IEC in Sports strengthens its media rights portfolio in Japan

IEC in Sports, the international sports marketing agency owned by Lagardère Unlimited, has acquired the media distribution rights for the final five matches of the Japan TOP Rugby League 2013/2014 season. The deal has been signed with J SPORT Corporation, the global rights holder for this event, and includes the world-wide media distribution rights, excluding Japan.

The final five matches will be played at the beginning of February in Osaka and Tokyo. As Japan prepares to host the IRB Rugby World Cup in 2019, the Japan Rugby Football Union and Japan TOP Rugby League are working hard to boost the international interest in rugby. The partnership with IEC in Sports will enable the Japan TOP Rugby League to benefit from live distribution with an international feed available on satellite for the first time.

“Japanese rugby is currently attracting significant interest and we are seeing many high profile international players come and play in Japan. As a result, the Japan Rugby TOP League is rapidly growing in popularity.
We are delighted to sign this partnership with IEC in Sports which will help to promote the league to a wider global audience”, said Shinji Utsonumiya, General Manager of Programming Division at J SPORT Corporation.

Commenting on the agreement, Karl Samuelsson, Managing Director of IEC in Sports in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, said: “IEC in Sports and Lagardère Unlimited are proud to work once again with Japanese rugby and to showcase the exciting rugby which is being played in Japan. As is always the case in Japan, the production standards are exemplary. The increased number of world-class international players in the Japan TOP Rugby League is further strengthening the interest from broadcasters, giving viewers a taste of Japanese rugby and the excitement which is in store for 2019.”