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Broadcaster Premier Sports plans to create a 24/7 rugby union channel after announcing a deal to show every Investec Champions Cup match for the next three years.
Rugby’s premier club competition is leaving TNT Sports, largely due to Warner Bros. Discovery’s investment in international rugby with the Autumn Nations Series and the signing of a new deal with Premiership Rugby.
The three-year deal sees all matches broadcast in addition to the broadcaster’s existing agreements with the United Rugby Championship and the French Top 14.
EPCR CEO Jacques Raynaud said: “In addition to match day coverage, the creation of a 24/7 rugby channel represents a step change in Premier Sports’ rugby coverage.
“The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup will be at the heart of this new offering.
“In addition, we were able to work with Premier Sports to secure new broadcast times for English clubs, avoiding conflicts with Premier League football to maximise audiences.”
Sources close to the deal said City AM Premier Sports was not the EPCR board’s first choice broadcaster. But other options, which could have included a deal with TNT and later an option with DAZN, were not pursued over Premier Sports.
Mickey O’Rourke, Founding Managing Director of Premier Sports, said: “We are delighted and proud to bring the world’s premier international club rugby competition to our customers in the UK and Ireland.
“We will now deliver the most comprehensive coverage of club rugby available in the UK and Ireland, with 80 premier European rugby fixtures, 151 URC matches across five rugby nations and 110 live TOP14 matches, making Premier Sports the destination for every rugby fan. We will also make significant investment to bring the EPCR competitions to new and existing audiences.”
