World Rugby: a strategic plan to "reimagine rugby's entertainment factor & grow its audience"

World Rugby has presented a strategic plan to reimagine "rugby's entertainment factor, as part of a wider mission to grow its audience share over the next decade," announced the body on 19/03/2024. The body has announced a "package of enhancements aimed at advancing on- and off-field experience."

This programme is based on the results of the "Shape of the Game" forum organised by World Rugby, a conference that brought together rugby's main stakeholders in London on 29/02/2024. These stakeholders provided marketing recommendations to promote spectacle and strengthen fan engagement, advice that was studied by World Rugby's executive committee and board and incorporated into the new strategic plan.

"That means being bold, embracing change by dialing up the entertainment value, making our stars more accessible and simplifying terminology and language used to explain rugby to those who are yet to fall in love with it," said Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby.

"World Rugby has set out a five-phase approach to explore, adopt and trial the key outcomes" of the Shape of the Game forum…