CVC buy share of prem

[Puja]

I don't get what the logic of this one would be. For the clubs, I can buy it - there's a lot of infrastructure building that could be done with the windfall and they can make up the loss in future earnings from their sold share by investing in stands, hotels, reducing debt, etc. What are the 6N countries going to spend £83m on that's going to be worth losing 30% of all their future revenues?

Puja

[Mellsblue]

I don't get what the logic of this one would be. For the clubs, I can buy it - there's a lot of infrastructure building that could be done with the windfall and they can make up the loss in future earnings from their sold share by investing in stands, hotels, reducing debt, etc. What are the 6N countries going to spend £83m on that's going to be worth losing 30% of all their future revenues?

Puja

The RFU could plug the hole in their finances. The SRU could help fund Edinburgh’s new ground. The WRU could bring another region under its control. The IRFU could stop sponging off World Rugby quite so much. The Italians could try and grow some halfbacks in a lab.

It’s also hoped that they financial pie will grow enough that they will all end up with more ££££ in total. CVC’s plan seems to be to bundle a lot of comps into one rights package to maximise income. As it’s stands it looks like that will include the Prem, Pro 14, 6N and the AI’s. No doubt we’ll be able to add in the European comps at some point soon.

[Digby]

The six nations has no guarantee of being free to air. So we'll have to wait and see if paywalls are a bad thing, or merely it was bad when just England did it?

[JellyHead]

The six nations has no guarantee of being free to air. So we'll have to wait and see if paywalls are a bad thing, or merely it was bad when just England did it?

This is what concerns me about any deal with CVC.

[Stom]

I thought the 6N had free-to-air as a "red line" (fuck Brexit, jeez). So I don't see how this could go through...

[Digby]

I thought the 6N had free-to-air as a "red line" (fuck Brexit, jeez). So I don't see how this could go through...

Nope, I think highlights need to be available FTA, but it's only the World Cup covered by the main protection, and it might even only be the actual final which has to be available FTA

So far the unions have chosen FTA because they can get millions of viewers they couldn't possibly hope to get behind a paywall

[Mellsblue]

Times reporting that CVC purchase of Pro 14’s commercial rights is a done deal.
The idea of an end of season match between the two winners or merging the end of season play-offs is raised. Also states that CVC plans are to create bigger events rather than increase the number of matches to increase revenue.
Could that mean a move towards an eventual merger, though this is supposedly ruled out at the moment, and something like an NFL style conference system?

[padprop]

All you have to do is look at the decline in super rugby in the last 10 years to see how “successful” a conference system would be.