The BBC and CBC, the public service broadcasters in the UK and Canada, respectively, have secured rights to the upcoming 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa in deals brokered by international sports agency Sportfive.
The BBC’s tie-up will see the UK network air all matches live from day four of the tournament, across the UK, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man via BBC Television, the iPlayer streaming service, the Sounds audio service, and the BBC Sport website.
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BBC Radio 5 Live will also cover key matches, with commentary on selected games on 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra.
The tournament is due to run from July 28 to August 6 in Cape Town, with the BBC’s coverage starting on July 31.
World Netball chief executive Clare Briegal said: “For our pinnacle event to be broadcast free-to-air across the UK, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man is so important on our journey to grow and inspire, enabling the Netball World Cup to reach a wider audience, the fans of the [English] Roses, [Scottish] Thistles, and [Welsh] Feathers to follow their teams, and inspiring more people to get involved in netball.
“We have no doubt that this will be a world-class thrilling event, and we can’t wait to see and hear the fantastic coverage across the BBC.”
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By GlobalDataUK pay-TV heavyweight Sky Sports also has rights to show all games of the Netball World Cup, with it will show via its Sky Sports channels, with one per day made freely available on Sky Sports’ YouTube video streaming channel.
CBC’s rights deal, meanwhile, will see the Canadian broadcaster show both the semi-finals and the final across its CBS Sports digital platforms, including the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports website, and the CBC Sports app.
As the rights package is non-exclusive, Canadian fans will still be able to access all 60 games live on the NetballPass streaming platform.
Adam Schneider, vice president of Sportfive in the Americas, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with CBC on the Netball World Cup 2023. CBC is well-known as a champion of women’s sport in Canada, and we are excited to work with them in showcasing netball’s premier event to a new audience.”
The BBC and CBC join Australian pay-TV heavyweight Foxtel and public service broadcaster SBS as international broadcast partners of the event. Sky New Zealand also holds rights to the tournament.
Foxtel will cover every game from the 16-team tournament live, while SBS will show both the semi-finals and the final free-to-air.
All rights agreements have been struck with Sportfive, the international broadcast agency of the World Netball governing body. UK-based international agency CSM Sport & Entertainment is leading sponsorship sales for the tournament.
The two deals come a day after it was announced Vitality, the health-focused insurance company, had withdrawn as title sponsor of the tournament, just three weeks before the tournament kicks off.
The company said its decision to end its contract came after it was “unable to reach a mutually agreeable partnership” with World Netball. South African companies Telkom and Spar will now replace Vitality as the World Cup’s major sponsors.
Vitality said it will still be supporting the event through its sponsorship deals with the Proteas, the South African national team, and the Roses.
