Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 has been boosted by the announcement of further television broadcast deals that will increase the global coverage of the showpiece event in the Sevens calendar.
ESPN Star and Eurosport Asia have signed up to screen the broadcast-friendly event in Dubai which will break new ground with the inclusion for the first time of a 16-team women's tournament running alongside the 24-team men's competition.
The announcement boosts the record number of broadcasters covering the tournament to 27, ensuring that Rugby fans in nearly 200 countries will be treated to over 400 hours of live, delayed and highlights coverage.
"Rugby Sevens is a major hit with television broadcasters the world over. Its winning formula of exciting, explosive action, world-class men's and women's players and plenty of tries and has proven highly successful in reaching out to new audiences," said Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
"We are delighted to welcome ESPN Star and Eurosport Asia on board as Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 broadcasters. Asia is a major market for Rugby growth and development, underlined by the participation of teams from China, Thailand, the Arabian Gulf, Hong Kong and Japan at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009."
"Today's announcement is a positive step for the Game and clearly underlines the strong global appetite for Rugby Sevens at a time when the Game is reaching out for Olympic Games inclusion," added Lapasset.
The previous television broadcast record was set at the 2005 tournament in Hong Kong where a truly memorable tournament was broadcast to 300 million homes worldwide, in 125 countries through 20 international broadcasters.
The Rugby Sevens success story is underpinned by the IRB Sevens World Series, the popular grand prix style championship comprising eight international events, which this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
According to figures released by the IRB's Broadcast Managers, ProActive Television, the 2007/08 Series was the most successful to date, televised in 135 countries by 33 international broadcasters, reaching 223 million homes in 13 different languages.