YouTuber secures free-to-watch broadcasting rights to French league in astonishing landmark deal
YouTuber secures broadcasting rights to French league in astonishing landmark deal
With rugby being streamed on so many different platforms, it can be difficult to know where to watch your favourite team and how to gain access to it.
Once you’ve finally figured out which channels you need, which subscriptions are required, and how many different screens are in order, it’s time to part with your hard earned money – which can cost well in excess of what watching a rugby game should.
Well, one YouTuber has gone about making the process a little easier, securing the broadcasting rights to the second division of French rugby in a landmark deal.
Tim Cocker, of EggChasers Rugby, has spent the past year organising the logistics around supplying French second division rugby to Britain and Ireland. Alongside three other team members, he finally signed the legal documents last week, making the French D2 free to air on YouTube.
Cocker, a former BT Rugby and Virgin Radio presenter, has become the first YouTuber to hold official rugby streaming rights on the platform.
But why Pro D2? What is the the appeal of second division French rugby?
“What’s going on in French domestic rugby is really amazing and that’s what attracted me to it,” said Cocker.
“About a year ago, Courtney Lawes, George North, Jonny May all announced that they were going to be playing in France.
“Courtney Lawes, absolute legend, one of my all time favourite players, George North, Welsh legend, Jonny May played in World Cup finals, what a player. And they’re all going to the French second division to play, and that felt massive.
“So suddenly there’s an increase in interest and I looked around and went well ‘hold on a minute there’s nowhere to watch it’.”
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The acquisition of the rights is surely impressive, but the question is, why did Cocker do it?
“I have such a positive feeling towards YouTube as a platform, I think there is a demand that outstrips the supply for rugby fans. There is a massive hunger for content.
“You don’t have to be a former international to find a community of people that share your love of rugby, and that’s what I found here on the channel. So I totally believe in YouTube, which is why I’m really excited to be bringing live rugby to this platform.”
So how did Cocker acquire the rights to Pro D2?
“The best ideas are the ones that are hatched in a pub when you’re well lubricated. It was a chat in a pub over a few beers where we just basically went ‘oh we should just buy it and do it ourselves’.”
Explaining that he was drinking with Joe Worsley, current coach at Brive – it was this connection that helped him get set up, finding the right contacts and organising the processes the following morning.
“It’s taken a year and the contracts were only legally sorted last week, but it has happened we have acquired the rights to broadcast in the UK and Ireland.”
Like he says in this video, it shows how progressive rugby is becoming so maybe we will see more instances like this, going forward.