In the Challenge Cup Montpellier take on Ulster on Friday 22 May, with kick-off at 8:00pm (Irish & UK time, 9:00pm local). The following day URC champions Leinster face Bordeaux in the Champions Cup final at 14:45pm (Irish & UK time, 3:45pm local). Both fixtures will be shown live on ITV4 and ITVX in the UK.

John Barton, Chief Commercial Officer at EPCR, said: “We are delighted to bring the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals to even more fans on ITV and ITVX. More people than ever will now be able to watch this showpiece weekend on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 May, live from Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium.’’

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “It’s great to be able to broadcast the finest European rugby talent across the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals, bringing the sport to a free-to-air audience on ITV and ITVX. The weekend will be action packed and one rugby fans will not want to miss.”

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The Rugby Broadcast take

This agreement is a smart move by both ITV and EPCR. ITV is doubling-down on rugby lately, with a rugby portfolio that now includes Prem Rugby, Six Nations and the inaugural Nations Championship that starts this summer. The EPCR finals offer ITV an opportunity to advertise ITV’s Nations Championship coverage directly to viewers, which will crucially include casual rugby fans.

From an EPCR perspective this FTA deal will undoubtedly lead to an increase in audience reach across the UK. As noted in the Rugby Broadcast Report last week, viewership of the pool stages of this year’s Champions Cup is up 15% in France, while audience reach is up 27% on Premier Sports. Securing FTA coverage of the final in the UK should help build on this momentum. It is also worth noting that this new agreement will have no impact on Premier Sports’ coverage – the Irish broadcaster will show both finals in Ireland and the UK.

It is safe to say that it has been an eventful few weeks: a Twitch streamer paid a “five-figure sum” to show the Prem in France, Champions Cup viewership is up and free coverage of the Top 14 in Ireland and the UK has been secured. Read more about all of these stories and more below.

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As always, you can find the full Irish and UK TV guide listed below, along with links to various streaming platforms.

Story of the week

A French Twitch streamer has followed in the footsteps of FR-UK’s Tim Cocker by picking up the rights to show Prem fixtures in France for the remainder of the current season. The deal is worth a “five-figure sum” and includes the option to show fixtures from the 2026-2027 season.

The streamer, Florian Marliere, recently secured the rights after broadcaster beIN opted not to renew its broadcast agreement with Prem Rugby.

While questions will undoubtedly be raised over the value of the deal, Prem Rugby has managed to secure an agreement in a market that is dominated by the Top 14. This new approach from Prem Rugby demonstrates a willingness to find a creative solution to a problem faced by many rugby leagues – attracting media rights deals in non-domestic markets.

Another key angle to this is the use of Twitch and YouTube to deliver the product – will this move attract newer and younger fans that sports cry out for? Or will the lack of visibility on a more traditional broadcaster lead to low viewership? Broadcasters and leagues should pay close attention.

Quote of the week

Rugby is fragmented across so many different broadcasters. What is the key to rugby’s growth going forward? It has to be the re-aggregation. – Barney Francis (IMG & formerly of Sky Sports)

The fragmented nature of the rugby media rights landscape has been mentioned in this newsletter numerous times. It is frustrating for fans and the sport itself – having multiple competitions shown across various different channels and platforms makes following the sport harder than it should be.

So what is the solution? The obvious answer, of course, is one broadcaster picking up all of the major rights. Premier Sports has made strides in this area – the broadcaster has launched a dedicated rugby channel and now boasts a rugby media rights portfolio that includes major competitions such as the Champions Cup, URC and Top 14 (and other less popular tournaments).

However, Barney Francis made an interesting point on the Broadcast Sport Podcast recently: in order for rugby to grow, the aggregation of the sport does not have to involve one broadcaster acquiring everything; instead, if a broadcaster or platform could aggregate all of the providers in one place, this could be the solution.

If you consider Sky’s recent decision to bundle its primary TV package with Disney+, HBO Max and Netflix (and Hayu) and to integrate its own programming alongside content from numerous platforms in its user interface, it is clear that Sky wants to be the aggregator in the entertainment space.

The broadcast number

147 million – the global broadcast viewing hours for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which represented a 336% increase compared to the previous WRWC in 2021, according to World Rugby.

Viewership performance

Champions Cup: Premier Sports recorded a 27% increase in audience reach across the pool stages of the current season compared to the previous season. This has been driven by continued growth across the broadcaster’s linear and streaming channels and the app. This increase is undoubtedly welcome news for Premier Sports, particularly at a time when dissatisfaction with the current tournament format persists.

In France beIN SPORTS has seen a 15% year-on-year increase in viewership for the pool stages. Toulouse remain the most popular club for viewers, with an average of 341,000 viewers for their clash against Saracens and 332,000 for the fixture against the Sharks.

EPCR’s YouTube content has also seen a significant uplift – viewership has more-than trebled over the past two seasons – with a projected 27 million views for the current season.

URC TV update

On April 2nd the URC provided an update on the league’s DTC streaming platform URC TV this season:

• 62% reduction in costs

• 64% increase in transactions

• 35% increase in revenue, despite lowering prices in all markets

• 2.7 times growth in subscribers across 150 countries, with an average season watch time of 20 hours per viewer

As noted in a previous newsletter, the URC launched a new and improved URC TV streaming platform ahead of the 2025-2026 season. RTÉ and the URC had previously partnered to provide the service, but that agreement ended following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season. From this season the URC has teamed up with Eluvio to provide an enhanced service.

The URC has rarely, if ever, provided such insight into URC TV and it is clear that the cost to run the service has reduced, while the number of subscribers and revenue have grown – which is important at a time when the value of club rugby media rights deals, outside France, have seen little growth. It is also worth mentioning that Eluvio is also used to run the EPCR TV service – which has seen positive results in markets such as Italy, noted in a previous issue of this newsletter.

Rights watch

• ESPN Africa has secured the broadcast rights to the Top 14 in South Africa and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. The new deal was announced earlier this month and includes four live games per round and playoff fixtures and runs until the end of the 2027-2028 season. Interestingly Top 14 Rugby TV will continue to show live fixtures alongside ESPN Africa, according to the Top 14 Rugby TV website.

• TV5MONDE has once again confirmed to Rugby Broadcast that the French broadcaster will provide free coverage of the Top 14 in Ireland and the UK this season.

• For the first time BBC ALBA provided free-to-air coverage of both the men's and women's Scottish Rugby Cup finals live on the same day last weekend. Similarly TG4 once again showed both the men’s and women’s AIL finals live on Sunday.

• In a story that has not been widely covered, Super Rugby Pacific is providing live coverage of the southern hemisphere tournament on its YouTube channel across certain territories in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. This is a change in approach to last season when Super Rugby was shown on NZR+ in dark territories.

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Friday 1 May

• 8:05am – Hurricanes v Crusaders (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 10:35am – Waratahs v Western Force (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 3:00pm – Leinster A v Ulster A (Interpro) – Leinster Rugby Plus

• 7:45pm – Nottingham v Ampthill (Cham) – Clubber TV

Saturday 2 May

• 5:00am – Fijian Drua v Highlanders (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 8:05am – Moana Pasifika v Blues (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 2:30pm – Cornish Pirates v Coventry (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Bedford Blues v Chinnor (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Caldy v Doncaster (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Cambridge v Hartpury RFC (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – London Scottish v Richmond (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Worcester Warriors v Ealing Trailfinders (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Leinster v Toulon (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 5:30pm – Ulster v Exeter (Challenge Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

Sunday 3 May

• 5:00am – Black Rams Tokyo v Kubota Spears (Japan Rugby League One) – Premier Sports Rugby / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 6:30am – Yokohama v Dynaboars (Japan Rugby League One) – Premier Sports Rugby / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 12:30pm – Montpellier v Dragons (Challenge Cup) – S4C & Clic / BBC iPlayer / Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 3:00pm – Bordeaux v Bath (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 9:00pm – Free Jacks v Seattle Seawolves (Major League Rugby) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC)

• Clubber TV (Champ Rugby)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Celtic Challenge)

• YouTube (AIL)

• TV5MONDE (Top 14)

• epcrugby.tv

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby

• Leinster Rugby Plus

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this week’s newsletter please consider sharing it.

BBC ALBA will broadcast two of the showpiece finals live for the first time, with Currie Chieftains taking on Ayr RFC at 3:30pm in the men’s Scottish Cup final. Later on at 6:15pm Watsonian FC will go up against Hillhead Jordanhill RFC in the Sarah Beaney Cup final. Both fixtures will be shown live on BBC ALBA, BBC iPlayer and worldwide on the BBC ALBA YouTube channel.

As well as the two live matches on BBC ALBA, Play Vision Sports Broadcasting will be producing the two other finals being played on the main pitch at Murrayfield. The action gets underway at 10am with the Women’s Shield final between Hillhead Jordanhill (2XV) and Broughton RFC.

The second live match of the day is the Men’s National League Cup final between GHK RFC and Highland RFC at 12.45pm. Both of these games will be available to watch on the Scottish Rugby YouTube channel, with commentary from Stuart McFarlane.

In other news…

The coverage begins this Saturday, with live coverage of Stade Francais v Pau at 1:30pm.

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TV5MONDE will also show one fixture from each of the last four rounds of the regular season on 9 May, 16 May, and 30 May (all kicking off at 1:30pm Irish & UK time) and 6 June (8pm kick-off).

The agreement also includes free live coverage of the play-offs, semi-finals and the final, which will be held on Saturday 27 June 2026 at the Stade de France.

All fixtures are available to stream for free in both Ireland and the UK on the TV5MONDE website and app. The commentary for all fixtures is in French.

The Rugby Broadcast take

The Top 14 continues to go from strength to strength and is by far the biggest club rugby competition in the world. The league’s existing domestic TV deal with Canal+ is worth €113.6 million per season. A new agreement with Canal+ starts in 2027 and is worth an impressive €128.7 million per season. TV5MONDE has been showcasing this package of fixtures for the past number of seasons, ensuring that viewers in Ireland and the UK have the opportunity to watch the most exciting part of the season for free. This is a smart play for the Top 14 and allows the league to reach fans who don’t subscribe to Premier Sports.

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This deal with TV5MONDE comes at a time when the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) is making a concerted effort to increase the visibility and popularity of the Top 14. In 2025 the LNR launched a DTC global streaming service, Top 14 Rugby TV, which is primarily available in regions without an existing broadcast deal.

In the women’s final UL Bohs will take on 2023 champions Blackrock at 1:30pm.

St Mary’s College play Clontarf in the Division 1A final, which kicks off at 4:00pm.

Coverage from the Aviva Stadium begins at 1:10pm on TG4 and the TG4 Player, ensuring that viewers outside Ireland can also watch the action live.

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The Rugby Broadcast take

TG4 has been broadcasting the AIL finals for the past number of years and the Irish broadcaster’s continued commitment to rugby comes at a time when the men's AIL is thriving. Both semi-finals attracted impressive crowds over the weekend, particularly at the Dublin derby between St. Mary’s and Terenure.

TG4's free-to-air coverage of both finals is a great opportunity for the AIL to reach a wider audience and showcase the impressive level of talent within the domestic game.

As the Six Nations continues without the traditional two-week break, there have been a number of developments in the rugby media rights space: more negative feedback to ITV’s in-game ads, strong Six Nations viewership and why a Sky Sports Rugby channel never got off the ground.

As always, you can find the full Irish and UK TV guide listed below, along with links to various streaming platforms.*

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Story of the week

“South Africa’s SuperSport stripped of sports rights control as French owner Canal+ moves operations to Paris”

Quote of the week

Another week and yet another quote from the excellent Unofficial Partner podcast. Former managing director of Sky Sports Barney Francis revealed for the first time that Sky did not walk away from the PREM and Champions Cup. Sky was prepared to launch a dedicated rugby channel, but for reasons that were not always commercial, both competitions chose different pathways.

