And from our friends across the water, who issued their NZRU Annual report recently:
"Financial Performance for NZRU:
We announced a record profit of $33.4 million for the 2017 financial year, off the back of a highly successful DHL New Zealand Lions Series and other commercial growth.
The All Blacks played seven Tests on home soil in 2017 including the American Express Pasifika Challenge against Samoa, three Tests against the British and Irish Lions, and three Tests against Australia, Argentina and South Africa as part of the Investec Rugby Championship.
We also had seven non-All Blacks tour matches during the DHL New Zealand Lions Series.
As a result, we benefitted from a significant increase in income, mainly from increased matchday takings and broadcast rights revenue.
The All Blacks’ global exposure contributed to a 14 percent growth in sponsorship and licensing including new relationships with Amazon and Apple, as well as the ongoing, and highly valued, support of our Principal Partner adidas, and Major Global Sponsor AIG.
This spike in our revenue was in our financial projections and provided us with the confidence to invest heavily back into the game. Our major areas of investment remain the Players, through our Collective Employment Agreement and the Provincial Unions, who are receiving significantly increased funding, in tough commercial environments.
Furthermore, the women’s programme is growing, highlighted by the performances of the Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens in 2017, and we are implementing the outcomes of our Respect and Responsibility Review. However, we are conscious that we won’t have the economic value of the DHL NZ Lions Series for some time again, so we have planned for that and will therefore continue to be prudent about our costs and investing in our core priorities."
Total Mitre 10 Cup Provincial Union funding NZD 26,341,000
Total Mitre 10 Heartland Championship Provincial Union funding NZD 5,148,000