European Rugby Gains US Streaming Deal
The organisers of the Heineken Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup competitions, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), have announced a new three-year US broadcast partnership with US sports streaming platform FloSports.
The move highlights the EPCR’s ambition to take European rugby to the US market, with a strong UK representation across both competitions.
Edinburgh Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Northampton Saints, Ospreys, Sale Sharks and Saracens will all compete in the Heineken Champions Cup, European rugby union’s top-tier European tournament.
The likes of Bristol Bears, Bath Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Newcastle Falcons, Worcester Warriors, Wasps, and Dragons RFC will compete in the second-tier competition, the EPCR Challenge Cup.
All the British teams will look to benefit from the exposure the exclusive US streaming deal brings, with the agreement running until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.
FloSports will stream matches in each of the pool stage and knockout stage rounds, including both finals which are scheduled for Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in May 2023.
The deal is part of an historic alliance which will see the Heineken Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup grouped with key fixtures in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and France’s TOP 14, providing US viewers with unprecedented access to all four competitions on one digital platform.
The collaboration between EPCR, the URC and the TOP 14 means that FloSports will stream close to 450 matches representing more than 600 hours of high-class action during the 2022/23 season.
EPCR Chairman, Dominic McKay, said, “The Heineken Champions Cup is the pinnacle of international club rugby and we are delighted to enhance the global reach of our flagship competition, as well as the EPCR Challenge Cup, through this exciting partnership with FloSports alongside two of our leagues – the URC and the TOP 14.
“The US market is a key strategic priority for EPCR as we build the audiences and awareness of our world-class competitions in new territories. With the Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, URC and TOP 14 available from this season at the home of US rugby, more fans than ever will be able watch the very best of the international club game.
“This is our first foray into collaborating on international media rights deals with our leagues, so we are proud to make this piece of history in conjunction with FloSports.”
Ryan Fenton, Director, Global Rights Acquisition, FloSports, added, “We are thrilled to be working alongside these three world-class rugby properties to create a historic sports alliance with a mission of supporting the overall growth of rugby in the US.”
“The partnerships with EPCR, the URC and the TOP 14 fit perfectly into our vision to elevate rugby in the US through ongoing investments in media rights which delivers unparalleled live programming and creates compelling news and analysis while building an essential destination for fans of the sport.”
EPCR has stated that further multi-year broadcast partnerships for its core territories – the UK, France, Ireland and South Africa – will be announced in the near future.
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