Viewership performance

• Scotland’s impressive win over England last Saturday was ITV’s biggest peak audience of 2026, with 5.3 million viewers across ITV1 and ITVX. This figure is up on the peak of 5 million for the opening round fixture involving England and Wales. The Scottish game attracted an average of 4.8 million viewers on ITV1 and ITX.

• In France TF1 attracted 7.2 million viewers for France v Wales in the second round of the Six Nations, with a peak of 8.5 million viewers.

Ads watch

According to the Irish Times, in-play ads could yet be added to this year’s coverage of the Six Nations in Ireland. Mary Hannigan has confirmed that both Virgin Media and RTE have the option to show in-game ads during live play. However, at the time the article was published on 5 February 2026, no such ads have been sold.

According to Quantcast, Samsung’s in-game adverts attracted 63% negative sentiment online, while Virgin Atlantic attracted 80% negative sentiment.

Rights watch

• There has been a negative reaction in Australia to the lack of free-to-air coverage of Super Rugby Pacific on Channel 9 during the opening round. However, it is worth highlighting that while there is no contractual obligation on Channel 9 to show games on a FTA basis, Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has stated that the broadcaster does have the option to broadcast fixtures on a FTA basis if it choose to do so.

• Canal+ has quietly acquired the broadcast rights to Super Rugby Pacific, with the broadcaster now listed on Super Rugby’s website.

• Here is a full list of the broadcasters in place for various territories for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season. Unlike last season, NZR+ is not listed for dark territories.

  • Australia – Stan Sport

  • Fiji – Sky Pacific, Vodafone Fiji, FBC Sports

  • South Africa – SuperSport

  • LATAM – ESPN

  • Ireland / UK – Sky Sports

  • Japan – WOWOW

  • Canada – Premier Sports

  • USA – RugbyPass

  • South East Asia – Premier Sports

  • Spain – Telefónica

  • France – Canal+

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Saturday 21 February

• 5:30am – Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Saitama Wild Knights (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 6:05am – Highlanders v Chiefs (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 8:35am – Western Force v Blues (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 11:00am – Georgia v Spain (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 12:00pm – Lions v Sharks (URC) – TG4 & Player / Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 12:00pm – Cornish Pirates v Nottingham (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 12:00pm – Worcester Warriors v Caldy (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 12:30pm – Brython Thunder v Wolfhounds (Celtic Challenge) – BBC iPlayer / TG4 Player

• 12:30pm – Clovers v Edinburgh (Celtic Challenge) – TG4 Player / YouTube

• 1:00pm – Gwalia Lightning v Glasgow (Celtic Challenge) – BBC iPlayer / YouTube

• 1:15pm – Leicester Tigers Women v Trailfinders Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 2:10pm – England v Ireland (Six Nations) – ITV1 & ITVX / RTE 2 & Player

• 3:00pm – Sale Sharks Women v Harlequins Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Ampthill (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 4:30pm – Coventry v Hartpury RFC (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 4:40pm – Wales v Scotland (Six Nations) – S4C & Clic / BBC One & iPlayer / Virgin Media 1 & Player / Premier Sports 1 & Online (UK)

• 7:00pm – Belgium v Germany (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 7:30pm – Saracens Women v Exeter Chiefs Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 8:00pm – France U20s v Italy U20s (U20s Six Nations) – BBC iPlayer / RTE Player

Sunday 22 February

• 2:35am – Crusaders v Brumbies (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 12:00pm – Switzerland v Netherlands (Rugby Europe Champ) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 12:00pm – Croatia v Georgia (Women’s Rugby Europe Conference) – Rugby Europe TV

• 3:00pm – Loughborough Lightning v Bristol Bears Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 4 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:10pm – France v Italy (Six Nations) – ITV1 & ITVX / RTE 2 & Player

• 5:30pm – Portugal v Romania (Rugby Europe Champ) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC)

• Clubber TV

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Celtic Challenge)

• YouTube (AIL)

• epcrugby.tv

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby+

• Leinster Rugby Plus

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this week’s newsletter please consider sharing it.

Despite only seven days passing since the last newsletter, it has been another interesting week on the media rights front, with reaction to ITV’s new in-play adverts, Sky quietly securing Super Rugby Pacific rights and strong viewership figures for the opening weekend of the Six Nations.

If you’re looking for rugby to watch this weekend, you can find the full Irish and UK TV guide listed below, along with links to various streaming platforms.*

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Story of the week

Sky Sports has very quietly confirmed that the broadcaster will continue to broadcast Super Rugby Pacific in Ireland and the UK until 2028. Curiously, Sky has yet to publish a press release confirming the details of the new deal. During the week the UK broadcaster added four Super Rugby fixtures to its listing for the opening round of the competition this weekend but it wasn’t until Thursday (February 12th) that Sky’s main sports account on Twitter posted that the rights have been renewed until 2028.

As noted last week, Sky’s previous deal ended in 2025 but it remains to be seen if the new deal includes the rights to the Rugby Championship, Currie Cup or New Zealand’s NPC – all of which were included in the last deal. It is also unclear if the All Blacks tour of South Africa will be included.

The launch of the new Nations Championship and the subsequent deals recently announced with ITV and Virgin Media likely impacted the negotiations. The international summer tour fixtures that had traditionally been included in Sky’s previous deals with SANZAAR are now included in the rights deals that ITV and Virgin Media have secured. Once Sky releases more information I will provide clarity in a future newsletter.

Quote of the week

As most readers will be aware, ITV’s coverage of the Six Nations now includes two adverts during its live coverage. Much of the reaction to the adverts was quite negative on social media and a YouGov poll has confirmed that a majority of viewers had a negative opinion of the ads.

YouGov did note, however, that the adverts were arguably effective: the top two adverts recalled by those surveyed were Samsung (14%) and Virgin (12%), which were the two brands that featured. One of the main criticisms has been the sound from the adverts cutting across the main commentary feed and it will be interesting to see if this will be adjusted in future coverage.

Another interesting angle to the debate is that the CEO of Six Nations, Tom Harrison, was very open about the importance of the in-play adverts during a recent interview with SportsPro (link below) in Six Nations’ negotiations with ITV and in turn ensuring that the competition remained on free-to-air TV.

In this week’s Unofficial Partner podcast The Bundle (highly recommended), Murray Barnett, formerly of World Rugby, suggested that “finger in the air, I would guess that in terms of ITV’s commercial revenues, the values of those two slots (in-game adverts) per game are worth 20% of the total inventory.” Barnett also proposed that it was the Six Nations that tabled the option of in-play adverts and not necessarily ITV.

The broadcast number

5 million – England v Wales delivered ITV’s biggest peak audience of 2026 so far, with 5 million viewers across ITV1 and ITVX. The Six Nations fixture also attracted ITV's biggest sports audience of the year, with a 4.6 million average on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Viewership performance

• France TV Sport recorded 7.24 million viewers and a 39% audience share during its coverage of the opening fixture of the Six Nations between France and Ireland. This marked the highest-rated rugby broadcast in recent years.

• According to TAM Ireland, the Champions Cup clash between Leinster and La Rochelle on January 10th was the most watched programme on Premier Sports 1 in Ireland in January. Significantly, the fixture rated higher than the Premier League and Champions Cup.

• TAM Ireland reported that Leinster v Connacht was the second most watched programme on TG4 in January.

• In an interview on the DSPN podcast, Super Rugby CEO Jack Mesley claimed that Super Rugby Pacific “rates” better at present, compared to when South African sides were involved in the competition.

TNT Sports moving, again

Streaming access to TNT Sports is moving from discovery+ to HBO Max in the UK on March 26th. As things stand in Ireland, TNT Sports will remain on NOW and will not be moving to HBO Max.

Rights watch

• At the time of writing, SANZAAR has yet to sign a deal with a broadcaster in France for rights to Super Rugby Pacific. Canal+’s previous deal has ended but according to French journalist Gauthier Baudin, negotiations are still on-going with an unnamed broadcaster.

• S4C is live streaming Wales’ U20 Six Nations fixtures on YouTube for the first time. The streaming coverage is being provided alongside the channel’s usual TV coverage and streaming coverage on S4C Clic and the BBC iPlayer.

• As noted last week, RugbyPass has confirmed that all Super Rugby Pacific fixtures this season will be available for free, both live and on-demand, across RugbyPass’ various channels in the US.

Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Friday 13 February

• 6:05am – Highlanders v Crusaders (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 8:35am – Waratahs v Reds (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 3:00pm – Munster A v Ulster A (Inter Pro) – Access Munster

• 6:30pm – Ireland Club XV v Scottish Clubs (Friendly) – Irish Rugby+

• 7:15pm – Scotland U20s v England U20s (U20s Six Nations) – BBC iPlayer / Virgin Media

• 7:30pm – Old Belvedere v Tullow (Women’s AIL) – YouTube

• 7:45pm – Ireland U20s v Italy U20s (U20s Six Nations) – BBC iPlayer / RTÉ 2 & Player

• 7:45pm – Harlequins v Northampton (PREM Rugby Cup) – TNT Sports 3 / discovery+ / NOW

• 7:45pm – London Scottish v Worcester Warriors (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Nottingham v Cambridge (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 8:00pm – Coventry v Richmond (Champ) – Clubber TV

Saturday 14 February

• 5:30am – Shizuoka Blue Revs v Kubota Spears (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 6:05am – Blues v Chiefs (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 8:35am – Western Force v Brumbies (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports+ / NOW

• 12:00pm – Germany v Portugal (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 12:00pm – Gloucester-Hartpury Women v Harlequins Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 3 / discovery+ / NOW

• 12:30pm – Brython Thunder v Edinburgh (Celtic Challenge) – BBC iPlayer / YouTube

• 1:00pm – Gwalia Lightning v Clovers (Celtic Challenge) – BBC iPlayer / TG4 Player

• 1:30pm – Bordeaux v Castres (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 2:00pm – Ampthill v Chinnor (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Caldy v Cornish Pirates (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:10pm – Ireland v Italy (Six Nations) – ITV1 & ITVX / Virgin Media 1 & Player

• 2:30pm – Doncaster v Bedford Blues (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Hartpury RFC v Ealing Trailfinders (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Trailfinders Women v Sale Sharks Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:35pm – Perpignan v Pau (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 4:40pm – Scotland v England (Six Nations) – ITV1 & ITVX / Virgin Media 1 & Player

• 7:00pm – Spain v Switzerland (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 8:00pm – Toulon v Clermont (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & & Online / NOW

• 8:00pm – Wales U20s v France U20s (U20s Six Nations) – S4C / BBC iPlayer / YouTube / RTÉ Player

Sunday 15 February

• 5:30am – Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo v Kobelco Kobe Steelers (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 12:00pm – Netherlands v Georgia (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 1:00pm – Exeter Chiefs Women v Loughborough Lightning (PWR) – YouTube

• 1:30pm – Saracens Women v Bristol Bears Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer

• 2:00pm – Glasgow v Wolfhounds (Celtic Challenge) – TG4 Player / YouTube

• 3:10pm – Wales v France (Six Nations) – S4C / BBC1 / Premier Sports 1 & Rugby & Online / RTÉ 2 & Player

• 5:00pm – Romania v Belgium (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 8:05pm – Stade Français v Toulouse (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC)

• Clubber TV

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Celtic Challenge)

• YouTube (AIL)

• epcrugby.tv

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby+

• Leinster Rugby Plus

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this week’s newsletter please consider sharing it.

Virgin Media has acquired the broadcast rights to the new biennial Nations Championship, which kicks off in July this year.

The new partnership ensures that every fixture from the new tournament will be available on free-to-air TV in Ireland in 2026 and 2028.

