Zuku Seals A Deal Worth KShs 250 Million To Air Kenya Rugby Union Matches!
Zuku has today unveiled a multi-million shilling exclusive broadcast partnership with Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) to air all local rugby matches played under the auspices of KRU.
The East African Pay TV provider has injected Kshs. 250 million into the agreement that will see it become the official broadcast partner of Kenya Rugby Union for a period of 5 years.
This translates to a Kshs. 50 million investment per season, for exclusive broadcast rights, production of KRU matches from the 2013/2014 to the 2017/2018 season, and an allocation of airtime of Zuku channels to promote the game, its partners and events.
Under the agreement, Zuku will have the right to televise several rugby events including Safaricom Sevens, Bamburi Rugby Super Series and the Elgon Cup. It will also cover the Kenya Cup, Eric Shirley Shield, International Mombasa Sevens as well as the National Sevens Circuit.
Speaking during the signing ceremony with KRU, Wananchi Group COO, Richard Alden acknowledged the tremendous growth that rugby has enjoyed and underscored Zuku’s commitment to partner with KRU in bringing the action directly to the viewers.
“We are also pleased to pioneer HD (High Definition) in the production of the local rugby matches, which means Kenyan now watch their local rugby teams in the quality that they watch international rugby matches”, he said.
The deal is also inclusive of a bonus for the National Fifteens squad – who recently displayed a stunning performance in Madagascar – should they qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
KRU Chairman Mwangi Muthee welcomed and applauded the deal.
“The rugby fraternity is delighted that Zuku is continuing with its support of Kenyan rugby. This deal will go a long way in bringing our fans closer to the teams across East Africa given Zuku’s extensive presence and in inspiring our players to excel”, Muthee said, adding: “The importance of a broadcaster cannot be overemphasized in ensuring the growth of Kenya Rugby and popularizing the game among the masses.”
Ten years ago, at the start of the IRB Sevens World Series, the Kenyan team was on the fringe of the game – enthusiastic but in no way competitive against the top teams New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa and Australia.
The Kenyans had failed to qualify for the earlier World Cup Sevens finals in 1993 and 1997 and in their first season as an occasional participant were never really in contention. Worse than that, they lost every game in their first four tournaments – 17 games in a row between October 1999 and November 2001.
But then they finally broke the mould and won their first silverware in the Shield in Dubai and, since then, have scaled ever-increasing heights, reaching Cup quarter finals, then semi finals and lately a semi-final loss to England in the just concluded Rugby Sevens World Cup in Moscow.
The 15s game has also witnessed tremendous growth, with the team recently crowned African Champions after an emphatic 29-17 victory over fierce rivals Zimbabwe in the finals of the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) tournament in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
