Two months after buying cricket news Cricinfo, ESPN has bought rugby info site Scrum.com, Reuters reported. Scrum.com claims to attract as many as 500,000 visitors each month at the height of the rugby season. ESPN will get an immediate shot in the arm from the purchase as the Rugby World Cup, held every four years, is taking place in France this September and October and is likely to bring significantly more eyeballs to Scrum.com.

The acquisition of the 10-year-old rugby site, terms of which were not released, is part of a series of stepped up moves in relation to Europe for the Disney-owned (NYSE: DIS) sports info franchise. ESPN recently released French, German, Spanish and Italian versions of ESPNsoccernet.com and is already 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 Buys Cricket Website Cricinfo
• Broadband Content Bits: BBC: Rugby World Cup; Setanta; Mirror
• Broadband Content Bits UK: Virgin Sports; ITV.com; Disney-Orange