zealand.

The Eagles are coming off a tenth place finish overall in last year’s Sevens World Series and are looking to improve this season behind coach Al Caravelli and team captain Matt Hawkins.

About Universal Sports:
Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, LP, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming on television and online. Universal Sports is available in more than 63 million homes, including all of the nation’s top 10 DMAs: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent expansion includes launches in Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports include track and field, figure skating, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, rugby, marathons cycling and triathlons. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.com.

About USA Sevens:
USA Sevens LLC owns and operates America’s premier rugby events, the Las Vegas HSBC Sevens World Series and the USA 7’s Collegiate Rugby Championship Invitational.  Held annually, the Las Vegas HSBC Sevens World Series is one of the eight international stops in the HSBC Sevens World Series. The Series sponsor is HSBC bank.  With an attendance of over 50,000 during the two day event, it is the largest annual rugby event in North America and one of the fastest growing rugby events in the world.