Ben Willee, executive director of media and data at Spinach, said the tournaments will attract huge audiences, benefiting both the TV network and advertisers.
“It’s a big win for Nine and Stan sport, especially the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup, because it’s about more than just ratings,” he told AdNews.
“It’s about making a statement that Stan is a key place for premium sport in Australia, and it’s a platform that has been quietly building its sporting credentials over the past few years.
“And hopefully we can finally erase the image of Jonny Wilkinson drop kicking the collective soul of Australia back in 2003.”
Willee said multinational streaming services with deep pockets, like YouTube and Amazon, pose a threat to Australian broadcasters.
“Sports rights are really the key to the future success of Australian-owned broadcasters because it’s guaranteed to rate well and get advertisers in,” he said.
“What we’ve seen in the US, which may be a precursor to Australia, is that YouTube is about to broadcast its first NFL game
“You’ve got Disney who own ESPN. There’s all of these enormous companies saying, ‘I want to have a crack at sport’. We saw Netflix have a red hot go at its first sporting test this year.
“If channel seven were to lose the AFL, the ripple effect on its news ratings, advertising revenue, and overall network performance could be devastating. That kind of thing that could effectively destroy a television network.”
