Premier Sports extends United Rugby Championship
Premier Sports has extended its broadcast agreement with the United Rugby Championship (URC), securing rights to air all 151 matches per season until 2029.
131 of those games will remain exclusive to Premier Sports in the UK, with the remaining 20 made available on a free-to-air basis through BBC Wales, S4C, and BBC Northern Ireland to serve audiences in Wales and Northern Ireland.
The URC features clubs from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and South Africa and runs annually from autumn through to early summer.
The new agreement builds on a relationship that began in the 2018–19 season, with Premier Sports set to reach 11 consecutive years as a URC broadcast partner by the end of the current deal.
The rights renewal follows the broadcaster’s increased investment in rugby coverage, including the launch of a dedicated rugby channel available via its OTT service.
In addition to URC rights, Premier Sports has held UK coverage of the Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, France’s Top 14, Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby. It has committed to airing two matches per round from both JRL1 and MLR competitions, alongside their play-off fixtures, and holds options to extend both agreements beyond their initial two-year terms.
Richard Sweeney, Chief Executive of Premier Sports, said, “Our aim is to be an integral part of the rugby communities we broadcast; to promote the very best players in the world as well as emerging talent and to highlight different cultures and rugby perspectives from a range of rugby leagues around the world.
“Like all those involved in the game, we want to be part of the drive to engage and attract new audiences, younger rugby fans, and keep giving our customers more diverse and fresh rugby to watch, and our style and range of coverage reflect that.”
Premier Sports continues to diversify its sports rights portfolio, which also includes LaLiga, Coppa Italia, the DFB Pokal, NHL, and NASCAR.
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