It follows a competitive tender process conducted on its behalf by RWCL commercial advisors IMG/TWI.
RWCL managing director, Mike Miller, said: “The appointment is wonderful news for French rugby fans who will be able to see every match live from RWC 2007 and RWC 2011, either on TF1 or on Eurosport France.
“The interest in these rights was unprecedented. We received tenders from all four major broadcast organisations - TF1, France Television, Canal Plus and M6. All the presentations were impressive but TF1 exceeded all the others in its commitment to promote and market the Rugby World Cup allowing us to reach new audiences and grow the game of rugby in France.”
TF1 is France’s largest terrestrial (or free-to-air) broadcaster and enjoys 34 per cent of the nation’s TV audience.
A minimum of 20 live matches will be shown free-to-air for both RWC 2007 and RWC 2011. The other 28 matches will be shown live on its fully-owned Eurosport France channel – the country’s largest satellite sports channel.
There will also be dedicated prime time news coverage on both TF1 and LCI, TF1’s dedicated satellite news channel.
