BBC AMERICA and Foursquare Team Up for 6 Nations Rugby

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BBC AMERICA and Foursquare are teaming up to help Foursquare users discover the best spots for 6 Nations Rugby watch parties. Every year across the globe, people unite in pubs and restaurants to watch RBS 6 Nations Rugby Championship matches, one of Europe's biggest annual sporting events. BBC AMERICA is elevating its coverage this year with digital partnerships and broadcasting five live matches wrapped with new pre- and post-game shows, beginning with 2010 Champion France versus Scotland on Saturday, February 5, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT.

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Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide America commented: "Teaming up with Foursquare is the perfect way to connect BBC AMERICA's 6 Nations coverage with the U.S. rugby community, and to help new viewers suffering from NFL withdrawal learn how to appreciate this great sport."

Starting today, Foursquare users can follow BBC AMERICA at Foursquare.com/BBCAMERICA to discover tips at over 100 rugby spots all over the U.S. and at key locations in the six host countries of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Users can unlock the "BBC AMERICA Rugby" badge by checking into rugby institutions, share their own tips with #Watch6Nations and post their party photos.

"One of the most powerful aspects of Foursquare is its ability to guide users to new experiences based on their interests," said Jonathan Crowley, Director of Business Development for Four square. "We're thrilled to partner with BBC AMERICA to enable rugby fans to easily coordinate 6 Nations watch parties across the U.S. and around the globe. Rugby viewing is a very social activity, and this partnership will bring the rugby community together at some of the best viewing spots."

The partnership with Foursquare is part of BBC AMERICA's expanded coverage of 6 Nations, which includes the new pre- and post-game shows and digital content produced by Embassy Row. Foursquare activity is being supported by on-air promotion, a Public Viewing Locales feature on BBCAmerica.com and a national sports bar marketing/promotion campaign in partnership with Bottle Rocket Marketing Group. Sports bars in BBC AMERICA's top markets are being blanketed with promotional messaging to watch the broadcasts and engage with BBC AMERICA on Foursquare.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

BROADCAST:

• No helmets or face masks - rugby is a non-stop unprotected battle that has ironically been labelled a "gentleman's sport." Last year, over a million people attended matches and for the first time Americans could join in the action by watching live BBC coverage on basic cable.
• New 30-minute pre- and post-game shows will focus on key elements of the matches and feature interviews with celebrity guests including actor and avid rugby fan Billy Campbell (The 4400, Once and Again) and experts, field pieces and weekly awards.

DIGITAL:

• Public Viewing Locales powered by Foursquare www.bbcamerica.com/rugby
• A slate of digital content produced by Embassy Row will be released throughout the run of the tournament, including recurring comedic and factual series such as Rugby 101 and a light-hearted comparison of American football versus rugby .
• New to rugby? BBCAmerica.com has a quick rundown on the rules, a rugby podcast, video interviews with captains and coaches and more. www.bbcamerica.com/rugby

ABOUT 6 NATIONS:

• The national rugby teams of England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales vie for the championship over seven intense weeks.
• Week One – Scotland versus France. France currently holds the Grand Slam title having sealed the victory and unseating previous champion, Ireland, by defeating every opponent including England in their Paris stadium packed with over 80,000 fans.
• The matches are held in London, Paris, Dublin, Rome, Edinburgh and Cardiff - with home field advantage alternating from year to year between each country's team. The tournament has every team playing each other once (total of fifteen matches) with two points being awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss.
• More 6 Nations Rugby history http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/history.php

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who.  Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy, four Golden Globes and ten Peabody Awards.  The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 68 million homes.  It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms.  Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

Find out more by visiting www.press.bbcamerica.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/bbcamerica.  

Foursquare is a location-based mobile platform that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. By "checking in" via a smartphone app or SMS, users share their location with friends while collecting points and virtual badges.  Foursquare guides real-world experiences by allowing users to bookmark information about venues that they want to visit and surfacing relevant suggestions about nearby venues.  Merchants and brands leverage the foursquare platform by utilizing a wide set of tools to obtain, engage, and retain customers and audiences. For more information, visit http://foursquare.com.

SOURCE BBC AMERICA