Gallagher Prem rebrand for rugby top tier
English rugby union’s top tier has been rebranded as “Gallagher Prem” as part of a push to engage a larger audience.
The change, which followed the second tier becoming “Champ Rugby”, was unveiled during the final between Bath and Leicester Tigers. A teaser was shown at the Allianz Stadium and on the TNT Sports broadcast, with the full rebrand coming into action when the fixtures for 2025-26 are unveiled.
The league and TNT Sports want to champion “real grit, raw speed and big hits” as part of an effort to cut through to wider audiences. The season is due to begin with a Thursday night fixture to avoid a clash with the Women’s World Cup final two days later. More midweek matches could follow if successful.
There is confidence that showpiece fixtures can be moved to the United States in the build-up to the 2031 World Cup. Simon Massie-Taylor, Chief Executive of Premiership Rugby, heralded the launch of the Club World Cup in 2028 as a step forward in the club game going global. He is mindful of how English domestic matches in the US have fallen flat in the past but sees an opportunity with the 2031 World Cup approaching and Gallagher, a US partner, nearing its 100th anniversary in 2027.
Optimism for the competition’s growth has increased, with tickets for the final at Twickenham purchased in record time, making it the 32nd sellout of the season, up from 18 in 2023-24.
It is understood that Red Bull’s takeover of Newcastle Falcons is close to completion, hoped to be a precursor of further outside investment. The Premiership’s financial monitoring panel, set up in the wake of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish going bust in 2022, has been a stabilising force.
TNT Sports is tied into a new broadcast deal that will run until 2031 and is thought to be worth just shy of £200m in total, rising to about £40m in the last year of the agreement.
Rob Calder, Chief Growth Officer, Premiership, said, “What is important to us is evolution. We are a competition with great history, but we also believe we have a bright future ahead of us.
“You’ve seen it with the Championship reducing to the Champ, there’s a de-formalisation of sport and being right by the fan is really important. Speaking in the vernacular is important to us.
“We know if we are going to grow from Gallagher Prem fans, we’ve got to attract international fans and then reach out into broader sport audiences.”
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