Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (GEE) (NASDAQ:ENT) has entered into a five-year distribution agreement with Premiership Rugby to offer telecasts of sports events to commercial flights and cruise ships through its global VSAT networks.
Under the agreement, GEE has been granted worldwide rights to provide extensive programming of the action-packed Aviva Premiership Rugby, Singha Premiership Rugby 7s series and Anglo-Welsh Cup competitions. The broadcasts will include group matches and semi-final and final competitions of the three rugby series, including live events and highlights.
“This is another exciting offering in GEE sports programming, allowing cruise ship and airline passengers an unparalleled onboard experience, especially in countries that follow the Premiership Rugby events,” said Jim Griffiths, senior vice president, content distribution and purchasing, for GEE. “Whether you’re at sea or in the air, you don’t have to miss your favorite sporting events.”
“This has been a breakthrough season in terms of Premiership Rugby’s global footprint, and this latest partnership extends the reach of Aviva Premiership Rugby, Singha Premiership Rugby 7s series and Anglo-Welsh Cup competitions even further,” said Dominic Hayes, the commercial director at Premiership Rugby. “It is the first of its kind for club rugby in England and continues our strategy to increase the global reach of our competitions and our 12 clubs. The recently announced broadcast deal with NBC Sports in the United States, along with a number of other new international TV agreements for 2016-17, will see Aviva Premiership Rugby broadcast in 200 countries, reaching over 170 million households around the world. Now we will add to this global reach by showing our rugby on commercial flights and cruise ships throughout the world.”
About Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE)
Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:ENT) is a leading provider of satellite-based connectivity and media to fast-growing, global mobility markets across air, land and sea. Supported by proprietary and best-in-class technologies, GEE offers a fully integrated suite of rich media content and seamless connectivity solutions that cover the globe. With approximately 1,500 employees and 50 offices on six continents, GEE delivers exceptional service and rapid support to a diverse base of customers around the world. Find out more at: www.geemedia.com.
About Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby is the organization which manages the top league in English club rugby – Aviva Premiership Rugby. It acts for its shareholder clubs in all major commercial and strategic negotiations with media and sponsorship partners of the league, as well as with other rugby governing bodies.
Premiership Rugby is also responsible for key areas of governance of the top flight competitions, including the Salary Cap Framework, Minimum Standards Criteria and Code of Conduct, as well as managing the Aviva Premiership Rugby competition, the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s and the Anglo-Welsh Cup, all of which are televised live exclusively by BT Sport. Partners for the 2016-17 season are: Aviva, BT Sport, Citizen, Gilbert, ITV Sport, Land Rover, Ricoh and Singha Beer. Premiership Rugby runs more than 90 local and national community rugby programmes. Each season Premiership Rugby and its clubs, working together with our players, coaches and impressive list of private, public and third sector partners, invest over £3.3 million in a variety of community programmes under the Play and BreakThru campaigns which aim to grow grassroots participation and tackle core issues.
Featured image credited to istock.com/JakeOlimb
