TMG Appointed Official Publishing Licensee for RWC 2015
Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has announced the appointment of leading UK publisher Sport Media (part of the Trinity Mirror Group) as Official Match Day Programme and Pre-Tournament Magazine Licensee for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.
Under the deal, Sport Media will produce and distribute all 48 Match Day Programmes, Official Pre-Tournament Magazine in print and electronic format and will use its reach of leading regional news titles to assist with promoting and marketing the tournament, which kicks off on September 18.
The programme of bespoke publications will complement Rugby World Cup’s extensive digital and social media platform that looks set to generate a record audience for the world’s third-largest sports event.
RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “The appointment of a publisher with significant digital and print reach is great news for the tournament and for Rugby fans in the UK and beyond.”
“Through an extensive portfolio of news and sports titles, Trinity Mirror Group is recognised as an innovative leader in its field and will play an important PR role for what promises to be an outstanding Rugby World Cup.”
Sport Media has a strong track record in sports publishing and officially partners with some of the UK’s biggest sporting brands, including English Premier League football clubs Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, and Celtic in Scotland.
Rugby is also at the heart of their portfolio and partners include the Welsh Rugby Union.
Trinity Mirror Chief Executive Simon Fox said: “Trinity Mirror is delighted to have won this important digital and print publishing contract and we look forward to playing our part in delivering a successful Rugby World Cup in 2015.”
Regional Managing Director Steve Anderson Dixon said: “Rugby World Cup is one of the most iconic and celebrated global sporting occasions and we are especially thrilled to have been chosen by RWCL as the official publishing licensee of what will be a spectacular event.”
“In the last 12 months Sport Media has been awarded a number of new contracts, further strengthening our position as the leading sports publisher and this is further recognition of the talented people within our company.”
Managing Director of Trinity Mirror Sport Media Ken Rogers added: “We look forward to expressing our passion for Rugby to benefit the sport’s showcase event and fans around the world.”
EDITORS NOTES
About Rugby World Cup: Rugby World Cup is the financial engine behind unprecedented investment and growth in Rugby worldwide. The net Rugby World Cup surplus from the commercial success of France 2007 and New Zealand 2011 has enabled the International Rugby Board to invest more than £150 million in the Game between 2009 and 2012 and commit an anticipated injection of more than £180 million between 2013 and 2016 to underwrite a large range of major funding initiatives including annual national Union grants and strategic investments focusing on growing participation and increasing competition across all 119 national Member Unions affiliated to the IRB.
About England 2015: Rugby World Cup 2015, hosted in England between September 18 and October 31, will be a celebration of Rugby and its unique character-building values, exciting and inspiring the nation and the world to play and support the Game. England Rugby 2015 are the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015 and will deliver the six-week tournament, hosted in 10 English cities and in Cardiff, Wales. Thirteen match venues will play host to the 48 games that will celebrate and engage over 2.5 million spectators, including more than 400,000 international travelling fans.
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