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In addition to securing rights to every Nations Championship fixture, the broadcaster has also confirmed that it will show the Summer Nations Series, which will be held before the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and the Autumn Nations Series in 2029.

The new deal complements Virgin Media’s existing rights portfolio that includes the Six Nations from 2026 to 2029.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

Tournament organisers have now secured deals in most major rugby markets, with ITV in the UK, TF1 in France and Sky NZ in New Zealand.

The Rugby Broadcast take

This deal is another significant coup for the Nations Championship and more broadly, Irish rugby. Launching a new competition requires buy-in from fans and making the tournament available to a wide audience via free-to-air deals is a smart move to achieve strong viewership and engagement.

For the first time since the game turned professional, every major Irish international game will be available on a free-to-air basis from 2026. This is good news from a wider Irish rugby perspective, particularly in terms of audience reach and ensuring that the sport can attract new fans.

First off, a huge thank you to all of the new subscribers who have signed up recently – the newsletter is fast approaching 300 subscribers. As always, if you have any feedback, both positive and negative, please let me know.

In an effort to not bombard your mailbox every week, I also share articles on rugbybroadcast.com regularly so keep an eye on the website, Twitter and Bluesky if you’d like more content.

It has been another busy week on the rugby media rights front, including ITV’s in-play adverts for the Six Nations, Virgin Media securing the Nations Championship in Ireland and Premier Sports offering alternative commentary-free coverage and the return of a popular RTÉ programme.

If you’re looking for rugby to watch this weekend you can find the full Irish and UK TV guide listed below, along with links to various streaming platforms.*

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Story of the week

In the rugby media rights space, by far the biggest story of the week has been the news that ITV will show adverts during the broadcaster’s live coverage of the 2026 Six Nations. Regular readers of this newsletter might remember that this is something that was flagged last year in Issue 21 of the Rugby Broadcast Report.

The reaction to the news on social media has been quite negative, although there is a considerable number of industry observers who recognise that such adverts are necessary to ensure the tournament stays on FTA TV.

On the one hand, most fans want the Six Nations to remain on FTA TV but are not happy with adverts taking place during live play due to the interruption caused. However, it is important to note that the live feed will still be visible to viewers and that only part of the screen will contain the adverts.

On the other side of the argument, there are those who accept that such measures are necessary to ensure that FTA broadcasters can continue to generate sufficient income to cover the broadcasting fees.

Finally, it is also worth highlighting that these types of adverts are commonplace around the world and as noted in the Guardian, RTÉ has been trialling such adverts in its racing coverage.

While the immediate reaction of viewers might be negative, it is likely something that fans will become accustomed to and will simply forget about in years to come – just like the adverts between the anthems and kick-off.

Quote of the week

In an insightful interview with SportsPro this week, Six Nations CEO Tom Harrison revealed that during discussions with pay-TV and streaming providers, it was clear that they both understood the significance of the Six Nations being on FTA TV. This should come as no surprise to most, particularly given the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the speculation that the Six Nations could end up behind a paywall during the rights negotiation cycle in 2025.

Harrison also revealed that there was a time during the negotiations where he thought that a hybrid solution – with a split between pay-TV and FTA providers – was the most likely outcome. However, the size of the offer from the FTA broadcasters was substantial and ensured that the coverage could remain on FTA TV until 2029 at least in Ireland and the UK. The interview is well worth a read and I will be providing more information from the discussion in next week’s newsletter.

The broadcast number

£63 million – the annual rights fee paid by ITV and the BBC for the new Six Nations broadcast deal that runs from 2026 to 2029. According to the Guardian, it is understood that ITV is paying more than two-thirds of the £63 million per year.

Alternative Six Nations coverage

• As revealed during Premier Sports’ coverage of the URC last weekend and in Wales Online this week, the broadcaster will provide an alternative live feed during its coverage of the Six Nations, using spider-cam footage with no commentators – viewers will hear the referee and the atmosphere in the stadium instead. This is similar to the alternative feed provided by Amazon when the streaming service showed the Autumn Nations Series a number of seasons ago. As a reminder, Premier Sports will show one game per round in this year’s Six Nations.

• Separately, the Rugby Pod is hosting a live watch-along on its YouTube channel during the Six Nations opener between France and Ireland on Thursday night.

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Rights watch

• There has been more good news on the FTA front, with Virgin Media announcing this week that the broadcaster has secured the broadcast rights to the new Nations Championship, which kicks off this year. Virgin Media will also broadcast fixtures from the Summer Nations Series and the Autumn Nations Series.

• RugbyPass has picked up the Super Rugby broadcast rights in the US this season. The tournament was previously shown on FloSports. There is still no update on a broadcast deal for Ireland or the UK. Sky’s deal with SANZAAR ended in 2025.

• Despite speculation that Against the Head could be scrapped this year, it has been confirmed that the popular rugby programme will return to RTÉ during the 2026 Six Nations, airing every Monday.

• The Fijian Drua and the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation have extended their broadcast partnership for a further three years, ensuring all Fijian Drua games will be available on FTA TV in Fiji.

• FTA broadcast teams:

  • RTÉ and Virgin Media have confirmed their Six Nations line-up. RTÉ coverage will be led by Jacqui Hurley and she will be joined by Jamie Heaslip, Simon Zebo, Stephen Ferris, Fiona Coughlan, Jim Hamilton, Bernard Jackman and Donal Lenihan. RTÉ is also providing commentary in Irish. Virgin Media's coverage will be led by Joe Molloy with Conor Murray, Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble, and Ian Madigan. Matt Williams is not included in this year’s line-up. Dave McIntyre and Alan Quinlan will be on commentary duty.

  • The BBC’s reduced Six Nations coverage will be provided by Gabby Logan, Martin Johnson, Sam Warburton, Tommy Bowe, Jonathan Davies, Chris Paterson, Danny Care, Nigel Owens, Andrew Cotter, Sonja McLaughlan and Lee McKenzie.

  • On S4C the line-up includes Sarra Elgan, Lauren Jenkins, Gareth Charles, Gwyn Jones, Rhys Priestland, Jamie Roberts, Andrew Coombs, Jonathan Davies, Sioned Harries and Nicky Robinson.

Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Thursday 5 February

• 8:10pm – France v Ireland (Six Nations) – ITV1 & ITVX / Virgin 1 & Player

Friday 6 February

• 7:15pm – Ireland XV v England A (International) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 7:15pm – Italy U20s v Scotland U20s (U20s Six Nations) – BBC iPlayer / Virgin Media Player

• 7:35pm – Currie v Kelso (Scottish Premiership) – BBC ALBA / BBC iPlayer / YouTube

• 7:45pm – Leicester Tigers v Newcastle Falcons (PREM Rugby Cup) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 7:45pm – Bedford Blues v Ampthill (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Richmond v Nottingham (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – England U20s v Wales U20s (U20s Six Nations) – S4C & Clic / BBC iPlayer / RTÉ Player

Saturday 7 February

• 5:30am – Verblitz v Yokohama (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 12:00pm – Bristol Bears Women v Ealing Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 12:00pm – Netherlands v Spain (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 12:30pm – Sale Sharks Women v Gloucester-Hartpury Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer

• 2:00pm – Cambridge v Caldy (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:10pm – Italy v Scotland (Six Nations) – BBC One & iPlayer / Premier Sports 1 & Online (UK only) / Virgin Media 1 & Player

• 2:30pm – Lansdowne v Old Belvedere (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Trinity v Old Wesley (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Chinnor v Hartpury RFC (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Worcester Warriors v Doncaster (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Coventry (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 4:40pm – England v Wales (Six Nations) – ITV1 & ITVX / RTÉ 2 & Player / S4C & Clic

• 7:00pm – Belgium v Portugal (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 8:00pm – France U20s v Ireland U20s (U20s Six Nations) – BBC iPlayer / RTE News / RTE Player

Sunday 8 February

• 5:30am – Sungoliath v Mitsubishi (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 12:00pm – Switzerland v Georgia (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 1:00pm – Leicester Tigers Women v Saracens Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 2:00pm – Cornish Pirates v London Scottish (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Germany v Romania (Rugby Europe Championship) – RugbyPass TV / Rugby Europe TV

• 3:00pm – Harlequins Women v Exeter Chiefs Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC)

• Clubber TV

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Celtic Challenge)

• YouTube (AIL)

• epcrugby.tv

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby+

• Leinster Rugby Plus

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this week’s newsletter please consider sharing it.

It has been another busy week for rugby media rights: ITV has confirmed a major broadcast deal for the UK, EPCR’s direct-to-consumer approach pays off in Italy and Premier Sports picks up more rights – more on all of these stories below.

If you’re looking for rugby to watch this weekend you can find the full Irish and UK TV guide listed below, along with links to various streaming platforms.*

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Story of the week

CONFIRMED: ITV has secured the exclusive Nations Championship TV rights. ITV’s commitment to rugby has injected some much needed competition into the rugby media rights landscape. A number of media outlets had reported that TNT Sports were in contention to acquire the rights, particularly after shifting its focus from the Champions Cup to international rugby. However, it seems that TNT Sports dropped out of the race to acquire the rights due to the size of the bid submitted by ITV.

Quote of the week

While not all rugby fans may be a fan of the reactions of Simon Zebo and Ian Madigan during their co-commentary on Premier Sports, they are still bringing something authentic – and something different – to their roles. Their style may not be for everyone but it has been refreshing to see Premier Sports allow both of them to express themselves during commentary. Although it may not come across fully on live TV, it is clear that they have a passion for the game and the clubs they come from.

The broadcast number

124 – the minimum of live internationals games that will be broadcast on free-to-air TV on ITV in the UK over the next four years.

Viewership performance

In an interesting piece in the Irish Times this week, Gerry Thornley noted that Connacht could achieve the largest URC TV audience reach in Ireland this season and potentially in the following three seasons. Thornley highlights that all but two of Connacht’s games will be shown on free-to-air broadcaster TG4. In contrast, Premier Sports is exclusively broadcasting eight of Munster’s fixtures and 10 of Leinster’s games. As part of the new rights agreements in place, Premier Sports has secured exclusive rights to a Leinster or Munster game in each round, as well as two Connacht games during the season. Consequently, Connacht could reach more viewers overall due to the higher number of fixtures shown on TG4.

Thornley also provides insight into viewership so far this season and notes that rugby viewership on pay TV is no longer a niche market: Munster v Leinster in December 2025 attracted 163,000 viewers during the most watched 15 minutes of the game.

In October 2025 the same fixture drew 283,000 viewers during the most watched 15 minutes on TG4.

Separately, it has been reported that TG4 grew its audience share for the firth year running. The Irish language broadcaster achieved an average audience share of 2.3% in 2025 and reached 77.2% of the Irish TV population. TG4’s Rugbaí Beo also attracted strong audiences throughout the year.

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Premier Sports to show Ireland XV v England A and launches in Canada

Rights watch

• In an interview with SportsBusiness, EPCR CEO Jacques Raynaud revealed that the governing body’s direct-to-consumer service has resulted in EPCR “making twice as much” from the Italian market, compared to the previous deal with a pay TV provider. Raynaud also revealed that Ialy, Australia and Germany are the top markets for EPCR TV in terms of subscription revenue.

• ITV has released its presenter and pundit team for the 2026 Six Nations. Notably, Japan coach Eddie Jones has been replaced by Ronan O’Gara, whose commentary with Dan Biggar during the 2025 Lions Tour attracted much praise from viewers. The full ITV line-up is as follows: Mark Pougatch, Jill Douglas, Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Rory Best, Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Biggar, Jamie Roberts, John Barclay, Sergio Parisse, Benjamin Kayser, Ugo Monye, Maggie Alphonsi, Greig Laidlaw, Nick Mullins, Miles Harrison, Gordon D’Arcy, David Flatman, Ben Kay, Shane Williams, Scott Hastings and Nolli Waterman.

