Shute Shield on Seven Network in NSW in 2015
The Intrust Super Shute Shield, Sydney’s premier rugby union competition, will be seen live on the Seven Network in NSW this year, with this Saturday’s season opener between Eastern Suburbs and Gordon kicking off an exciting new era for televised club rugby.
The Intrust Super Shute Shield’s Saturday match-of-the-day will be seen live throughout the season on 7TWO, regionally through the Prime Network and 7 Digital.
The breakthrough to continue television coverage was spearheaded by Club Rugby TV directors, leading stockbroker John Murray and Nick Fordham, CEO of the talent management agency, The Fordham Company.
Club Rugby TV obtained an exclusive short-term licence from NSW Rugby late last year to negotiate an agreement with a free-to-air television broadcaster and source commercial partners and sponsors.
With Intrust Super, a Platinum rated superannuation company specialising in the hospitality industry, agreeing to become the naming rights sponsor of the Intrust Super Shute Shield, the deal with the 7 Network was locked in early this week ahead of this Saturday’s season opener at Woollahra Oval.
“This is exciting news for the game in New South Wales as the Intrust Super Shute Shield is the entry point and the foundation of first class rugby in Australia,” said Bruce Worboys, executive director of NSW Rugby.
“Club Rugby TV, through John Murray and Nick Fordham, has worked unfailingly hard over several months to bring this to fruition.”
Commenting, Saul Shtein, Seven’s Head of Sport, said: “We are delighted to become a partner with the Intrust Super Shute Shield. We are dramatically expanding our leadership in sports and we look forward to building the presence and awareness of the Shield. It is a competition with a rich and deep heritage and we can’t wait for a great season of rugby.”
Intrust Super CEO Brendan O'Farrell said: "Intrust Super are thrilled to be on board for the for the next three years as naming rights partner of a competition with rich history and a proven breeding ground for past, present and future Wallabies. Intrust Super is passionate about grass roots footy. This partnership is another way to engage with the community at large and help take a great game and a great superannuation message to a broader audience.”
Seven Delivers Leadership in Sports
Today’s agreement further confirms Seven’s leadership in sports television with the network continuing to dramatically expand its coverage of major sports across its three digital broadcast television channels and accelerate coverage across online, IPTV, HbbTV, mobile and other emerging forms of content delivery.
Seven is focused on delivering the biggest sports events to all Australians.
Seven is the network of the Olympic Games following an unprecedented new agreement with the International Olympic Committee encompassing the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020, and the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014.
Underlining this new partnership is an option which, if exercised, extends the rights to include the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 and the XXXIII Olympic Games in 2024.
Seven is also the network of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
These agreements build on the company’s long-term commitment to, the National Football League, including the Super Bowl, The US Masters and Wimbledon as major international sports franchises for Seven.
Seven also has all-encompassing agreements for coverage of the Australian Football League Premiership Season, Finals Series, the Grand Final and Brownlow Medal, the Bathurst 12 Hour Endurance Race, all major horse racing events including the Sydney Easter Carnival, the Melbourne Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, all major Australian golf tournaments, all major iron man and triathlon events, and all major tennis tournaments in Australia including The Australian Open and The Davis Cup.
