👉 Background: Rugby Union has been a part of Australia’s sporting DNA for a very long time — particularly in NSW and Queensland. Despite the World Cup victories in 1991 and 1999, the Wallabies haven’t exactly been a try-scoring machine lately.

‍👉 What happened: Now, Rugby Australia has just signed a new five-year broadcast deal with Nine which was believed to be worth around $210 million — a 40% jump from their last deal in early 2020.This new deal for Nine is very exciting because it keeps another sporting code on their channels until 2030.

‍👉 What else: This deal isn't just for the Wallabies, it’s also includes the women’s national rugby team The Wallaroos, and Super Rugby matches. And the juicy part is that the deal includes performance incentives, meaning Rugby Australia gets bonus dollars if the Wallabies start actually winning. A winning team means winning ratings too.

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‍What's the key learning?

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‍💡Live sport is still the holy grail for broadcasters in the streaming era. Nowadays, more people are cutting the cord and giving up on traditional TV. But, live sport is one of the few things that audiences still show up to watch in real time.

💡This makes it super valuable for Nine:

• On the one hand, it makes it more valuable for advertisers who are getting a number of eyeballs on their brand.
• But on the other hand, it helps drive growth in their streaming service, Stan, too.

💡While rugby union may not have the biggest fan base in Australia, they have an extremely passionate fan base. In fact, Nine said audiences for rugby have grown 11% on Stan since 2020 and 17% on Nine and 9Now.