HSBC Expands Rugby Sevens Agreement by Sponsoring CNN’s Rugby Programme

HSBC has expanded its commitment to Rugby Sevens by sponsoring global broadcaster CNN International’s first dedicated Sevens TV programme.

As the first ever title sponsor of the International Rugby Board’s Sevens World Series, HSBC has heavily invested in the shorter format of the game. 

Airing for the first time today, CNN’s Rugby Sevens Worldwide aims to educate sports fans around the world about the newest Olympic sport, which will be played at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.  The monthly programme will focus on different stories on and off the pitch.  It will feature interviews with some of the biggest names in both the XVs and seven-a-side games, and look at the growth the sport is experiencing around the world. 

Giles Morgan, Global Head of Sponsorship and Events, HSBC Holdings plc, said: “HSBC is proud to have been involved with the increasingly popular Sevens World Series since 2010, which attracts more than half a million spectators across nine countries and is broadcast to 149 countries each season. Sponsoring this new programme on CNN will complement our sponsorship of the HSBC Sevens World Series, which the IRB is broadcasting internationally.  This regular, feature-led TV programme will be broadcast in more than 200 countries around the world. Given the growing global interest in this exciting sport we hope that Rugby Sevens Worldwide will encourage even more people to get involved with this.  The programme will hopefully introduce the Game and the Series to a broader audience and to educate those not familiar with Sevens as well as showcasing the entertaining nature of the Game.” 

Mike McCarthy, senior vice president of programming for CNN International said: “Rugby Sevens is a fast, exhilarating, and growing sport for both men and women.  It already enjoys enormous popularity in many parts of the world, and given its selection as an Olympic sport for the Rio games, the time is right for us to give CNN’s global audience a closer look at the game.” 

The series will also be supported by a promotional campaign by HSBC in commercial airtime on CNN.