World Rugby Extends Partnership With HBS For Rugby World Cups

By Priscilla Jepchumba

World Rugby has officially announced the extension of its successful partnership with HBS (Host Broadcast Services). HBS will produce the host broadcast for all Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups until 2029.

This broadened collaboration marks the first time World Rugby has selected a sole partner for its active sponsorship and digital rights.

Prior to this announcement in early 2022, World Rugby had a joint agreement with both HBS and the production arm of international sports agency giant IMG for the 2019 men’s edition.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin expressed his enthusiasm about extending the successful partnership with HBS, emphasizing their shared mission to grow rugby’s audience share by focusing on accessibility and relevance.

“We are excited to be extending our successful partnership with HBS to project our major events to the world. HBS is aligned with our mission to grow rugby’s audience share by focusing on accessibility and relevance, and we are both motivated by this challenge,” said Gilpin.

HBS will have a crucial role in presenting the Women’s Rugby World Cups in England in 2025 and Australia in 2029, as well as the Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.

HBS, known for providing host broadcast services for major sporting events, has pledged its support to World Rugby’s initiatives to expand the audience base.

“At the heart of this partnership is innovation and we are looking forward to working with HBS teams to find creative ways to bring Rugby World Cup to fans around the world in a way they haven’t experienced before while finding the necessary efficiencies to limit the environmental impact of our joint production,” said Gilpin.

Dan Miodownik, the HBS CEO, added, “We are very proud of our collaborative partnership with World Rugby over the past years and are delighted to carry on working together for the next series of events.”

World Rugby has also expanded and prolonged its collaboration with the Two Circles agency until 2029, leading to significant progress in audience expansion.

HBS will also collaborate with World Rugby to deliver comprehensive host broadcast services for rugby’s premier events, integrating sustainability principles into their operations to minimize carbon emissions.