• German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 has announced a significant rugby media rights portfolio after securing the broadcast rights to the following tournaments: the Men’s and Women’s Six Nations, the Nations Championship, the Summer Nations Series and Autumn Series, the Women’s Lions Tour, the RWC in 2027 and the Rugby Europe Championship.

• RTÉ will provide Irish‑language commentary in this year’s Men’s and Women’s Six Nations for the first time.

Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Friday 30 January

• 8:35am – Western Force v Brumbies (Super Rugby Pacific Pre-Season) – Facebook

• 3:00pm – Blackrock College v St Vincent’s Castleknock College (Leinster School Senior Cup) – Leinster Rugby Plus

• 7:30pm – Trailfinders Women v Harlequins Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer

• 7:45pm – Benetton v Scarlets (URC) – BBC iPlayer / S4C & Clic / YouTube / Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Glasgow v Munster (URC) – TG4 & Player / Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW / URC TV

Saturday 31 January

• 12:30pm – Lions v Bulls (URC) – Premier Sports 1 & & Online (UK only) / URC TV

• 1:30pm – Montpellier v Stade Français (Top 14) – Premier Sports Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 1:30pm – Ampthill v Worcester Warriors (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Caldy v Nottingham (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Glasgow v Clovers (Celtic Challenge) – YouTube / TG4 Player

• 2:30pm – Doncaster v Cornish Pirates (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Hartpury RFC v Bedford Blues (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Terenure v Clontarf (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – UCD v Old Belvedere (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Trinity v Garryowen (AIL) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Coventry v Chinnor (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Richmond (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – London Scottish v Cambridge (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Edinburgh v Brython Thunder (Celtic Challenge) – BBC iPlayer

• 3:00pm – Zebre v Connacht (URC) – TG4 & Player / Premier Sports2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 3:00pm – Sharks v Stormers (URC) – Premier Sports1 & Online (UK only) / URC TV

• 3:05pm – Northampton v Leicester (Prem Rugby Cup) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:35pm – Montauban v Bordeaux (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 5:30pm – Leinster v Edinburgh (URC) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 7:45pm – Ulster v Cardiff (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Ospreys v Dragons (URC) – S4C & Clic / BBC iPlayer / YouTube / Premier Sports 1 & Online (UK only) / URC TV

• 8:00pm – Toulouse v Bayonne (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

Sunday 1 February

• 12:30pm – Wolfhounds v Gwalia Lightning (Celtic Challenge) – BBC iPlayer / TG4 Player

• 1:00pm – Exeter Chiefs Women v Leicester Tigers Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 1:00pm – Bristol Bears Women v Sale Sharks Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC v Loughborough Lightning (PWR) – TNT Sports 2 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:05pm – Pau v Toulon (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Celtic Challenge)

• YouTube (AIL)

• epcrugby.tv (Challenge Cup)

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby+

• Leinster Rugby Plus (Leinster Schools)

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

• Premier Sports to broadcast Ireland XV v England A in Ireland and the UK

• New partnership with IRFU follows Premier Sports’ coverage of two England A games in November 2025 in the UK

• Broadcaster also launches in Canada with DTC service

Premier Sports will provide exclusive live coverage of Ireland XV v England A on Friday, February 6th. The fixture is being held at Thomond Park, with kick-off at 7:15pm.

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This week’s announcement adds to Premier Sports’ live coverage of the Men’s Six Nations in the UK. The broadcaster has secured the live broadcast rights to five Six Nations fixtures, beginning with Italy v Scotland on Saturday, February 7th (KO: 2:10pm Irish and UK time).

The coverage of Ireland XV v England A will include a full match presentation, with pre-match build-up and post-match analysis.

Canada launch

Premier Sports has also launched its streaming service in Canada after announcing that it has secured the rights to a number of high profile tournaments in that market. From 2026 Premier Sports will broadcast the Men’s Six Nations, the U20 Six Nations, the Nations Championship live and on-demand in Canada on the broadcaster’s streaming service.

Premier Sports subscribers in Canada will also have access to live SANZAAR international tour matches and Super Rugby Pacific.

Premier Sports is already available in Ireland across two linear TV channels, while in the UK the service is available across three channels and online via its streaming platform. In Asia, the Premier Sports is available online on the broadcaster’s own streaming platform.

The Rugby Broadcast take

This week’s announcement is yet another sign that Premier Sports is focusing on growing its reputation as the home of rugby not only in Ireland and the UK, but further afield as well. The coverage of Ireland XV v England A also complements the broadcaster’s Six Nations coverage in the UK.

Securing the rights to Ireland XV v England A also gives its England based subscribers, who may have only signed up to the service for access to Champions Cup fixtures, yet another reason not to cancel their subscription while the EPCR competitions pause for the international window.

• ITV to show every Nations Championship game live in 2026 and 2028

• The broadcaster also secures the rights to Summer Nations Series, July Internationals and Autumn Nations Series 2029

• The reported value of the deal is £80-90 million

• Prem Rugby rights retained for another two seasons

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FTA international rugby

Rugby fans in the UK have a minimum of 124 live internationals on FTA TV to look forward to over the next four years. ITV confirmed this week that the broadcaster has secured the rights to the Nations Championship in 2026 and 2028.

In addition, ITV has acquired the rights to the Summer Nations Series, which takes place prior to the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027. In this week’s announcement it was also confirmed that the UK broadcaster will broadcast the July Internationals and Autumn Nations Series in 2029.

The reported value of the deal for the Nations Championship rights is £80-90 million according to multiple media outlets, although it is worth noting that ITV has not confirmed these figures.

TNT Sports were expected to secure the rights but it is understood that the value of ITV’s bid was deemed too high for TNT Sports to submit a counter bid.

According to The Telegraph, a free-to-air broadcaster will likely secure the rights in Ireland.

It is important to highlight that while the Nations Championship broadcast revenues are pooled together and shared by the participating teams, Japan and Fiji, as invited guests, will receive a participation fee only.

Free-to-air Prem Rugby retained

Separately ITV has extended its partnership with Prem Rugby and will continue to show seven live fixtures, including the final, per season until 2028. All of these fixtures will continue to be simulcast on TNT Sports.

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The Rugby Broadcast take

This week’s announcement is welcome news for rugby fans in the UK for numerous reasons. ITV’s commitment to rugby has injected some much needed competition into the rugby media rights landscape. A number of media outlets had reported that TNT Sports were in contention to acquire the rights, particularly after shifting its focus from the Champions Cup to international rugby.

However, it seems that TNT Sports dropped out of the race to acquire the rights due to the size of the bid submitted by ITV. In recent years Sky has decided to focus on other sports, apart from the Lions Tour and SANZAAR fixtures (it is worth noting that Sky’s SANZAAR deal ended in 2025 and the broadcaster has not confirmed whether it will sign a new deal).

ITV has built a strong rugby portfolio, which now includes the shared rights to the Six Nations, Prem Rugby, the new Nations Championship, the Summer Nations Series, the Autumn Nations Series and the July Internationals. As such, rugby’s profile in the UK could grow now that more rugby is available on a FTA basis.

Another fascinating development is that ITV has publicly confirmed that it is in preliminary discussions with Sky in relation to a potential take-over so the rugby media rights landscape could look a lot different in the years to come.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks on the media rights front, including a pay-TV move by the Six Nations, more positive viewership figures for the PREM and the potential of a Super Rugby blackout on linear TV. More on all of these stories below.

If you’re looking for rugby to watch this weekend you can find the full Irish and UK TV guide listed below, along with links to various streaming platforms.*

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Story of the week

By far the biggest rugby media rights story of the past number of weeks has been the confirmation that Premier Sports will co-broadcast fixtures involving Scotland and Wales in the 2026 Men’s Six Nations. This announcement is significant for a number of reasons, including:

• The deal provides both tournament organisers and Premier Sports the opportunity to measure fans’ engagement with a pay-TV alternative to the free-to-air coverage provided by the BBC.

• Premier Sports continues to build a significant rugby rights portfolio, and this new deal will give subscribers who only signed up for the Champions Cup (PREM fans) another reason not to cancel their subscription during the international window.

• The agreement allows the Six Nations to carve out a means of increasing the value of its media rights, without alienating fans who view the tournament on FTA TV.

Quote of the week

This week’s quote is courtesy of the CEO of SportsPro, referring to the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel, during a recent episode of the StreamTime Sports podcast and serves as a timely reminder of a challenge that both broadcasters and sports face. The battle for attention is not simply limited to competition from other broadcasters and sports – it’s also content creators, whose work has never been easier to consume thanks to the likes of YouTube and numerous other platforms.

The broadcast number

5 – the number of Irish rugby matches that featured in the top 10 most watched programmes in Ireland in 2025, according to TAM Ireland/Nielsen Media.

Viewership performance

• The PREM continues to attract strong viewership figures this season:

  • Round 8 secured the 4th highest total television audience for a single round

  • More than 1.2 million viewers tuned into Round 9

  • Round 9 also delivered the 2nd highest cumulative peak audience on record

  • Leicester Tigers v Saracens secured a peak audience of almost 400,000

• The Top 14 Round 13 clash between Toulouse and La Rochelle in December attracted an average of over 1m viewers on Canal+, which was the broadcaster’s best audience for a regular season match since 2014.

• TAM Ireland’s viewership figures for 2025 highlight rugby’s continued strong viewership on broadcast TV. It is also worth highlighting that the report noted that “viewers aged 15–34 were particularly drawn to major live events, with sport and entertainment dominating their viewing” – with the Six Nations fixture between Ireland and France the third most popular programme amongst this chort.

• The popularity of Thursday and Sunday night rugby in France was outlined in a recent article by RugbyPass, which revealed that Canal+'s Sunday night audiences in the 2024-2025 season rose by 10%. An average of 592,000 viewers tune in for the Sunday night fixture compared with 357,000 for the Saturday afternoon slot. Thursday night Pro D2 fixtures attract an average of 90,000 viewers, almost two times more than the Friday night slot.

• Separately, the IRFU has reported that Irish women’s rugby attracted 963,000 viewers on RTÉ in 2025, including 168,000 streams on the RTÉ Player for the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

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Rights watch

• ITV has secured a two-year extension to its broadcast agreement with PREM Rugby, securing the rights to broadcast seven live games per season, including the final. The renewal covers the 2026-2027 & 2027-2028 seasons. The broadcaster, which is rumoured to be a potential acquisiton target for Sky, has built a strong rugby portfolio that also includes rights the Six Nations and the new Nations Championship.

• The 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season kicks-off in just a few weeks but there is still no confirmed broadcaster for the UK or Ireland. Sky's deal ended in 2025 and there has been no word on a potential renewal. However according to rugby corespondent Nik Simon, Premiers Sports could be about to make a bid. Either way, the good news for fans is that a complete blackout is unlikely. Last season SANZAAR provided free coverage via NZR+ in territories without a broadcast agreement.

• Financial constraints at France Televisions have led the public broadcaster to reach a sub-licensing agreement with free-to-air broadcaster TF1 for its Six Nations rights. As part of the agreement nine of the 15 fixtures will be shown on TF1.

• The Champ Rugby Round 13 fixture between Richmond and London Scottish was shown for free via the England Rugby YouTube channel in January, which marked the first time that a Champ game was shown on YouTube this season. Before the new rights deal with Clubber TV was announced, tournament organisers had revealed that at least one fixture per round would be streamed on YouTube. However the Round 13 game between Richmond and London Scottish has been the only game streamed on YouTube so far this season – almost certainly due to the agreement with Clubber TV.

