Rugby World Cup Goes Underground With ITV

Transport for London (TfL) has teamed up with broadcaster ITV to bring London commuters live news and updates from the Rugby World Cup 2015.

The commercial partnership will generate revenue to reinvest in the transport network, as part of TfL’s wider plans to generate £3.4bn in non-fare revenue by 2020/21.

The deal will see live news, results and score updates streamed across the Tube and DLR networks over the six weeks of the competition.

The information will be available on the digital information boards at the entrances of all stations and on platforms at over 180 London Underground and DLR stations.

Graeme Craig, director of commercial development at TfL, said: “We’re delighted to team up with ITV to bring the live news and updates from 2015 Rugby World Cup to our customers. This partnership, which taps in to the growing excitement around the tournament, is a great demonstration of how we generate commercial revenue to reinvest in London’s transport network.”

The new service was unveiled on Monday at Southwark Tube station by Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 winner Maggie Alphonsi, who will also form part of ITV’s broadcasting line up.

Alphonsi commented: “The match scheduling means that there will be plenty of commuters travelling on the London Underground at crucial moments throughout the tournament, who might otherwise miss out on the action. This is a brilliant way to keep fans up to date during the big games, when they are not able to watch them live on ITV or ITV Player.”

ITV’s director of sport, Niall Sloane, added: “This partnership with TfL cements ITV’s commitment to rugby, delivering content to fans no matter where they are. Bringing Rugby World Cup scores and news to London Underground’s passenger information services provides us with a unique platform to deliver our fan-centric approach to the sport and providing the best possible coverage of the tournament.”