Scots rugby web channel kicks off

Channel XV to broadcast daily Scottish Rugby Union content

Fans of Scottish rugby are able to see more of their favourite teams thanks to an internet-based TV channel.

The service, known as Channel XV, operates as part of the Scottish Rugby Union’s web site and aims to provide daily broadcast-quality video downloads of international games, club matches and interviews with players.

James Kennedy, the site’s webmaster, says the videos were first made available last season as an experiment in partnership with corporate sponsor BT.

‘BT sponsors our leading cup competition, and wanted to promote their broadband services by showing what they could do. They mentioned that they had a new rich media platform, now known as Mediahive, which could send out streamed video over the internet,’ he said.

‘Our initial online videos were really just a toe in the water to see how it would be received, and it proved very popular indeed. Over the course of the season we had 80,000 downloads.’

Scottish Rugby now plans to produce near-daily news about all levels of the game, with highlights including coverage of Scotland’s international fixtures.

Other programmes will show matches played by the country’s three professional clubs, and action from games played by 250 other Scottish Rugby teams.

All of the content will be filmed and produced by Scottish Rug-by’s in-house IT team, and interviews with players and coaches at all levels will be regular features, says Kennedy.

‘It is the best way for us as a governing body to use the assets that we have, namely our top elite players and managers. We have access to them the whole time, which enables us to create compelling content that fans of Scottish Rugby around the world want to see,’ he said.

Scotland captain Jason White says the site helps him to keep in touch with the game.

‘The Scottish Rugby web site is already a huge hit with players and fans, and the addition of video highlights from every area of the game makes it even more attractive, especially when you realise you can download the action in seconds with broadband,’ said White.