• According to the BBC, S4C will likely pick up the TV rights for the new Nations Championship that kicks off this year after it was revealed that S4C’s chief executive Geraint Evans told MPs that he is “confident” of securing the rights to the Welsh games.

• The Leinster Schools Senior Cup has returned and for the first time in a number of years Premier Sports will not provide any coverage, with all games streaming exclusively on Leinster’s streaming service Leinster Rugby Plus.

Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Thursday 22 January

• 8:00pm – Agen v Colomiers (Pro D2) – YouTube

Friday 23 January

• 2:00pm – Newbridge College v Wesley College (Leinster Schools Senior Cup) – Leinster Rugby Plus

• 7:45pm – Chinnor v Ealing Trailfinders (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Nottingham v London Scottish (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Gloucester v Bath (PREM) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 7:45pm – Munster v Dragons (URC) – TG4 & Player / Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Ospreys v Lions (URC) – S4C & Clic / BBC iPlayer / YouTube / Premier Sports Rugby / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Edinburgh v Bulls (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

Saturday 24 January

• 3:00am – Brave Lupus v Kubota Spears (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online

• 12:00pm – Delta v Brussels Devils (Super Cup) – Rugby Europe TV / RugbyPass TV

• 1:00pm – Edinburgh v Gwalia Lightning (Celtic Challenge) – YouTube / BBC iPlayer

• 1:30pm – Bordeaux v Stade Français (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 2:00pm – Cambridge v Doncaster (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Worcester Warriors v Hartpury RFC (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Cornish Pirates v Ampthill (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Old Belvedere v Cork Constitution (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – UCD v Lansdowne (AIL) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Bedford Blues v Coventry (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Richmond v Caldy (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Castilla y León Iberians v Lusitanos (Super Cup) – Rugby Europe TV / RugbyPass TV

• 3:00pm – Saracens v Newcastle (PREM) – TNT Sports Extra / discovery+

• 3:00pm – Exeter v Bristol (PREM) – TNT Sports Extra / discovery+

• 3:00pm – Scarlets v Ulster (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 3:05pm – Harlequins v Leicester (PREM) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:35pm – Toulon v Montpellier (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 5:00pm – Old Belvedere v Galwegians (Women’s AIL) – YouTube

• 5:30pm – Sale v Northampton (PREM) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 5:30pm – Stormers v Sharks (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 5:30pm – Connacht v Leinster (URC) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 7:45pm – Cardiff v Benetton (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Zebre v Glasgow (URC) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 8:00pm – Toulouse v Pau (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

Sunday 25 January

• 5:00am – Blue Revs v Toyota Verblitz (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online

• 12:00pm – Clovers v Brython Thunder (Celtic Challenge) – TG4 Player / BBC iPlayer

• 3:00pm – Wolfhounds v Glasgow (Celtic Challenge) – TG4 Player / YouTube

• 8:05pm – Clermont v La Rochelle (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Celtic Challenge)

• epcrugby.tv (Challenge Cup)

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby+

• Leinster Rugby Plus (Leinster Schools)

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

• Premier Sports to broadcast 5 matches from the 2026 Men’s Six Nations in the UK

• BBC to provide live coverage alongside Premier Sports

• New deal compliments Premier Sports’ significant rugby portfolio

• All Virgin Media TV customers in UK to gain access to Premier Sports Rugby channel at no extra cost

In a surprise move, Premier Sports announced this week that the broadcaster will show one fixture from every round of the 2026 Men’s Six Nations.

Free-to-air coverage maintained

Th new deal with Premier Sports is separate to the free-to-air agreements that were announced in 2025 – the BBC, ITV and S4C will continue to share the rights in the UK until 2029.

ITV has gained 10 fixtures per year, including every England game, while the BBC will broadcast the remaining five fixtures alongside Premier Sports. S4C will continue to broadcast games involving Wales, while in Ireland RTÉ and Virgin Media will continue to split the rights until 2029.

Guinness Six Nations 2026 – live on Premier Sports (UK only)

• Italy v Scotland – Saturday 7 February (14:10), Stadio Olympico, Rome

• Wales v France – Sunday 15 February (15:10), Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• Wales v Scotland – Saturday 21 February (16:40), Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• Scotland v France – Saturday 7 March (14:10), Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh

• Wales v Italy – Saturday 14 March (16:40), Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Rugby pundits Tom Shanklin, Andy Goode, Jim Hamilton, Ryan Wilson and Benjamin Kayser have all been lined up for Premier Sports’ coverage.

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International coverage

As part of this week’s announcement it was confirmed that Premier Sports has secured the rights to stream the Six Nations in certain Asian countries. The Irish broadcaster has also acquired exclusive broadcast rights to the competition in Canada, where it also boasts exclusive rights to the new Nations Championship, SANZAAR tour matches and Super Rugby Pacific.

Premier Sports Rugby and new sponsor

Virgin Media has revealed that all its TV customers in the UK can now access Premier Sports’ dedicated 24/7 rugby channel at no additional cost. Previously this channel was only available to Virgin Media customers who subscribed to Premier Sports.

Separately Sky Media has revealed that Heineken 0.0 is now the main sponsor of Premier Sports’ Champions Cup and Challenge Cup coverage in Ireland. The partnership runs until May 2027.

“Significant audience and subscriber growth”

Richard Sweeney, CEO of Premier Sports, said: “The Guinness Six Nations is one of the crown jewels of international rugby. The Championship showcases the world’s best players and remains one of the most culturally significant competitions in interazurenational sport and we're delighted to bring these outstanding fixtures to our customers and growing rugby network."

“We have seen significant audience and subscriber growth in the past year through our live coverage of the Investec Champions Cup and France’s TOP14, and the addition of Six Nations matches further strengthens our rugby proposition for viewers, advertisers and partners. Our ability to reach audiences both in the UK and internationally is a key part of Premier Sports’ strategy. We can combine high-quality live coverage with our flexible streaming platforms, to bring world-class rugby to fans wherever they are,” added Sweeney.

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The Rugby Broadcast take

This week’s announcement further cements Premier Sports’ position as the leading rugby broadcaster in the UK. Its growing rugby portfolio now includes the URC, Champions Cup, Challenge Cup, Top 14, Japan Rugby League One and Major League Rugby. In 2025 the broadcaster also showed a number of November internationals and launched a 24/7 dedicated rugby channel in the UK, underlining a clear ambition to become the go-to destination for rugby fans.

From a Six Nations perspective, this new deal is particularly notable as it marks the first time the tournament will be shown on pay-TV in the UK. Before announcing new deals with FTA broadcasters in 2025, reports had suggested that serious discussions were held with TNT Sports about placing the tournament fully behind a paywall. This move would undoubtedly have been been met with significant backlash. The new deal with Premier Sports gives tournament organisers the opportunity to test the waters, while ensuring that FTA is maintained.

From Premier Sports’ perspective, the new deal is unlikely a subscriber acquisition play but does offer existing subscribers more value for money. In an interview with Rugby Broadcast in 2025, Premier Sports CEO Richard Sweeney said the broadcaster is comfortable sharing rights with other providers and is not solely focused on exclusivity. This latest announcement is another clear example of that approach in action.

This development is part of a wider trend in the sports industry where various sports organisations now offer numerous rights packages to attract multiple broadcasters, rather than prioritising exclusivity to a single broadcaster. The URC is a prime example of this, with different rights packages sold to multiple broadcasters in both the UK and Ireland. Exclusivity is no longer the be-all and end-all.

European Cup rugby returns this weekend as the opening round of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup kicked-off on Friday night.

ITV has injected some much needed competition into the rugby media rights landscape with a surprise bid for the new Nations Championship. Champ Rugby is set to debut on RugbyPass TV, while the PREM fails to prevent churn on TNT Sports – more on these stories below.

Apart from European Cup rugby, viewers can enjoy live action from the Super Cup, PWR, the AIL, Rugby Europe Conference and the Champ across the weekend.

Irish and UK kick-off and broadcast details for all televised games are listed below.*

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Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)

Former Munster head coach Johann van Graan has named a strong Bath side to take on Clayton McMillan’s Munster team, which will be without Irish international Jack Crowley due to injury.
Champions Cup: Bath v Munster
Kick-off: 8:00pm, Saturday (Ireland & UK time)
TV: Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW
Venue: The Rec, Bath
Verdict: Bath by 5

Quote of the week

If you are launching a new tournament that a fair section of supporters are deeply cynical about then what better way to foster plenty of goodwill than by putting the Nations Championship on terrestrial television?

This week’s quote is courtesy of rugby journalist Daniel Schofield, who wrote an excellent piece in The Telegraph on ITV’s bid for the rights to the new biennial Nations Championship, which starts in 2026.

The broadcast number

£80-90 million – the reported value of ITV’s bid for the TV rights to the Nations Championship.

Rugby media rights news

By far the biggest news of the week has been the revelation that ITV is set to acquire the broadcast rights for the inaugural Nations Championship. Various media outlets have reported that the deal is worth between £80 to £90 million for the rights to the tournament in 2026 and 2028.

• According to The Telegraph, a free-to-air broadcaster will likely secure the rights in Ireland.

• As noted in previous issues of this newsletter, Sky Italia will televise the news tournament in Italy in 2026, while French FTA broadcaster TF1 will broadcast the tournament in 2026 and 2028.

• TNT Sports were expected to secure the rights but it is understood that the value of ITV’s bid was deemed too high for TNT to submit a counter bid.

• As highlighted in a previous newsletter, New Zealand Rugby and Sky New Zealand signed a new broadcast agreement earlier this year that is worth less than the previous deal. However, The Post reported this week that ITV’s new deal (and others) and for the Nations Championship will ensure that New Zealand Rugby will still earn more in rights revenue next season, as the Nations Championship broadcast revenues are pooled together and shared by the participating teams. It is worth highlighting, though, that Japan and Fiji, as invited guests, will receive a participation fee only.

The quote above is from Matt Hughes’ piece in The Guardian this week. According to the article, TNT used the autumn internationals for the past two years to test whether the rights would lead to an increase in subscribers and the reality is that they simply did not. This is a particularly interesting point when considering the reasons that TNT failed to secure the rights to the Champions Cup rights, which was that the broadcaster wanted to focus on the international game – has this decision backfired?

• In other news, Champ Rugby is coming to RugbyPass TV for the first time this weekend – fans can watch Bedford Blues take on Cambridge at 3pm on Saturday. This coverage of England’s second division should increase the league’s exposure both in England and globally, although it has not been confirmed whether more Champ games will be shown or if this is a once-off agreement.

• Earlier this year RugbyPass TV quietly launched as a 24/7 stream on RugbyPass’s YouTube channel. However, the stream was recently taken down and it remains to be seen whether a full launch is planned or whether the soft-launch was for testing purposes.

• Major League Rugby has revealed the league’s format for the upcoming season, which will feature only six teams. Each team will play 10 regular season matches and the top four teams will then earn a spot in the playoffs. The 2026 schedule will be released in the coming weeks. As a reminder, Premier Sports holds the broadcast rights in the UK and Ireland.

• The IRFU has announced that the an Ireland club XV will play a Scotland club XV on 13 February 2026, with live coverage on IrishRugby+.

• Sky Pacific has secured the Super Rugby Pacific broadcast rights in Fiji and the Pacific from 2026 to 2028. Sky Pacific will show all 77 regular season matches, every Fijian Drua match, the qualifying finals, both semi-finals and the final.

