Chairman of World Rugby Bill Beaumont has welcomed the expansion of its partnership with IMG to include all the sport's major events until the end of 2020 ©Getty Images

World Rugby has extended its exclusive worldwide archive partnership with IMG Replay to include all major events until the end of 2020.

This includes the Women's Rugby World Cup, the World Rugby Under-20 Championship and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The men's World Cup was already part of the agreement.

It means more than 2,500 hours of content will now be made available on IMG's digital platform, IMG Replay.

Both archive footage and previews will be featured.

Bill Beaumont, the Chairman of World Rugby, said: "IMG has proved itself over many years to be an excellent partner for World Rugby, helping us to grow the game in several key markets around the world. 

"In particular, IMG's influence in making the most of the Olympic effect since rugby sevens’ debut at the Games in Rio 2016 has been profound. 

"With the help of the team at IMG, I look forward to more growth in 15s and sevens over the coming years as we introduce millions of new fans globally to our tournaments and other events."

The Women's Rugby World Cup is among the events covered by the deal between World Rugby and IMG ©Getty Images
The Women's Rugby World Cup is among the events covered by the deal between World Rugby and IMG ©Getty Images

The company has also signed deals with the International Olympic Committee, the Premier League, Wimbledon, The Open and the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Other clients include the International Volleyball Federation, the European Tour, the Bundesliga and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Richard Wise, the senior vice-president of IMG Media, said: "After more than 25 years of successfully marketing Rugby World Cup archive footage, we are delighted to extend our relationship with World Rugby to cover all of its major tournaments.

"Rugby's men's, women's, junior and sevens tournaments all continue to grow exponentially in size, coverage and scope, and we look forward to offering extensive footage to broadcast platforms around the world."