CNN International adds Rugby show to its sports line-up

CNN International is launching a new action-packed monthly show on rugby.
The World Rugby show will extend the network’s wide range of premium sports coverage spanning golf, sailing, horse racing, equestrianism, skiing, Formula 1 and tennis as well as comprehensive sports news in the flagship CNN World Sport.
World Rugby on CNN will take viewers on a global journey through all aspects of the sport.  As Rugby Sevens prepares for its Olympics debut in Brazil in August, presenters Alex Thomas and Christina Macfarlane will follow the contenders throughout the Sevens World Series during a series of fast-paced tournaments in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S., Hong Kong, Singapore, France and England.
The show will also include the 15-a-side game, its major competitions and the continued development of women’s rugby. The show will travel far and wide to seek out stories from grassroots rugby as well as meet the stars of the sport. The first monthly show, airing on 23 January, will feature a look ahead to the rugby year and follow the road to Rio from the tiny Scottish town of Melrose, where the game of Rugby Sevens was created by a local butcher in the 19^th century.

“After a very successful CNN run during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, we’re pleased to relaunch the World Rugby show with a broader view for 2016, a year that marks rugby’s return to the Olympic Games,” said Bill Galvin, Senior Vice President of CNN Sports Programming and Development.  “The unquestioned growth of rugby across the globe creates a natural fit for CNN’s worldwide audience.  We look forward to capturing the spirit of the sport, from the pitch to the fan experience, from the local level to the major events.”
Segments from both shows will also air in CNN World Sport and be supplemented by extra coverage, interviews and explainers on rugby microsites on CNN.com.
“CNN is as passionate about sports as our audience,” said Ellana Lee, Senior Vice President and Managing Editor, CNN International. “As a sport with a global footprint and bristling with interesting stories, rugby is ideal addition to our pantheon of sports programming. The World Rugby show will allow our viewers to experience everything that this exciting and growing sport has to offer. The combination of sports coverage with original reporting about everything from grassroots sport to tech innovation will be a winning formula.”
Episode one of CNN World Rugby airs at the following times on CNN International:
Thursday 28 January at 0930 GMT / 1030 CET
Friday 29 January at 0430 GMT / 0530 CET
*Video courtesy of CNN’s International’s ‘CNN World Rugby’’, sponsored by DHL