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Friday 5 December

• 4:00pm – Castilla Y Leon Iberians v Bohemia Rugby Warriors (Super Cup) – Rugby Europe TV / RugbyPass TV

• 7:30pm – Lansdowne v UCD (AIL 1A) – YouTube

• 7:45pm – Chinnor v Nottingham (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 8:00pm – Sale v Glasgow (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 8:00pm – Bayonne v Stormers (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 8:00pm – Ulster v Racing 92 (Challenge Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

Saturday 6 December

• 1:00pm – Saracens v Clermont (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 1:00pm – Lions v Benetton (Challenge Cup) – epcrugby.tv Only

• 1:00pm – Stade Français v Cardiff (Challenge Cup) – S4C & Clic / BBC iPlayer / epcrugby.tv

• 1:00pm – Exeter Chiefs Women v Bristol Bears Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 2:00pm – Luxembourg v Estonia (Rugby Europe Conference) – Rugby Europe TV

• 2:30pm – Trinity v Highfield (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Hartpury RFC v Doncaster (Championship) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Bedford Blues v Cambridge (Championship) – Clubber TV / RugbyPass TV

• 3:00pm – Coventry v London Scottish (Championship) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Caldy (Championship) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Richmond v Ampthill (Championship) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Worcester Warriors v Cornish Pirates (Championship) – Clubber TV

• 3:05pm – Gloucester-Hartpury Women v Trailfinders Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:15pm – Black Lion v Montpellier (Challenge Cup) – epcrugby.tv Only

• 3:15pm – Bulls v Bordeaux (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 4:00pm – Romanian Wolves v Lusitanos (Super Cup) – Rugby Europe TV / RugbyPass TV

• 5:05pm – Leicester Tigers Women v Harlequins Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 5:30pm – Lyon v Newcastle (Challenge Cup) – epcrugby.tv Only

• 5:30pm – La Rochelle v Leicester (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 5:30pm – Leinster v Harlequins (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 6:30pm – Delta v Brussels Devils (Super Cup) – Rugby Europe TV / RugbyPass TV

• 8:00pm – Zebre v Montauban (Challenge Cup) – epcrugby.tv Only

• 8:00pm – Scarlets v Bristol (Champions Cup) – S4C & Clic / BBC iPlayer / Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 8:00pm – Bath v Munster (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

Sunday 7 December

• 1:00pm – Pau v Northampton (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 1:00pm – Perpignan v Dragons (Challenge Cup) – epcrugby.tv Only

• 3:00pm – Saracens Women v Loughborough Lightning (PWR) – BBC iPlayer

• 3:15pm – Ospreys v Connacht (Challenge Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 3:15pm – Toulouse v Sharks (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 3:15pm – Gloucester v Castres (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 5:30pm – Edinburgh v Toulon (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW

• 5:30pm – Exeter v Cheetahs (Challenge Cup) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Super Rugby Cymru)

• Rugby Europe TV

• IrishRugby+

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

After several weeks of autumn internationals (with Wales taking on South Africa on Saturday), attention turns to domestic action this weekend as the URC and PREM return to our screens.

It has been a busy week for rugby media rights, with PREM rugby viewership continuing to impress and figures from TAM Ireland revealing that Leinster v Munster was second only to a Premier League fixture in October.

Four fixtures from Round 11 of the Top 14 are being shown on Premier Sports, with all eyes on the Toulouse bench as Antoine Dupont returns from injury after eight months out as the French champions host Racing 92 ( KO: 8:00pm, Saturday).

Across the weekend fans can also watch coverage of Wales v South Africa, PWR, the AIL, the Scottish Premiership and the Champ.

Irish and UK kick-off and broadcast details for all televised games are listed below.*

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Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)

In this top-of-the-table clash, 2023 URC champions Munster take on John Dobson’s unbeaten Stormers side. Munster have named a strong side featuring Irish stars Tadhg Beirne, Craig Casey and Jack Crowley, while the Stormers have also named a strong team, albeit without some of their Springbok stars.
URC: Munster v Stormers
Kick-off: Saturday, 5:30pm Irish & UK time / 7:30pm SA time
TV: Premier Sports Rugby & App / Premier Sports 1 (Ireland Only) / NOW
Venue: Thomond Park, Limerick
Verdict: Munster by 7

Quote of the week

Rugby is a game for all shapes and sizes. Depower the scrum anymore and you may as well watch a rugby league match. It will destroy the community game if there is no place for your good old fashioned type of prop. Keep meddling with the game and you will destroy it.

This week’s quote, courtesy of former referee Nigel Owens, is a timely reminder that the scrum is an essential feature of our sport – something to be embraced and celebrated, not treated as an inconvenience. Too often we half-joke that we don’t really understand what’s going on at scrum time. Instead of rolling our eyes at the break in play, why not use it as a chance to explain – or at least attempt to explain – what’s happening?

As I’ve noted in previous issues of this newsletter, rugby broadcasters should lean into the scrum, analyse it and tell its stories, rather than bemoaning it. It’s one of the key things that makes rugby different, and there’s a real opportunity here. TNT Sports have been making strides in this space, with strong set-piece analysis from David Flatman. There will always be stoppages – but that’s valuable time that can be used to educate and engage viewers, not just to complain.

A focus on scrums

This week a number of podcasts focussed on scrums, with the RTÉ Rugby Podcast featuring Bernard Jackman and former Irish international Mike Ross already attracting 45,000 views on YouTube.

Even Aki’s boots are mentioned in James Tracy’s scrum analysis below

The broadcast number

£76.96 – as noted in The Times this week the cost per month to watch all domestic and European soccer matches in the UK from 2027 via Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon Prime and Paramount+. This is a reminder that fragmentation in media rights is not unique to rugby.

Rugby media rights news

• According to City AM PREM Rugby’s viewership continues to impress this season. Viewership on TNT Sports so far this season is up by an average of 35% on 12 months ago. The article also reports that Leicester v Bath last month attracted “TNT’s biggest ever audience for Premiership Rugby at around 250,000” (while not specified in the article, this figure likely means the average number of viewers for a regular season match). In addition, viewing figures for the Saturday 3pm kick-offs are up 51% on last season. These figures build on the PREM’s strong viewership so far this season, including the 42% increase in the Derby Weekend audience versus the October 2024/25 Derby Weekend.

• Viewership information from TAM Ireland has revealed that Leinster’s defeat to Munster on October 18 was the top performing programme on TG4 in October, while on Premier Sports 1 (Ireland only) the Irish derby was second only to the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Sunderland in the same month.

• The Scottish Rugby Union has released its 2024–2025 annual report, which revealed that the Scotland team attracted 40.26 million cumulative average viewers over five matches in the 2025 Men’s Six Nations. The report also disclosed that France v Scotland recorded the highest average viewers with 3.95 million tuning in. The women’s national team attracted a 3.48 million cumulative average audience over 5 matches, with France v Scotland attracting the highest average viewers of 1.83 million.

• Leinster Rugby has announced that all of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup will be streamed on Leinster Rugby Plus this year. The streaming service launched earlier this year and is the result of a partnership between Leinster and Wiistreams, a streaming company that provides streaming solutions for sports and entertainment organisations. One notable omission from the announcement was Premier Sports, which has previously shown Leinster schools rugby – it remains to be seen whether this week’s announcement indicates the end of Premier Sports’ coverage.

• Sky Italy has secured exclusive broadcast rights for the Six Nations in 2026 as part of a one year deal, which also includes U20s, Women’s Six Nations and the new Nations Championship. Sky has been broadcasting the Six Nations in Italy since 2021.

• The cancelled URC Round 2 fixtures have been finalised:

  • Edinburgh v Ulster: Friday, March 13. KO: 7:45pm GMT. Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

  • Connacht v Scarlets: Friday, March 13. KO: 7:45pm GMT. Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Friday 28 November

• 7:35pm – Watsonians v Selkirk (Scottish Premiership) – BBC ALBA / BBC iPlayer / YouTube

• 7:45pm – Newcastle v Leicester Tigers (PREM) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 7:45pm – Sale v Exeter Chiefs (PREM) – TNT Sports Extra / discovery+ / Unavailable live on NOW

• 7:45pm – Dragons v Leinster (URC) – TG4 / Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Ulster v Benetton (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 7:45pm – Nottingham v Bedford Blues (Champ) – Clubber TV

Saturday 29 November

• 12:00pm – Bulls v Lions (URC) – TG4 / Premier Sports 1 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 1:00pm – Zebre v Cardiff Rugby (URC) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW / URC TV

• 1:30pm – Montpellier v Bordeaux (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 1:30pm – Ampthill v Hartpury RFC (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Caldy v Chinnor (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Cambridge v Worcester Warriors (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Sale Sharks Women v Exeter Chiefs Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Cornish Pirates v Richmond (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Doncaster v Coventry (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Young Munster v Cork Constitution (AIL) – IrishRugby+

• 2:30pm – Lansdowne v Ballynahinch (AIL) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Old Belvedere v UCD (AIL) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – London Scottish v Ealing Trailfinders (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Ealing Women v Saracens Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Loughborough Lightning v Leicester Tigers Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer

• 3:00pm – Gloucester v Harlequins (PREM) – TNT Sports Extra / discovery+ / Unavailable live on NOW

• 3:10pm – Wales v South Africa (International) – S4C / BBC iPlayer / TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:35pm – Clermont v Stade Francais (Top 14) – Premier Sports Online Only / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 5:30pm – Edinburgh v Ospreys (URC) – Premier Sports 1 & Online (UK Only) / URC TV Only in Ireland

• 5:30pm – Munster v Stormers (URC) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online (UK) / Premier Sports Ireland 1 (Ireland Only) / NOW

• 5:45pm – Bristol v Northampton (PREM) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 7:45pm – Connacht v Sharks (URC) – TG4 / Premier Sports Rugby (UK) / Premier Sports Ireland 1 (Ireland Only) / NOW

• 7:45pm – Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors (URC) – S4C / BBC iPlayer / Premier Sports 1 & Online (UK Only) / URC TV Only in Ireland

• 8:00pm – Toulouse v Racing 92 (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

Sunday 30 November

• 12:30pm – Bristol Bears Women v Gloucester-Hartpury Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 2 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:00pm – Saracens v Bath (PREM) – ITV4 & ITVX / TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:05pm – Pau v La Rochelle (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Super Rugby Cymru)

• Rugby Europe TV (Various matches)

• IrishRugby+

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

• The Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) has launched Top 14 Rugby TV, a new direct-to-consumer global streaming service

• The service is available in over 170 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

• The league has also confirmed that 11 broadcast partnerships are in place for the 2025-2026 season

Top 14 Rugby TV

The LNR has launched its first ever global streaming platform TOP 14 Rugby TV in over 170 territories across the globe, powered by Two Circles’ StayLive technology.

As reported previously by Rugby Broadcast, the LNR entered a long-term partnership with consultancy and marketing agency Two Circles earlier in 2025 to support the LNR’s international ambitions.

TOP 14 Rugby TV is available in more than 170 territories, including South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The service will stream every Top 14 fixture live and on demand and is available on a flexible monthly subscription and on a pay-per-view basis (depending on location).

The TOP 14 Rugby TV app is available on desktop and mobile devices, with AirPlay and Chromecast capabilities. At present, there is no smart TV app available.

New broadcast partnerships

The LNR has also announced that 11 broadcast partnerships are in place for the current season, covering more than 90 territories.

Interestingly, viewers in certain countries will have access to both the local broadcaster and TOP 14 Rugby TV – for example in Japan DAZN will broadcast 3/4 fixtures per round, with the remaining matches available via PPV on TOP 14 Rugby TV. This is not the case in the UK and Ireland, where Premier Sports’ coverage will remain exclusive. Full details of the availability of TOP 14 Rugby TV can be found here.

