LOS ANGELES (Universal Sports Release) – Universal Sports Network, the year-round destination for Olympic, endurance and action sports programming, announced today agreements with DIRECTV, DISH, iN DEMAND and VUBIQUITY which make all Rugby World Cup 2015 matches available on residential TV pay-per-view through satellite, cable and IPTV providers nationwide. The deals, executed separately with the leading PPV companies, allow fans the ability to purchase matches through all major TV providers in the U.S.

In addition to nine televised matches on Universal Sports and NBC, all 48 Rugby World Cup matches will be available via TV and digital PPV. Individual matches start at $27.95 per game while package availability varies per provider. All matches purchased for PPV will be available both live and on-demand. For complete details, viewers should contact their TV provider directly.

In addition to television PPV, live streaming and on-demand access to all of the six-week tournament’s 48 matches will be available exclusively through the previously announced WatchRWC2015 over-the-top platform in the U.S. and U.S. territories. The service will be available via the web on desktop and mobile devices from a single online destination, as well as select connected TV, iOS and Android apps. Details can be found by visiting UniversalSports.com/WatchRugby.

“The options to watch this year’s Rugby World Cup in the United States are unprecedented,” said Scott Brown, president of Universal Sports Network. “Through our broadcast coverage and extensive pay-per-view program, Universal Sports is ensuring that fans can enjoy all of the action from England 2015 and follow their favorite teams on whichever platform they choose.”

From September 18 through October 31, 2015, Universal Sports and NBC Sports will broadcast nine of the tournament’s 48 matches.  Universal Sports kicks off coverage on Friday, September 18 at 2 p.m. ET with the Opening Ceremony, followed by the opening match between host country England and Fiji. Universal Sports will broadcast LIVE coverage of seven matches including all of Team USA’s matches in pool play. NBC will broadcast the October 24 semi-final match one week before LIVE coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2015 Final on Saturday, October 31 at 12 p.m. ET.

Universal Sports Network acquired multi-platform media rights to the Rugby World Cup in a multi-year deal with World Rugby (previously known as the IRB or International Rugby Board) prior to the 2011 edition which allowed for Universal Sports and NBC to broadcast the quadrennial tournament LIVE for the first time in the United States.

The Rugby World Cup is one of the largest and most avidly watched sporting events in the world, drawing an estimated 3.9 billion cumulative global TV audience in 207 territories during the 2011 event in New Zealand. The 2015 tournament field consists of 20 different nations, including defending champion New Zealand and the United States, who will compete over the course of six weeks for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup.