Premier Sports’ game-changing support of the BKT United Rugby Championship will continue until 2029 after the broadcaster extended their rights across the UK and Ireland.
The rise of the BKT URC has seen records for audiences for TV, attendance and social media broken over and over again with broadcasters like Premier Sports playing a vital role in growing connections between fans and their favourite players and teams.
In the UK, Premier Sports will be the ‘home of rugby’ where all 151 BKT URC games (131 exclusive) will be live alongside the Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup coverage with subscribers gaining access to its new dedicated 24/7 rugby channel Premier Sports Rugby. The new rights come into effect for the start of the 2025/26 season and by its completion will mark over 10 years since Premier Sports helped transform the league by ensuring every game was broadcast live.
Driven by their passion for rugby and live events Premier Sports will continue their focus on innovative coverage led by some of the biggest personalities from across the sport while aiming to draw in younger audiences and new fans.
In the Republic of Ireland, Premier Sports has expanded its partnership with the United Rugby Championship after securing new exclusive URC broadcast rights in Ireland for the next four years. Alongside showing every URC game live featuring Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht, Premier Sports Ireland will now exclusively host one game per week featuring the Irish provinces (*21 exclusive games each season). Six Irish inter-pro derbies will be live and exclusive on Premier Sports Ireland every season.
Additionally, the URC expects to announce a package of Free to Air rights with a UK broadcaster in due course.
Speaking about the growth of this key partnership, Martin Anayi, CEO of United Rugby Championship, said: “The BKT United Rugby Championship is an utterly different league to what it was a decade ago. During that time Premier Sports have been a critical partner and shared in our vision of creating a vibrant and innovative competition. It is now normal for fans to be able to follow every minute of their team’s season and it was Premier Sports’ belief in the league and our teams that allowed us to make that leap in 2018.
“During the partnership we have experienced unwavering support when it came to our expansion to PRO14, through the hardships of the pandemic and creation of the United Rugby Championship in 2021.
“They have brought fresh talent to the screen and ensured that fans watching the URC can get real opinions and insight from familiar voices who have won the league, played for their countries and represented the British & Irish Lions. We are thrilled that fans in the UK can now access the new Premier Sports Rugby channel while viewers in Ireland will get to experience more enhanced coverage of their teams.”
Richard Sweeney, Chief Executive of Premier Sports UK said: “We are very proud to extend our partnership with the BKT URC and to enter into our third consecutive agreement with the Championship as one of the most exciting leagues in world rugby supported by passionate club rugby fans across Scotland, Ireland, Wales, South Africa and Italy.
“The diversity, competitiveness and quality of rugby on show each weekend in the URC is exceptional and it’s been an exciting journey to have been on over the past seven years and great to see how the Championship has made huge strides forward with rugby audiences reaching record levels.
“We have a frontline TV talent team that is the best in the business, with world-class former internationals who have unrivalled knowledge of this league, its players, clubs and supporters and can connect and engage people invested in the game right across the competition.
