Broadcasting Tenders: How Rugby World Cup Beat A Competition Law Challenge

Friday, 17 June 2022 By Craig Giles, Thomas Oster, Amy Cole

The French Commercial Court has vindicated Rugby World Cup Limited’s tender process in relation to the award of broadcasting rights for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France1. The Court held that Rugby World Cup Limited did not have a dominant position within its relevant market for competition law purposes, and in any event, even if Rugby World Cup Limited were to have a dominant position, its tender process did not amount to abuse of a dominant position.

This case discusses the Court’s rationale for its decision and provides some key takeaways for sports organisations while designing broadcasting rights allocation process.

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Tags: Broadcasting | Competition Law | Dispute Resolution | France | Rugby | Sports

Written by

Craig Giles

I'm a partner in our Media, Entertainment & Sports group in London, advising on commercial issues in all major sports, as well as advertising and marketing campaigns and consumer law.
I specialise in advising our sports industry clients on sponsorship, image rights, staging agreements, agency agreements, merchandising, licensing, funding agreements, brand protection and ticketing measures. I have particular expertise in the field of media rights and lead our London team's practice in this area. I've advised numerous rights holders, producers and broadcasters on some of the most high profile and cutting-edge media rights deals in the industry, both in the UK and in other jurisdictions across the world.