The 11 international agreements in place for the 2025-2026 season:

• Canal+: Sub-Saharan Africa, Switzerland, Andorra, Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Haiti (all matches)

• Premier Sports: Ireland & United Kingdom (4 matches per round & finals)

• FloRugby: United States (all matches)

• RugbyPass TV: United States (1 match per round on FAST Channel)

• ESPN: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela (2 matches per round & finals)

• Movistar: Spain (2 matches per round & finals)

• Movistar: Andorra (2 matches per round & finals)

• Sky: Italy (1 match per round & finals)

• DAZN: Japan (3 or 4 matches per round & finals)

• Digicel: Pacific Islands (4 matches per round & finals)

• Imedi TV: Georgia (4 matches per round & finals)

• TV5MONDE: Pan-Regional

The Rugby Broadcast take

When the LNR announced a seven-year partnership with Two Circles in March this year, it was clear that the LNR was seeking to increase the visibility and popularity of the Top 14 on a global scale. Eight months later and the Top 14 is now being broadcast across the world – crucially, the competition is now available in major rugby markets such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Now that the Top 14 has 11 international broadcast agreements and a streaming service in place, the league is in a strong position to grow the value of its international media rights and expand the visibility and popularity of the Top 14. A recent report by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates has estimated that the total annual value of the Top 14’s international media rights is just €4.3 million. Undoubtedly the LNR views this figure as an opportunity for growth. In comparison, the Top 14’s domestic TV deal with Canal+ is worth a staggering €128.7 million per year from 2027-2032.

When the partnership with Two Circles was announced, expanding the coverage of the Pro D2 in new international markets was also highlighted – this could be the next step for the LNR.

After a weekend of controversial red cards, aerial bombardments and some top class rugby, the autumn internationals continue this weekend with some exciting fixtures coming up, including Ireland v South Africa (Saturday, 5:40pm) and England v Argentina (Sunday, 4:10pm).

It has been a busy week on the media rights front – with record-breaking viewership for TNT Sports’ rugby coverage and a new Top 14 streaming service going live – more on these stories below.

The Top 14, now available to watch globally, returns this weekend – with four matches live on Premier Sports, including Stade Français v Toulon in the hugely popular 8:05pm Sunday night slot.

Across the weekend fans can also watch coverage of Super Rugby Cymru, Ulster A v Connacht Eagles, Rugby Europe Trophy and a number of other internationals.

Irish and UK kick-off and broadcast details for all televised games are listed below.*

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Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)

Can a Rassie Erasmus coached South African side finally overcome Ireland in Dublin for the first time? This Test match should be a cracker, with Andy Farrell’s Ireland hoping to build on last week’s record win over the Australians.
Quilter Nations Series: Ireland v South Africa
Kick-off: Saturday, 5:40pm Irish & UK time / 7:40pm SA time
TV: RTÉ 2 & Player / TNT Sports 1 & 2 / discovery+ / NOW
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Verdict: Ireland by 3

Growing the game

Former referee Nigel Owens’ tweet below highlights something that I mentioned in last week’s newsletter – URC CEO Martin Anayi noted recently that there is an on-going effort to convince broadcasters that allowing content creators (albeit in the case below World Rugby) to use video clips benefits the game as a whole, and ultimately can lead to an increase in subscribers to such broadcasters. On the other hand, of course, broadcasters pay huge sums of money for such rights so from their perspective, allowing such use devalues the broadcast rights.

Quote of the week

We are not comfortable incurring significant deficits but had been prepared to do so in the expectation of material improvements in future broadcasting renewals. Such improvements have not occurred thus far, and we therefore have commenced a review of our programmes and all our expenditure, as long-term financial sustainability is a key priority for the Union. During the year we announced the closing of the Men’s Sevens programme, and our efficiency review is ongoing; furthermore, each province has initiated a similar review.

This week’s quote is courtesy of the IRFU’s honorary treasurer Patrick Kennedy, which was included in the Union’s financial statements for the 2024-2025 season (available here).

Mr. Kennedy’s remarks are a reminder that the value of rugby broadcasting rights has stagnated in recent years, with few exceptions (such as the latest Top 14 broadcast deal). It is clear that the lack of material improvement in broadcasting revenues has forced the IRFU into cost-cutting measures, with the closing of the Men’s Sevens programme a clear example of this.

On a positive note, the IRFU has reduced its operating deficit to €4.2 million, down from €18.4 million in the previous year. The Union also noted that the newly launched Nations Championship is “expected to provide improved financial stability over the next decade.”

Men’s RWC 2027 teams finalised

The broadcast number

27% – the percentage increase in the peak audience compared to last year’s record high, which was set during George Ford’s 75th-minute penalty in England’s QNS fixture against New Zealand on TNT Sports.

Picture-in-picture adverts are coming

Rugby media rights news

• Record-breaking viewership: TNT Sports revealed this week that England’s QNS Test match against the All Blacks last weekend attracted a 27% rise in peak audience numbers, compared to last season’s record high. The broadcaster also noted that no single rugby union fixture has ever reached a wider audience on TNT Sports, achieving a 7% increase and volumes of streaming subscribers up 32% against its previous-best rugby audience. The broadcaster continues to attract football fans, with 22% of TNT Sports’ Premier League and Champions League viewers from this season also watching this year’s QNS.

• The LNR has launched a new global direct-to-consumer streaming service, Top 14 Rugby TV. The service is available primarily in territories without a local broadcaster, such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. As part of the announcement, the LNR confirmed that 11 broadcast partnerships covering 90 territories are in place for the 2025-2026 season. I’ll be publishing a piece on this later today.

• As some readers may have noticed, the PREM Rugby Cup fixture between Gloucester and Bath was streamed live on YouTube on Friday night – which was a first for the PREM Cup. Leicester v Northampton will also be shown live on YouTube this Friday at 7:30pm.

• ITV will trial picture-in-picture adverts during live play in the 2026 Six Nations for the first time. Such adverts are common-place in certain countries, notably the United States and South Africa but such adverts will be new to many rugby fans in the UK.

• Broadcast production company Whisper has won the Editor’s Choice award for the production of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 at the Broadcast Sport Awards that were held last week. As noted in a previous issue of the Rugby Broadcast Report, Whisper has partnered with PREM Rugby this season.

• The BBC has secured broadcast rights for the three URC Welsh derbies over Christmas. This is a new agreement that ensures fans will have FTA coverage of the fixtures, while Premier Sports will also broadcast each match live.

• The fixtures for the new Nations Championship have been announced, which will involve 12 teams from around the world on a biennial basis. The tournament begins in July 2026 and negotiations are still underway for a broadcaster in Ireland and the UK, with multiple media sources stating that TNT Sports will secure the rights. It is unclear what impact the broadcast deal will have on SANZAAR TV rights, which have yet to confirmed for Ireland and the UK from next year. In previous years, Sky has shown summer fixtures involving Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales against SANZAAR teams such New Zealand and Australia. However, it seems increasingly likely that such rights will no longer be part of the SANZAAR deal.

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Friday 21 November

• 3:00pm – Ulster A v Connacht Eagles Ulster Rugby TV

• 7:30pm – Leicester v Northampton (PREM Rugby Cup) – YouTube

• 7:30pm – Harlequins v Scarlets (Friendly) – YouTube

• 7:30pm – Newport v Cardiff (Super Rugby Cymru) – S4C Clic / YouTube

• 8:00pm – Bordeaux v Pau (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

Saturday 22 November

• 12:00pm – Poland v Czechia (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV

• 12:00pm – Georgia v Japan (International) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 1:30pm – Lyon v Clermont (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 3:00pm – Romania v Uruguay (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:10pm – Wales v New Zealand (Quilter Nations Series) – S4C / BBC iPlayer / TNT Sports 1 & 2 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:35pm – Racing 92 v Bayonne (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 4:00pm – Spain v Fiji (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 4:00pm – Portugal v Canada (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 5:40pm – Ireland v South Africa (Quilter Nations Series) – RTÉ 2 & Player / TNT Sports 1 & 2 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:10pm – Italy v Chile (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 2 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:10pm – France v Australia (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

Sunday 23 November

• 1:40pm – Scotland v Tonga (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 4:10pm – England v Argentina (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:05pm – Stade Français v Toulon (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Super Rugby Cymru)

• Rugby Europe TV (Various matches)

• IrishRugby+

Inside Rugby with Mark

A special thanks to Mark this week for his shoutout in his preview video last weekend. Check out his YouTube channel here.

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

The autumn internationals continue this weekend, with plenty of exciting fixtures coming up including England v New Zealand (KO: Sat, 3:10pm) and Ireland v Australia (KO: Sat, 8:10pm).

In the media rights space, there is positive news on the free-to-air front for Champions Cup fans and URC CEO Martin Anayi provides insight on URC’s revenue growth – more on these stories below.

Across the weekend you can also watch Round 2 of the Final Qualification Tournament for the 2027 RWC, Spain v England A and of course more action from the QNS.

In addition, there is live coverage of the Pro D2, Champ Rugby, Rugby Europe Trophy & Conference, PWR, AIL, Women’s Scottish Premiership, PREM Rugby Cup and Ireland 20s v South Africa 20s to look forward to.

Irish and UK kick-off and broadcast details for all televised games are listed below.*

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Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)

Steve Borthwick’s England side will attempt to overcome the All Blacks for the first time since 2012 and continue a 10 game winning streak. Can the All Blacks stay on course for a clean sweep of the Northern Hemispheres sides?
Quilter Nations Series: England v New Zealand
Kick-off: Saturday, 3:10pm Irish & UK time
TV: TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW
Venue: Allianz Twickenham Stadium, London
Verdict: New Zealand by 5

Quote of the week

But, in many ways, a Sky takeover would help safeguard the future of FTA broadcasting in the UK and ensure a stronger commercial television and streaming ecosystem in the context of an increasingly global media industry.

ITV has confirmed that the free-to-air broadcaster is in talks with Sky about a potential takeover of its TV and streaming business and writing in SportsPro this week, editor Steve McCaskill argues that this potential acquisition could safeguard the future of FTA broadcasting in the UK. As traditional broadcasters continue to face increasing competition from major global streamers, a potential consolidation such as this would benefit both Sky and ITV, strengthening their position to compete with major players such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Biggar continues to thrive on comms

The broadcast number

• 20.8K – the number of subscribers the FR-UK channel now has, up from around 6K in May 2025 when it first streamed a live Pro D2 game – an impressive 246.7% increase.

Rugby media rights news

• In a recent interview with Champagne Rugby (link below), URC CEO Martin Anayi discussed everything from rugby video games to convincing broadcasters that content creators are not a threat. Anayi also elaborated on the commercial impact that the addition of the four main South African sides has had on the league, including a 70% increase in revenue in the first season of the URC. He also confirmed that South Africa is now the URC’s largest market. Here are a number of other highlights from the interview:

  • Anayi claims that the URC is now on par with PREM Rugby from a revenue perspective.

  • The URC’s three main sources of revenue are media mights, then sponsorship and and then ticketing (playoffs only).

  • When asked about untapped revenue sources, Anayi noted that data licensing and brand licensing offer huge potential.

• It has been confirmed that S4C has secured FTA coverage of select Champions Cup fixtures this season. The Welsh broadcaster will show the Round 1 clash between Scarlets and Bristol on December 6th and the Round 3 fixture between Scarlets and Pau on January 10th. As a reminder, Premier Sports will broadcast every Champions Cup fixture live this season in both Ireland and the UK, with no FTA coverage in Ireland.

• New Zealand’s NPC competition broke multiple records in 2025, with total viewers up 9% to 1.46 million and total viewing hours up 29% compared to 2024. There was also a 6% increase in digital viewers and the final attracted the biggest audience for an NPC game in eight years. These figures are New Zealand specific and no viewing figures for the UK or Ireland have been released. Sky’s SANZAAR TV deal expired this year and no new agreement has been signed yet.

• According to journalist Illtud Dafydd, last weekend’s QNS clash between France and South Africa attracted 6.24 million viewers on French TV, representing an impressive 34.6% of the audience share.

