RugbyPass launch new subscription service - 'The XV'
RugbyPass has announced that the company – bought by Sky New Zealand in August 2019 – have launched a new subscription service in a move to strengthen their place at the vanguard of digital rugby content. “Sky Sports NZ acquired RugbyPass because of the integral role it will play as the global game develops. As part of that ambitious strategy comes the unveiling of our new subscription product, TheXV.Rugby”
Formed in 2016, Martin believes RugbyPass is well-placed at a pivotal moment for rugby. “Almost 25 years to the day from the advent of professionalism, rugby is in a massive state of transition so the timing to launch The XV is ideal. As its core will be high-quality, premium journalism.”
Martin believes that one of RugbyPass and The XV’s key objectives is to get fans to understand the game better and give hardcore fans a much deeper level of engagement, but also to reflect the amateur values of the game which is relevant to huge swathes of their audience. “The talented team we’ve put together all recognise that. They understand audiences want to be informed and educated but also want to be entertained.”
The XV will have a heady mix of hard-hitting journalism, big-name player interviews and long-read features and this offering will be enhanced by bespoke podcasts and video in a product which has been built from the bottom up for the readers.
With over 20 writers from around the globe contributing, alongside an experienced editorial team, Martin believes The XV will appeal to a new segment of the market. “Our intellectual property comes from journalists who know their patch intimately. We have writers on the ground, from all over the world, following the biggest stories and getting access to the greatest players. The insight we have will shine through in our journalism.”
Since joining the business, Martin says RugbyPass has often felt like rugby’s best kept secret. “If you talk to clubs, or players, they all love RugbyPass. They get what RugbyPass is about. We’re at the heart of the game and embedded in digital culture, so The XV is a natural extension of that and lends itself to annual subscriptions.”
Martin argues that what underpins RugbyPass as a business is that people who work there genuinely love the game. “What we are doing within the game should be construed as a positive. We will not be throwing rocks without reason. Fundamentally, we want rugby to thrive and prosper. We want to retain that enthusiasm and love for the game.”
One of the reasons The XV exists, Martin believes, is because the needs of customers continue to evolve. “Having an ad-free environment will become increasingly prevalent to audiences who want to follow their passions without clutter. The clean, intuitive user-experiences you get through OTT products like Netflix, Disney+ and Now TV are going to be a prerequisite in other areas of their digital consumption and that’s what we are building. We see micro-subscription products hitting the market with increasing frequency.”
In terms of value-for-money, there will be 30 to 40 pieces of content every month. That will be over 40,000wds of written content every month, as well as audio and video. All this, Martin says, for less than the cost of a pint, which means it’s very competitively priced.
After months with no rugby played, Martin has been buoyed by Rugby Pass’ growth when rugby has been at a standstill. “Even in lockdown RugbyPass has continued to produce fresh, innovative content. We pulled together the FifaPros competition with some of the brightest names in the game in just three days. Stars like Anthony Watson, Jordi Murphy, Mako Vunipola, Tom Curry, Ellis Genge, Henry Slade, Jack Nowell, Adam Hastings and Aaron Smith all clubbed together to raise thousands for charity.”
With a portfolio of brands Martin understands the different roles his products play. “We’re not doing it to create clickbait. We’ve found a different way to present rugby. The game is about stories, fun and being part of a team environment. What we do really well is pull all of those strings together. We don’t concentrate on one single product, which gives us a huge competitive advantage because we have genuine scale in the rugby vertical.”
When Martin joined RugbyPass and saw what they were doing from an audience and media perspective, he felt emboldened by its potential. “I felt like I was a gold prospector who had found an unpolished hunk of gold. I thought, ‘this is something amazing, how big can we make this?’ The XV is an iteration of those embryonic years and I see it sitting at the heart of what we do.”
With an OTT subscription business that operates in Asia and central Europe Martin firmly believes you need to have a mixed media model to survive in a volatile media landscape and The XV will cater for rugby fans who want to gorge on high-quality rugby content every day. TheXV also means a subscription product existing in tier one rugby markets where the majority of RugbyPass’ audience resides. “We have verticals in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and a growing following in the US and the Far-East.”
With swathes of traditional publishers’ business models stressed from the pandemic and widespread lay-offs, Martin recognises the need to be as lean and agile as possible to spin up new products and capitalise on trend lines in the market. “Being able to make real revenue from a subscription product was always important to us and building the right products with the right type of monetisation models is down to timing. Now is the right time to do that. The XV is an example of that. It doesn’t feel rushed, it’s more a natural cadence of the business. We haven’t compromised in any way and have more products in the pipeline that we’ll announce in due course.”
As for markers that rugby, as a commodity, is undervalued, Martin points to the fact that CVC Capital Partners are investing over half-a-billion pounds in rugby. “If you look at the reach that the Rugby World Cup generates, and the passion generated by the British & Irish Lions tour – which I still think is still one of the most amazing events in sport – they shine a light on what is utterly unique about our sport. Rugby is successful through many lenses almost in spite of itself. This is what attracts CVC. They have looked at sports like the NBA and NFL and seen how they’ve created more rounded products. They focus not just on live-sport but also stats and data and, importantly, access to the players. RugbyPass are one of the few media outlets that service that market, which will, in turn, help leagues and unions grow the game beyond their usual frontiers.”
As for the future, Martin says RugbyPass are well-placed for digital growth. “You know you’re doing the right thing when your kids are telling you you’re doing some great content on TikTok, where we have nearly 200,000 followers. I believe we’re leaders in driving rugby audiences on digital and social platforms. RugbyPass is unafraid to have a personality. Unafraid to have a sense-of-humour and unashamedly loves the game. In every essence, we’re a modern-day rugby media brand.”
Visit TheXV.Rugby to learn more
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
24 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
24 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
10 Go to comments