Rfu’s Vaughan ‘very Disappointed’ At Ofcom Ruling
In an exclusive interview with Sportindustry.biz, Paul Vaughan, RFU business operations director, has admitted that the governing body is ‘very disappointed’ that it wasn’t consulted as early as the Premier League by media regulator Ofcom in its recent ruling regarding the pricing structure implemented by pay-TV broadcaster Sky.
Ofcom ruled that Sky must cut the price it charges competing networks for its sports channels by up to 23%.
Vaughan was upset at the way Ofcom handled the decision saying: ‘We are very disappointed in the way that we were consulted so late compared to the Premier League – the whole process is flawed if you ask me.’
Sport governing bodies have blasted the ruling, saying that it will affect the country’s premier sports from the elite down to grassroots level.
Commenting on the potential impact of the ruling Vaughan said: ‘…it really is destroying the primary market in TV sales. The fact that Virgin and BT are waiting for a discount downstream will have an effect on our TV rights that go up for sale again in 2015/16 – so we will be faced with limited number of people to bid for our rights, plus will Sky even bid as much as it previously has?’
Read the full interview with Paul Vaughan here as he discusses the commercial impact that rugby sevens is having on the game ahead of the Emirates Airline Rugby 7’s tournament in London next month, the benefits of the new South Stand at Twickenham Stadium and his reaction to Ofcom’s new rulings.
