Universal Sports Network, NBC Sports Present Multiplatform Coverage of Rugby World Cup

From September 18 through October 31, the eyes of the world will be on England for Rugby World Cup 2015. Throughout the 20-team, six-week long tournament, Universal Sports Network and NBC Sports Group will present multiplatform coverage including more than 23 hours of broadcast coverage and more than 121 hours of live streaming.

Universal Sports and NBC Sports will broadcast nine out of 48 matches including live coverage of all of Team USA's matches in pool play, the semi-finals, and finals. Live PPV streaming of all 48 matches is available exclusively through Universal Sports' WatchRWC2015 over-the-top platform. Additionally, UniversalSports.com will stream all Universal Sports coverage and NBC Sports Live Extra will stream all NBC telecasts.

Universal Sports will air seven matches beginning this Friday, September 18 at 2 p.m. ET LIVE with the Opening Ceremony followed England vs. Fiji from Twickenham Stadium. Universal Sports will also air live coverage of all Team USA's matches in pool play. NBC will broadcast the October 24 semi-final match one week before live coverage of the World Cup Final on Saturday, October 31 at 12 p.m. ET. In addition to exclusive matches, broadcast coverage will feature a studio pregame show plus halftime and postgame analysis.

In addition to broadcast and cable TV coverage, Rugby World Cup 2015 matches are available live on pay-per-view via Universal Sports' WatchRWC2015 digital platform and on residential TV from leading cable, satellite, and IPTV providers in the U.S. All matches purchased for PPV will be available both live and on-demand.

Rugby World Cup 2015 will be held over 44 days at 13 different venues in 11 host cities throughout Britain. This year's tournament is on track to be the biggest Rugby World Cup to date with over 2.4 million spectators and 500,000 international visitors. A global television audience of 4 billion is expected to watch more than 20,000 hours of coverage across more than 200 territories.

Calling all of the Rugby World Cup action will be former USA Eagles player and USA Sevens Captain Brian Hightower who will serve as primary match analyst alongside veteran rugby play-by-play announcer Bill Seward. Fijian rugby legend Waisale Serevi and former USA Eagles captain Dan Lyle will join the broadcast team during the knock-out round to provide additional in-depth analysis.

The Rugby World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world and we are excited to offer extensive viewing options in the U.S., says Universal Sports Network SVP, Production Dean Walker. The power and physicality of rugby is perfect for the American sports fan, and we look forward to using our massive depth of rugby knowledge to introduce the sport to new viewers while satisfying our hard core fan base.

LINK:	http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2015/09/universal-sports-network-nbc-...
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