Melrose 7s Rugby Festival to get exclusive global coverage on Scottish Rugby TV

Scottish Rugby’s established digital channel will exclusively broadcast two full days of live action on both Saturday and Sunday from the home of sevens, Melrose Rugby, which has expanded the tournament this year to increase the match action on the newly installed 3G Greenyards pitch.

The online coverage will give fans in the UK and abroad an opportunity to see 20 teams compete for the 1883 Centenary Cup on Saturday 11 April, the new Ned Haig Cup, played over Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April which will feature 12 semi-professional teams, and the new Women’s competition on Sunday 12 April which will showcase teams from across the globe. Fans will be able to access live games on their mobile or any connected device, including smart TVs.

The global reach of Scottish Rugby TV will deliver the historic Melrose 7s event to an international audience and builds on recent live match coverage which saw over 50,000 fans in over 60 countries tune in to watch Scotland U20s vs England U20s and over 30,000 viewers watch Scotland Women vs Japan, across 23 countries.

Fans are also enjoying the weekly digital coverage of FOSROC Super6 action on the platform.

Scottish Rugby’s Head of Group Marketing & Commercial, Toni Blackhurst said: “We are delighted to be able to step in and support the event this year through Scottish Rugby TV broadcasting two action-packed days of Melrose 7s enabling fans at home and abroad, to enjoy this historic event on a device of their choice.

“This is a hugely exciting year for the Melrose 7s as they deliver their ambitious plans to extend the tournament and the quality of teams. The match action will have an international flavour across both days of live broadcast.

“Scottish Rugby TV has proved there is a real appetite for digital access to live rugby and we are excited to be able to showcase the Melrose 7s, the birthplace of the game, to a global audience.”

Phil Morris, Melrose 7s Tournament Director said: “When we were looking for a new broadcast partner our criteria was quite strict. We needed a partner that would be able to provide extensive coverage of all three tournaments – the traditional 7s on the Saturday, the new semi-pro competition on the Saturday and the Sunday, and the new Women’s tournament on the Sunday.

“We were also insistent that the matches must be easily accessible and free-to-view around the world, given the international teams competing. Scottish Rugby TV ticked all of those boxes. Their commitment and support for the Melrose 7s is brilliant and we look forward to working with them to expand our audience reach further than we’ve ever been able to before.”.

A full list of presenters and commentators will be announced in due course.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to www.melrose7s.co.uk

To access Scottish Rugby TV go to Scottishrugby.org and Scottish Rugby’s YouTube channel.