BT Sport secures deal to become ‘home of elite rugby’ until 2022
The broadcaster said the agreement makes its channels the “home of elite rugby” in the UK and Ireland with pubs able to access all live coverage via their existing subscription package.
In the 2018/19 season, English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish fans will be able to catch live action with top flight players Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Dan Carter, Johnny Sexton, Sam Warburton and Stuart Hogg. Matches will be shown live across all BT Sport channels with up to 134 matches over nine weekends.
The broadcaster has shown live Aviva Premiership Rugby since 2013 and currently shows up to 69 matches per season in English rugby and extended highlights rights for all 135 matches in the competition. It has also shown at least 37 games in both European elite competitions per season since 2014, with English club Saracens winning it for the past two years.
Even more live sport
Bruce Cuthbert, director commercial customers BT Sport, said: “We know that live rugby is important to our pub and club customers and so we are delighted to announce that from 2018/19, BT Sport will be the home for all of the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, meaning that all elite club Rugby Union is now in one place and our customers have even more live sport to show in their venue.”
Vincent Gaillard, chief executive of European Professional Club Rugby, said: “We are delighted to move to a single pay-TV platform for European club rugby with a premium broadcaster in BT Sport, which shares our commitment to the promotion of our competitions.”
