For the past four years the IRB has officially endorsed and contributed material to the programme produced by Octagon. That arrangement ended last month, and the IRB says it will be announcing details of its future broadcast proposals shortly.
Commenting on the partnership, Mike Miller, chief executive officer of the IRB, said: "The World of Rugby covers the game in all its forms, at all levels and wherever in the world it is played.
"I would like to thank Octagon for their dedication and commitment to a programme which has had a major impact on raising the image and profile of the game worldwide."
Mark Sibley, senior vice president at Octagon, said: "We too, would like to thank the IRB for their association in developing the show."
But he stressed that Octagon "would continue producing an attractive rugby show", pointing out that they first developed the programme back in 1994 before the IRB's involvement.
"It's unlikely we will change the name of the show, and we have a number of deals that will continue with broadcasters around the world. We will also try and extend the show to some additional territories."
