Major League Rugby
Our team created a comprehensive distribution package including TV broadcast and online streaming deals to showcase Major League Rugby’s inaugural season.
The Solution
Dragonfli created a comprehensive distribution package and secured broadcast partnerships with CBS Sports Network, ESPN, AT&T SportsNet, Facebook and Youtube. Our team of producers delivered 10 weeks of game coverage, managing all aspects above and below the line. Additionally, we secured the kit and merchandise partner for MLR by negotiating a two-year jersey sponsorship with Australian company, XBlades. Finally, we developed league communication and highlights strategies to streamline media relations and marketing efforts.
The Challenge
Major League Rugby (MLR) entered its inaugural season with a clear goal — reach a large audience and produce professional match coverage. The startup league, consisting of seven teams in its first season, needed exposure in order to educate and capture a new rugby audience while appealing to existing fans.
All 31 regular season and postseason matches aired live on TV and internationally on Facebook.
The Results
Every regular season and playoff match aired live in the U.S. and abroad. The Seattle Seawolves took home the inaugural MLR Championship. But we won’t take credit for their play on the pitch. The upstart league was enjoyed in millions of homes through television broadcast and digital media coverage. After a successful opening campaign, MLR has a bright future with more franchises (12) and an expanded schedule and playoffs format. Our team continues to provide production capabilities for the Seawolves and have been retained by the MLR office to assist with sponsorship sales and media rights, successfully renewing the league’s ESPN deal for added cable windows and a 50-game package on their OTT platform, ESPN+.
“Dragonfli has helped us secure and then manage our relationship with ROOT Sports Northwest, a partnership that has crowned the Seawolves the most-watched rugby team in America. They continue to deliver for us with great production standards and are always on budget. They have great attention to detail and we always feel they are an extension of our team.”