The late Bill McLaren, known as the “Voice of Rugby”, skillfully used the spoken word to conjure up beautiful images as the game unfolded before him.
The creepy attacker had “a face that looked like a carpenter’s chisel bag” and the lanky attacker, he imagined, “could handle three men in a phone booth”.
The “ball” moved like a “howitzer”, or rose “so high that when it fell, there was snow on it.” All this was accompanied by the rich Scottish blackberry Borders.
McLaren was a figure from the era of linear broadcasting that is rapidly fading away. With the Six Nations Championship kicking off this weekend, I wonder what Bill would think of the sport’s new partnership with TikTok, the entertainment app known for its dance-themed video clips.
The fast-growing social platform has signed a four-year deal with Six Nations Rugby, which is also partnering with Netflix to create an all-encompassing documentary series about the Six Nations and the World Cup in France this summer. The show will be modeled after the popular Formula 1 documentary series Drive to Survive.
These are clear signs that rugby is worried about its long-term future. While the upcoming Six Nations and World Cups are eagerly awaited, the bigger picture is that rugby union’s 28-year run as a professional sport has failed commercially.
Since Mike Catt became its first professional player in 1995, the Premier League’s exponential growth has boosted football’s global appeal and freed up a fortune in television rights. Meanwhile, Premier League Rugby has been reduced from 13 to 11 clubs this season after two were denied entry.
The all-European rugby tournament, which was an early success, was to be called the “Champions Cup” and invite South African sides to generate interest.
Six Nations kicks off on Saturday with Gabby Logan anchoring the BBC’s Wales vs. Ireland feature. Mark Pugach then directs the ITV edition of England v Scotland from Twickenham.
However, rugby leaders know that this broadcast-based approach is not enough to attract the next generation of rugby players and fans. So they turn to a Chinese social app and streaming service in the US for help.
“Culturally, classic rugby fans from Twickenham and TikTok are a far cry from each other,” said Richard Gillis, founder of sports podcast company Unofficial Partners. “But rugby is a sport that has long depended on television viewers and is now aiming to reach youth not using television.”
Six Nations kicked off in London last week and alongside the usual rugby journalists was a contingent of TikTok influencers eager to create quirky videos.
England skipper Owen Farrell was filmed training for the competition with Irish captain Johnny Sexton.
Farrell was visibly uncomfortable on the official TikTok at the launch: “Hi everyone, this is Owen…”
In another video, Sexton was asked about the behind-the-scenes Netflix series, and he hesitantly replied, “You’re coming, huh? You see, we’ve been told this is happening, so it’s going to be interesting.” It will be a “challenge,” he said.
Could these media deals bring rugby to a younger target group? The hope of the Netflix project is that the London producers of Box to Box will do for rugby what they did for F1 with Drive to Survive.
In the show’s fifth series, European motorsport has taken off in America and its television rights have skyrocketed.
Drivers involved in sports other than rugby yearn for their own version of Drive to Survive. But Netflix is no panacea, and it’s entirely possible that the success of the F1 show symbolizes America’s love of cars. Rugby may not have that appeal.
The TikTok deal is very different. The platform becomes the first title sponsor of the Women’s Six Nations and thus can increase its credibility in Europe.
Brands aware of the success of the English football lions are looking to the sport’s history of growth and diversity.
Rugby is already vying for attention on TikTok. World Rugby’s governing body has 1.5 million supporters. Videos of spectacular attempts go viral, such as South African Lucano Am’s bizarre goal against Italy at the 2019 World Cup.
For new rugby fans, these moments may be the equivalent of Gareth Edwards’ 1973 mesmerizing bet on the Barbarians against the All Blacks, with breathless commentary from Cliff Morgan replacing an ailing McLaren.
The rise of Georgia and Portugal as rugby powers demonstrates international potential. Can TikTok and Netflix win the future of rugby? If they do, the bosses of the sport will be “walking the streets,” as The Voice of Rugby used to say.
Source: I News
I am Moises Cosgrove and I work for a news website as an author. I specialize in the market section, writing stories about the latest developments in the world of finance and economics. My articles are read by people from all walks of life, from investors to analysts, to everyday citizens looking for insight into how news will affect their finances.