Premier Sports and TG4 extend URC TV rights to 2029
More exclusivity; fewer free-to-air games
Premier Sports extends its URC broadcast rights in both the UK and Ireland, while TG4 becomes the exclusive free-to-air partner in Ireland.
Overview of new URC TV rights deals
More games will be shown exclusively by Premier Sports in both jurisdictions.
20 games will be shown on free-to-air TV in the UK, which equates to 50% fewer games compared to the current deal.
TG4 will be the only free-to-air broadcaster in Ireland from next season but the Irish broadcaster has not picked up additional games.
It’s unclear if RTÉ submitted a bid to retain its rights. There will be at least 26 fewer games on free-to-air as a result of RTÉ absence.
The future of URC TV availability in Ireland is uncertain. At present, Premier Sports doesn’t have the capacity to show all games live in Ireland. The solution could be select games on URC TV or adjusted kick-off times.
The value of both new deals is unknown.
Premier Spors UK
In the UK, Premier Sports will broadcast every game live until 2029. From next season, 131 of the games will be shown exclusively by the broadcaster. The remaining 20 games will be shared with a yet-to-be-confirmed free-to-air provider. It is understood that negotiations with free-to-air providers are underway.
As part of the existing URC broadcast deal in the UK, 75% of games involving Welsh sides are shown by BBC Wales and S4C, while BBC NI shows a select number of games involving Ulster. Under the new 4-year agreement, there will be 50% fewer games on free-to-air in the UK.
It is unclear whether the reduction in free-to-air games is a result of low demand from free-to-air broadcasters or whether Premier Sports sought more exclusive coverage.
Premier Sports Ireland
In Ireland, Premier Sports will show over 119 fixtures exclusively, including 21 games featuring Irish teams — among them six exclusive interpros — and 98 games featuring non-Irish teams. The Irish broadcaster will also show exclusive coverage of select quarter-final and semi-final games and every game featuring the Irish provinces.
Premier Sports, which has been broadcasting the URC since 2018, will also have exclusive coverage of the Grand Finals in 2026 and 2028 — all Grand Finals in the URC era have previously been available on free-to-air in Ireland. Premier Sports will also share coverage of the 2027 and 2029 Grand Finals with TG4 in Ireland.
TG4 extends, RTÉ loses out
The new agreement between the URC and TG4 appears identical to the existing deal, which includes a minimum of 26 games, plus selected access to the quarter-finals and semi-finals until 2029. Selected fixtures featuring the Irish provinces will continue to be shown by TG4, in addition to 16 live games featuring non-Irish teams.
The Irish language broadcaster will also provide coverage of the Grand Finals in 2027 and 2029. Out of 151 games, a minimum of 26 fewer games will be available on free-to-air TV in Ireland from next season as RTÉ has not renewed its rights.
Lastly
In other news, TG4 and the IRFU recently confirmed that TG4 will once again provide free-to-air coverage of both the men’s and women’s AIL finals on Sunday, April 27th this year.
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