ESPN Acquires Scrum

ESPN has bought Scrum.com, a website offering rugby news. The move follows ESPN’s recent acquisition of Cricinfo.com, a specialist cricket website.

ESPN, owned by The Walt Disney Co., is moving aggressively to extend its reach overseas. The network has launched French, German, Spanish and Italian versions of ESPNsoccernet.com. It is also the exclusive broadcaster of the Heineken Cup to the end of the 2010 season in certain regions, including Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. ESPN also has the rights to show previous World Cup rugby matches on ESPN Classic.

"We now offer sports fans world-class online coverage of the top three sports in many of our markets," said Lynne Frank, managing director of ESPN, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We are particularly delighted that scrum.com joins ESPN prior to this year's Rugby World Cup."