PRO12 Rugby has signed Independent News & Media as the official media partner of the Guinness PRO12 ‘Final Series’ ahead of the 2017 decider which will take place in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on May 27.
The partnership will allow Independent readers, across print and online, unique insights and access to the Championship including access to the closed ‘Captain’s Runs’ at the Aviva Stadium ahead of the Final, Guinness PRO12 exclusive highlights each week on Independent.ie’s rugby show ‘The Left Wing’ and the opportunity to win exclusive prizes to the Final.
INM will present the 2017 ‘Try of the Year’ Award at the Guinness PRO12 Awards before the Final. They will create original video content and are expected to develop other opportunities to engage with fans and players alike.
Crossover
This is the latest deal in a rapidly developing crossover between different media channels. Brands including AIB and Vodafone have been creating specific content for TV and online and running special promotions with sites like SportsJoe, the 42, Pundit Arena and RTE.
“Partnering with Independent News & Media for our Final Series is a natural fit for the Guinness PRO12,” said Commercial Director Dermot Rigley who joined PRO12 from RTÉ earlier this year.
“We have a vibrant, innovative tournament that gets people talking and which makes for great content among the pages of the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent and Independent.ie.”
Dublin
“The Guinness PRO12 Final takes place in Dublin this year on May 27 and all signs are pointing to a record-setting occasion at Aviva Stadium. In addition, we have three teams in the Champions Cup quarter-finals this weekend and another three in the Challenge Cup knock-out stages.”
“When you also take into account the record-setting number of tries that are being scored in the Guinness PRO12 the tournament is a in a great place and it’s fantastic to that INM can help tell that story across their multi-media platforms.”
“The announcement of INM’s Guinness PRO12 sponsorship further demonstrates our determination to reach our rugby fans across digital and social media, on and off the pitch,” added Geoff Lyons, Commercial Director of Independent News & Media.
Audience
“The Irish Independent and Independent.ie has the biggest rugby audience in the country, with 49% of our readers following the sport. This partnership with the Guinness PRO12 Final Series is another exciting development for us to take our readers on the exciting journeys of the teams they follow so passionately, across traditional and online platforms.”
As is increasingly the case it is a blend of content that works best for media. The Independent produced The Left Wing rugby video show, hosted by former Leinster and Ireland international winger Luke Fitzgerald has reached over 1.5M people on Facebook.
Whether the decision to offer exclusive access and content to the Independent will impact on coverage in other media outlets will perhaps depend more on whether Irish teams emerge to compete in the Final.
That is likely as three of the last six finals have been Irish derbies while only once in the tournament’s 15 year history has an Irish team not made it to the Final.
