PREMIER SPORTS HAS announced that it will show every match from the United Rugby Championship live for the next four years.
The existing Pro14 teams and four Super Rugby sides – Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls — will compete in the new-look competition from September.
Earlier this week, RTÉ and TG4 revealed a four-year deal that will see them provide free-to-air coverage for 52 of the 60 matches involving Irish provinces, plus the knockout stages, between them.
TG4 will also have the rights to an additional 16 non-Irish fixtures.
Subscription channel Premier Sports, which is available in Ireland via Sky and Now TV’s Sports Extra pack, has now confirmed that it will show all 151 URC games live this season, with analysis from the likes of Stephen Ferris, Andrew Trimble, John Barclay, Jim Hamilton, Shane Williams and Tom Shanklin.
Source: Premier Sports
“We are absolutely delighted to have secured another four years of exclusive rights with the United Rugby Championship,” said CEO of Premier Sports Richard Sweeney.
“Premier Sports will be the only place to watch all 21 game weekends per season from opening weekend to the Grand Final with every single game live on our channels. We’ll deliver all the tournament action across all five rugby nations plus host more than 100 live and exclusive games through the season.
“The United Rugby Championship is going to be a fascinating, fresh and exciting new tournament for rugby supporters everywhere to engage with. The stakes will be high, there’s more jeopardy, regional pride to play for, more intense games and a diverse mix of rugby styles and cultures and world-class rugby players on show every week which is going to be great for our TV presentation teams to showcase.
“Aligned with the new opportunities that URC brings, we will be investing significantly, with more extensive panel insight from studio, more cameras and broadening our mix of commentators from relevant territories for live games.