News UK deal brings Aviva Premiership Rugby to subscribers behind its Sun, Times and Sunday Times paywalls
Subscribers to News UK titles the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times will now have access to Aviva Premiership Rugby clips following a rights deal.
Deal: Subscribers will have access to rugby clips
The rights were released by exclusive rights holder BT Sport and the service will begin with clips from Bath Rugby v Saracens on Friday night.
Mike Darcey, CEO of News UK, said: “The partnership with Aviva Premiership Rugby significantly strengthens our offering to loyal subscribers of our world-renowned titles.
“Passion for rugby is shared across members of the Sun, Times and Sunday Times and we are delighted to take our post match clips packages beyond football for the first time.”
The move follows significant investment into securing sports rights to attract subscribers, particularly for the Sun, which went behind a paywall in August last year. In January last year, News UK landed Premier League internet and mobile highlights in a deal worth more than £30m, followed by a four-year deal for the digital FA Cup rights.
In a joint deal with BT Sport – a major competitor to the BSkyB’s Sky Sports channels – News UK later secured the internet and mobile clip rights for Champions League and Europa League games.
The latest deal runs until 2017.