Nineteen of the 48 matches at next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand will begin at 8 p.m. local time or later to appeal to television viewers in the U.K., Europe and South Africa.
Tournament organizer Rugby New Zealand 2011 said today that the quarterfinal double-headers in Wellington and Christchurch will kick off at 6 p.m. and 8.30 p.m., while both semifinals and the final will begin at 9 p.m. in Auckland.
“If New Zealand is to make the most of the platform RWC 2011 gives us to showcase our country to the world, then we need to ensure we maximize the global television audience for key matches,” Martin Snedden, Rugby New Zealand 2011’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
New Zealand will switch to daylight saving time two weeks into the Sept. 9-Oct. 23 tournament, taking it 12 hours ahead of the U.K. and 11 hours ahead of the major European rugby markets and South Africa, home to the defending champion Springboks.
The 2007 edition in France attracted a cumulative global TV audience of more than 4 billion, according to figures provided by the International Rugby Board.
