Epcr Strikes Raft Of Broadcasting Partners

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the governing body and organiser of the two major European rugby union tournaments, has announced a raft of significant broadcasting deals.

The Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup will be broadcast across BT Sport, ITV, RTE and S4C, after they all agreed various multi-year partnerships for the new broadcast cycle in the UK and Ireland.  

BT Sport, that has delivered coverage of the rugby union’s elite club competitions since 2015, has recommitted to the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, extending it’s long-standing partnership with EPCR.

As lead broadcaster in the UK and Ireland, BT Sport will continue to televise both tournaments until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season. 

In addition, ITV, RTE and S4C will provide free-to-air coverage in the UK and Ireland, which will see a significant increase in access to the rugby for fans.

The agreements with ITV and RTE, which will see each broadcaster cover one Heineken Champions Cup match per round in the UK and Ireland – including the final – on a free-to-air basis, will also run until the end of the 2023/24 season. 

S4C will focus on the Welsh regions with live coverage of all Ospreys’ pool stage fixtures in the Heineken Champions Cup as well as one match featuring either Cardiff Rugby, Dragons RFC or the Scarlets in each pool stage round of the EPCR Challenge Cup also until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season. 

EPCR Chairman, Dominic McKay, said, “Broadcast partnerships are a massively important part of our strategy to bring our world-class competitions to even wider audiences, and we are very pleased with our partners in the UK and Ireland for the new cycle.” 

“Following on from what was a magnificent Finals weekend in Marseille last May, we are delighted to continue to work with BT Sport, who have delivered incredible coverage of, and audience growth for, our competitions. It is also significant that we welcome three free-to-air partners on board in ITV, RTE and S4C, who will boost our viewership and profile as South African clubs come into the EPCR fold.  

“BT Sport, ITV, RTE and S4C represent four more exciting broadcast partnerships in the key markets of the UK and Ireland, and with beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions in France, SuperSport in South Africa and FloSports in the USA, we are looking forward to bringing the pinnacle of international club rugby to more audiences than ever before.” 

The update follows previous announcements of broadcast partnership renewals by both beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions in France as well as confirmation of SuperSport as the exclusive broadcaster of EPCR’s tournaments in South Africa.

EPCR has also recently agreed a multi-year agreement with the US streaming platform FloSports, that became the exclusive broadcaster of the tournaments to American rugby fans until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.  

Rachel Knight, Sports Rights Director, BT Sport, commented, “Today’s news means BT Sport remains the home of club rugby in the UK and Ireland, offering unrivalled coverage from the Heineken Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup, plus multiple live matches every week from Gallagher Premiership Rugby.” 

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, added, “This new deal brings rugby fans live, free-to-air coverage of some of the biggest matches in club rugby, featuring the stars of the game and adds Heineken Champions Cup action to ITV’s range of top-class rugby alongside the domestic and international competitions we bring to viewers.”