England’s Test Match Against Japan to Stream on RugbyPass
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has failed to secure a traditional broadcast deal for England’s upcoming Test match against Japan, instead opting to stream the fixture on their RugbyPass website. While the reunion match with Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms on June 22nd will be free to view for all fans, the lack of interest from mainstream broadcasters is a concerning sign for the state of rugby union’s television coverage.
England’s final two tour matches against the All Blacks in New Zealand will be shown on Sky Sports, but the opening clash in Tokyo will mark the first time in this century that a Test has not been aired on regular television. Scheduling conflicts with the Euro 2024 football tournament and the upcoming Olympic Games have hampered the RFU’s marketing efforts for the Japan fixture.
Additionally, the upcoming season’s Champions Cup rugby tournament is yet to find a broadcast home, as it enters its first tender process since three Premiership clubs recently went bankrupt.
“This is an exciting partnership to enable all fans in the UK and Ireland to watch this historic match for free,” said Ewan Turney, the RFU’s England Rugby Marketing Director. “We know that younger audiences are gravitating towards streaming platforms, and fans are watching matches on a multitude of devices, so we have chosen this free-to-air route.”
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