Shorts: Premiership Rugby, Cricket World Cup, Oxford United

Premiership Rugby and Major League Rugby (MLR) have announced a new two-year agreement that will see English rugby’s top flight streamed on MLR’s The Rugby Network (TRN) in the United States.

Nic Benson, MLR CEO, said, “Bringing Gallagher Premiership Rugby to US fans on The Rugby Network showcases our commitment to delivering more world-class rugby content to our fans.”

Simon Massie-Taylor, Premiership Rugby CEO, added, “The US has a huge rugby following with more than 30 million fans of the sport so we are delighted to have agreed this landmark partnership with Major League Rugby.

“We also know that tens of thousands of them already engage with Premiership Rugby, so this is a great opportunity for both new and existing fans.

“The Rugby Network’s growing audience will be able to enjoy the unmissable entertainment of Gallagher Premiership Rugby as the game in North America enters a really exciting period of innovation and growth.”

The new Premiership Rugby season begins 13th October.

Channel 5 has announced new partnership with Sky to broadcast daily highlights of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on a free-to-air basis.

Under terms of the new agreement, Channel 5 will broadcast 48 x one-hour highlights programmes for the duration of the tournament, which will take place from 5th to 19th November in India.

According to a statement, ‘the coverage forms part of a commercial agreement with Sky who hold the exclusive UK rights to live coverage’ of the tournament and will also air highlights packages across its pay TV channels.

Federico Ruiz, Commissioning Editor, Channel 5 and Paramount+ said, “Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for one of the most hotly anticipated sporting events this Autumn. With England going into battle to retain their title, our World Cup coverage will have fans across the country on the edge of their seats so clear your diary and tune in!”   

Bryan Henderson, Director of Cricket, Sky Sports, added, “It’s been a brilliant summer of cricket with record breaking viewership figures across the Men’s and Women’s Ashes as well as attendance records at The Hundred, so this competition represents a huge opportunity to capitalise on newer fans to the sport. As the home of cricket in UK & Ireland, we’re committed to delivering the very best coverage and analysis of the Men’s Cricket World Cup, which we’re delighted to do so alongside Channel 5.”

Oxford United has announced a new agreement with sports training company Hytro,

The new agreement, which covers the 2023/24 football season, will see the EFL League One side and Hytro collaborate on sports performance research into combining blood flow restriction training products and water-based recovery methods.

According to a statement, ‘This collaboration signifies an intersection of professional sports and scientific rigour, promising insights that could revolutionise the way athletes recover and train.’

Dr Warren Bradley, Founder and Head of Elite Performance at Hytro said, “The research partnership is a fantastic opportunity to perform an industry defining study, with potentially far-reaching consequences across professional sports. While the benefits of BFR are well known for rehab and performance enhancement, its significance is not yet fully understood or appreciated within its wider applications in recovery. Thanks to Dr Routledge and the team at Oxford United, we will research the benefits of Hytro BFR when used alongside water-based recovery modalities like ice baths, where we will define protocols to accelerate the recovery of elite athletes. This is an industry first, and testament to the club’s willingness to innovate and drive sports performance research.”

Harry Routledge PhD, Head of Performance at Oxford United added, “Hytro shares our view on the importance of marginal gains, and we are excited to be working with them on this innovative research project.

“As a club we are committed to delivering a high-performance environment for our players, which is why we are always looking at ways to better understand the impact of new technologies on training, playing and recovery.”

Scottish professional football club Livingston FC has announced a new sponsorship agreement with The Centre, one of Scotland’s largest shopping malls.

The new deal sees the logo of The Centre Livingston displayed on the sleeve of the club’s men’s first-team shirts for the remainder of its Scottish Premiership campaign until the end of the 2024/25 season.

Robert Graham, Deputy Centre Director at The Centre, said, “We are delighted to be sponsoring our local football club, Livingston FC, which is on our doorstep and at the heart of the community, and seemed a natural partnership for us. We wish everyone at the club all the very the best for the season ahead.”

Dave Black, Chief Executive Officer of Livingston FC, added, “I’m delighted that we’ve agreed this partnership with The Centre, Livingston and I offer my sincere thanks to Robert and his team for their hard work in helping to get this concluded.

“The Centre is synonymous with the town so it was a natural conversation to have and it’s great to now have their logo proudly displayed on our men’s first-team shirts.

“It’s been no great secret that the club has been working hard to increase commercial revenue and this partnership helps do just that for the next two seasons.

“I look forward to working with everyone at The Centre over the duration of the partnership and seeing how we can work together to strengthen the relationship and help grow both their presence in the town and ours.”