The organisers of Rugby World Cup 2019 are anticipating record audiences for the tournament that gets underway on September 20.
It’s estimated Japan 2019 will reach the broadest audience to date with the action being seen in 800 million households in 217 territories, surpassing the 683 million homes record in 2015.
Coverage is being offered to broadcasters through multiple feeds in multiple formats, meaning broadcasters will have the opportunity to tailor content and transmit the tournament in UHD/4K format.
Meanwhile, the innovative public broadcaster NHK will bring coverage in 8K to the Japanese domestic market.
“We identified the areas where we could enhance the experience and looked at the ways in which we could deliver more content and in ways that rugby viewers have not seen before,” said International Games Broadcast Services (IGBS) co-project director Dan Miodownik. “By matching World Rugby’s ambition with our experience, I believe we have achieved that objective. It is going to be an exciting project.”
A total of 34 cameras will cover all angles for the semi-finals and the final, rising from the 28 and 23 camera plans used for other categories of matches during the six-week tournament.
Augmented Reality graphics will be incorporated into the coverage, in 34 of the 48 matches for elements such as team line-ups, player comparisons, statistics and tables. IGBS will also provide a range of content, including infographics for social and digital platforms.