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Thursday 13 November

• 1:00pm – Belgium v Brazil (RWC 2027 Qualifier) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:30pm – Samoa v Namibia (RWC 2027 Qualifier) – RugbyPass TV

Friday 14 November

• 7:30pm – Ireland 20s v South Africa 20s (International) – IrishRugby+

• 7:30pm –Bath v Gloucester (PREM Rugby Cup) – YouTube

• 7:35pm – Hillhead Jordanhill v Cartha (Scottish Women’s Premiership) – BBC ALBA / BBC iPlayer / YouTube

• 7:45pm – Bedford Blues v Caldy (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Chinnor v London Scottish (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Richmond v Hartpury (Champ) – Clubber TV

Saturday 15 November

• 12:00pm – Cyprus v Malta (Rugby Europe Conference) – Rugby Europe TV

• 12:00pm – Georgia v Canada (International) – Premier Sports 1 & Online (UK only) / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 12:00pm – Denmark v Lithuania (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV

• 12:40pm – Italy v South Africa (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 3 / discovery+ / NOW

• 1:00pm – Cornish Pirates v Cambridge (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 1:00pm – Coventry v Ampthill (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Old Belvedere v Lansdowne (AIL) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Terenure v St Mary’s (AIL) – IrishRugby+ / YouTube

• 3:00pm – Portugal v Hong Kong China (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:00pm – Romania v USA (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:00pm – Gloucester-Hartpury Women v Sale Sharks Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Saracens Women v Leicester Tigers Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:00pm – Ealing Women v Bristol Bears Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer / BBC Red Button / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 3:00pm – Worcester Warriors v Nottingham (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:10pm – England v New Zealand (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 4:00pm – Spain v England A (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 5:00pm – Old Belvedere v Ballincollig (Women’s AIL) – YouTube

• 5:40pm – Wales v Japan (Quilter Nations Series) – S4C / BBC iPlayer / TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 7:15pm – Czechia v Sweden (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV

• 8:10pm – Ireland v Australia (Quilter Nations Series) – RTÉ 2 & Player / TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:10pm – France v Fiji (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 2 / discovery+ / NOW

Sunday 16 November

• 12:30pm – Exeter Chiefs Women v Harlequins Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:00pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Doncaster (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:10pm – Scotland v Argentina (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:00pm – Vannes v Grenoble (Pro D2) – YouTube

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Super Rugby Cymru)

• Rugby Europe TV (Various matches)

• YouTube (RugbyPass 24/7 channel)

• IrishRugby+

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.

The autumn internationals are underway and the action continues this weekend with a number of highly anticipated fixtures.

After thumping USA last week, Scotland take on an All Blacks side featuring only one of the Barrett brothers on Saturday afternoon (KO: 3:10pm). Before that, Andy Farrell’s Irish side will be hoping to get back to winning ways against Eddie Jones’ Japan (KO: 12:40pm).

After making a strong start to their Quilter Nations Series (QNS) campaign, England take on Fiji at 5:40pm on Saturday, while at the same time Italy begin their QNS journey against a wounded Australian side.

In arguably the fixture of the weekend, France host South Africa on Saturday night (KO: 8:10pm) and on Sunday Wales will be hoping for their first home win in a competitive fixture since November 2022 when they take on Felipe Contepomi’s Argentina (KO: 3:10pm).

Across the weekend you can also watch Round 1 of the Final Qualification Tournament for the 2027 RWC, Ireland A and England A, Pro D2, Champ, Rugby Europe Trophy & Conference, Top 14, PWR, international friendlies and the 745 Game – in aid of raising funds and awareness for the fight against MND.

Irish and UK kick-off and broadcast details for all televised games are listed below.*

Subscribe now

Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)

Quilter Nations Series: France v South Africa
Kick-off: Saturday, 8:10pm Irish & UK time
TV: TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Verdict: South Africa by 3

Quote of the week

I worked on Premiership coverage for 7 years, when content celebrating legal big hits were taken off air because of “optics”. I was regularly told I was “irresponsible” for talking about enjoying legal, codified violence as a key ingredient in rugby’s sporting competition. I’ve never strayed from this opinion and never stopped saying it (as the podcast back catalogue will testify). Now some chief architects of the madness, who dragged English rugby through the mud, are positioning themselves as the solution, without a hint of self awareness.

These strong words from former BT Sport reporter Tim Cocker focus on PREM Rugby's concerted emphasis on physicality this season. As part of its efforts to celebrate the “big hits” and physicality, the PREM has been sharing various clips on social media, such as the example below.

Of course the context here is the incredibly sad news that has emerged over the past few years that numerous former players, such as Steve Thompson, are suffering from harrowing brain injuries and the legal action being taken against World Rugby and various unions. As such, it is understandable that there will be those that feel uncomfortable with the PREM’s approach.

On the other hand, physicality and athleticism are core parts of rugby’s appeal –reasons why so many people play and follow the sport. In addition, the game has made strides in raising awareness of concussion and has taken important steps to mitigate against brain injuries. Promoting that aspect of the game therefore makes sense. What are your thoughts?

The broadcast number

€47.8 million – the reported annual value of the broadcast deal for the URC from 2021-2024 after the South African sides joined the league.** The previous deal was worth an estimated €30.4 million per season according to two sources.*** New agreements were put in place this season but the value of each deal has not been revealed. Unlike the LNR, which released the value of the new Top 14 and Pro D2 TV deals to the public, the URC and PREM Rugby do not release such figures.

Lions documentary film

This is nothing like the seminal Living with Lions documentary from the 1997 tour of South Africa.

Some of the reviews are in for the new Lions documentary, the above quote is from Alan Tyers’ review in The Telegraph. What are your thoughts on Lions Uncut: Australia 2025?

Rugby media rights news

• PREM Rugby has entered a partnership with production company Whisper to deliver “a new, bold, and authentic athlete-led content strategy.” The partnership is part of PREM Rugby’s efforts to grow the league, particularly among younger audiences. In a press release PREM Rugby revealed that in the first month of the season social engagement has risen by 38%, overall reach has grown by 63% and social media “shares” by 419%. Whisper has worked in partnership with 53Six to create YouTube content, leading to the PREM’s YouTube channel breaking its “most views in a single day” three times since this partnership began.

• RugbyPass has launched a new documentary series Tests of Time, covering some of the greatest matches of all time. Episode one was released recently and focuses on Ireland’s loss to meet New Zealand at the 2023 RWC, link below.

• The URC has finalised the Round 8 South African derbies, while the cancelled Round 2 fixtures will be rearranged in due course.

  • Saturday, 21 February – Lions v Sharks – KO: 12:00 IRL & UK / 13:00 ITA / 14:00 SA. Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, URC.tv and FloRugby.

  • Saturday, 14 March – Bulls v Stormers – KO: 12:00 IRL & UK / 13:00 ITA / 14:00 SA. Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, URC.tv and FloRugby.

• As noted in a City AM article recently, this is the final year of the Nations Series (Quilter) as we know it, with the new World Rugby “Nations Championship” due to start in 2026. However, many of the details have yet to be announced and there is still no confirmed broadcaster in place, although The Telegraph has reported that TNT Sports are in talks with tournament organisers.

• MLR is down to just six teams after the news broke this week that Utah Warriors have suspended operations. The 2026 iteration of the league will only feature one of the league’s founding teams, the Seattle Seawolves. Where does the league go from here and where does this leave its broadcast deal with Premier Sports?

• Sky Sports’ British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 coverage and the HBS’ production of the Women’s RWC 2025 have both been nominated for Sports Production of the Year by Broadcast Sport. The winner will be revealed on 13 November 2025.

• TNT Sports has revealed its plans for Quilter Nations Series, which includes broadcasting every QNS match live, live in-play pitch-side analysis, POV drones, the use of Spidercam, the use of augmented reality and a new weekly show, The Quilter Nations Series Show.

• According to a recent report by the Women’s Sport Trust, total viewing hours for women’s sport reached record highs from January to September 2025 in the UK. Female audiences have also reached record levels – the broadcast audience for the 2025 Women’s RWC was 43% female, which was the highest on record. The report also highlights that males still account for the majority of viewers of women’s sport. According to the report linear audiences skewed older for women’s tournaments compared to the men’s equivalents: 70% of the viewers of the 2025 Women’s RWC were aged 55 and older, compared with 55% for the 2023 Men’s RWC. Unsurprisingly streaming is attracting younger audiences: 10.5 million streams for the RWC across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport platforms came from viewers aged 16-35. The report also found that male viewers still make up the majority of women’s sport audiences and dominated viewing for the 2025 Women’s RWC.

• ProSieben Maxx, the Munich-based free-to-air broadcaster, has acquired the broadcast rights for the 2027 Rugby World Cup for the third time. Together with the streaming platform Joyn, all 52 matches of the tournament will be broadcast live and exclusively in Germany.

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Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:

Thursday 6 November

• 8:00pm – Grenoble v Béziers (Pro D2) – YouTube

Friday 7 November

• 7:30pm – Doncaster v Chinnor (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – London Scottish v Bedford Blues (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 7:45pm – Nottingham v Cornish Pirates (Champ) – Clubber TV

Saturday 8 November

• 8:30am – Hong Kong v Brumbies (Friendly) – RugbyPass TV

• 12:00pm – Georgia v USA (International) – Premier Sports Online / RugbyPass TV

• 12:40pm – Ireland v Japan (Quilter Nations Series) – RTÉ 2 & Player / TNT Sports 3 / discovery+ / NOW

• 1:00pm – Slovakia v Austria (Rugby Europe Conference) – Rugby Europe TV

• 1:00pm – Croatia v Czechia (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV

• 1:00pm – Samoa v Brazil (RWC 2027 Qualifier) – RugbyPass TV

• 1:15pm – England A v New Zealand XV (International) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 2:00pm – Ampthill v Ealing Trailfinders (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Caldy v Worcester Warriors (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:00pm – Cambridge v Richmond (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 2:30pm – Hartpury v Coventry (Champ) – Clubber TV

• 3:00pm – Poland v Denmark (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV

• 3:00pm – Romania v Canada (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:00pm – Portugal v Uruguay (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:00pm – Sale Sharks Women v Trailfinders Women (PWR) – BBC iPlayer / Unavailable live in Ireland

• 3:10pm – Scotland v New Zealand (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 & 3 / discovery+ / NOW

• 3:30pm – Belgium v Namibia (RWC 2027 Qualifier) – RugbyPass TV

• 3:30pm – Toulon v La Rochelle (Top 14) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW

• 4:00pm – Spain v Ireland A (International) – RugbyPass TV

• 4:00pm – Andorra v Israel (Rugby Europe Conference) – Rugby Europe TV

• 5:40pm – England v Fiji (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 5:40pm – Italy v Australia (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 3 / discovery+ / NOW

• 8:10pm – France v South Africa (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

Sunday 9 November

• 12:30pm – Harlequins Women v Gloucester-Hartpury Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 2:30pm – Bristol Bears Women v Saracens Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 2:30pm – Loughborough Lightning v Exeter Chiefs Women (PWR) – YouTube

• 3:10pm – Wales v Argentina (International) – S4C / BBC iPlayer / TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

• 5:40pm – The 745 Game – TNT Sports 1 / discovery+ / NOW

Useful links

• YouTube (Pro D2)

• YouTube (URC – UK only)

• Clubber TV (Champ)

• YouTube (PWR)

• YouTube (Super Rugby Cymru)

• Rugby Europe TV (Conference, Trophy & Super Cup)

• YouTube (RugbyPass 24/7 channel)

Final thoughts

Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please like, share and subscribe. As always, please reach out if you have any feedback.

*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.
**Oliver & Ohlbaum
***SportsPro and Oliver & Ohlbaum