The Rugby Broadcast Report Issue 5: TV Guide May 23-25
Never miss a game
After a brief break the Rugby Broadcast Report is back. There has been a lot of news in the rugby broadcasting space but before delving into it, let’s have a look at the upcoming fixtures this weekend.
The Challenge Cup final is taking place on Friday night at 8:00pm (Premier Sports 1 / Online / NOW) as Bath take on Top 14 side Lyon in Cardiff. Johann van Graan’s Bath side have been in excellent form this season and could pull off the treble having won the Premiership Rugby Cup, and the side are favourites to win this year’s Premiership.
The other major fixture of the weekend sees Northampton take on Bordeaux in the Champions Cup final on Saturday at 2:45pm (Premier Sports 1 / Online / S4C / iPlayer / YouTube / RTE / NOW). After Northampton’s shock win over Leinster in the semi-final, the Premiership side will be hoping to overcome an impressive Bordeaux side who are sitting second in the Top 14. It is also worth noting that Northampton have failed to make the top four in the Premiership this year despite winning the competition last season.
In addition to the cup finals, there’s plenty of other action coming up this weekend, including Pro D2 coverage for the first time since 2020, Super Rugby Pacific, League One semi-finals, Rugby Europe Conference, RFU Championship, MLR, Top 14 (rescheduled game), Melrose Sevens, and the Pacific Four Series.
Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)
Colomiers v Montauban is our fixture of the weekend (Friday, 8:00pm, YouTube)
Choosing a Pro D2 game over the Champions Cup final is controversial but it has been five years since a broadcaster in Ireland or the UK last held the TV rights to France’s second division and in celebration of its return, this playoff game has made the fixture of the weekend.
Thanks to Eggchasers’ Tim Cocker and former England international Joe Worsley, viewers in Ireland and the UK can now watch this season’s Pro D2 playoffs for free on YouTube and 30 games next season. You can read about the new TV deal here.
Quote of the week
The level of engagement we get for our squad reveals has been off the charts – it’s the same as it would be for the first test
This week’s quote of the week is courtesy of British and Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley who was speaking at a SportsPro Live event recently alongside Steve Smith, who is an executive director at Sky Sports.
As many readers will be aware, the Lions squad announcement was held at a live event in the O2 Arena in London earlier in May. The squad announcement was broadcast widely on Sky Sports, YouTube and Stan Sports.
Given the level of interest that the squad announcement attracts and the allure of the Lions Tour it is no surprise that Sky has continued to broadcast every Lions Tour since 1997, despite its interest in rugby union declining in recent years.
Rugby media rights news
It has been a busy few weeks on the rugby media rights front. Here’s a brief look at the main developments:
The Men’s Six Nations 2026 fixtures have been released and the opening game between France and Ireland kicks off on a Thursday to avoid a clash with the Winter Olympics.
The URC fixtures for 2025-2026 were released this week and it was confirmed that “talks with a free-to-air partner in the UK and in international territories continue."
As mentioned above, the Pro D2 is back on TV screens in Ireland and the UK for the first time since 2020. Read more about it here.
City AM has confirmed that Saturday’s Champions Cup final will be shown for free on YouTube.
TNT Sports recently signed a new five-year broadcast deal with Premiership Rugby worth close to £200 million over five years according to The Telegraph. As part of the deal TNT Sports will continue to show every Premiership game, select Premiership Rugby Cup games and at least one fixture per round from Premiership Women’s Rugby. The agreement with PWR is for four years.
World Rugby has confirmed the Pacific Nations Cup will again be shown live worldwide on RugbyPass TV, unless a local broadcaster picks up the rights. Last year the competition was shown on TNT Sports and RugbyPass TV in Ireland and the UK.
England's summer tour games against Argentina will be shown on Sky Sports this summer. However, the USA game is likely to be available on RugbyPass TV only as major broadcasters showed little interest, according to City AM.
TV Guide May 23-25
Friday May 23
7:55am – Australia Women v Canada Women (Pacific Four Series) – RugbyPass TV
8:05am – Crusaders v Highlanders (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Action / NOW
10:35am – Reds v Hurricanes (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Action / NOW
8:00pm – Bath v Lyon (Challenge Cup) – Premier Sports 1 / NOW / Online
8:00pm – Colomiers v Montauban (Pro D2) – YouTube
Saturday May 24
3:30am – Seawolves v SaberCats (MLR) – The Rugby Network
4:35am – New Zealand Women v USA Women (Pacific Four Series) – RugbyPass TV
6:05am – Brave Lupus v Kobe Steelers (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby / Unavailable live in ROI
8:05am – Chiefs v Moana Pasifika (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Mix / NOW
10:35am – Western Force v Waratahs (Super Rugby Pacific) – Sky Sports Mix / NOW
10:50am – Sevens Rugby (Melrose 7s) – YouTube
2:00pm – Denmark v Moldova (Rugby Europe Conference) – RugbyEurope TV
2:30pm – Doncaster v Cornish Pirates (RFU Championship) – YouTube
2:45pm – Northampton v Bordeaux (Champions Cup) – Premier Sports 1 / S4C / iPlayer / YouTube / RTE 2 / NOW
3:00pm – Ealing v Coventry (RFU Championship) – YouTube
5:50pm – Sevens Rugby (Melrose 7s) – Premier Sports 1 / NOW / Online
8:00pm – Castres v Clermont (Top 14) – Premier Sports Online Only / Unavailable live in ROI
10:00pm – Free Jacks v Old Glory DC (MLR) – Premier Sports 1 / Rugby / NOW / Online
Sunday May 25
12:00am – NOLA v Utah Warriors (MLR) – The Rugby Network
12:00am – Anthem v Hounds (MLR) – The Rugby Network
6:30am – Wild Knights v Spears (League One) – Premier Sports Rugby / Unavailable live in ROI
11:00pm – RFC LA v Miami Sharks (MLR) – Premier Sports Rugby / The Rugby Network
Useful links (all free)
YouTube (Champions Cup Final)
YouTube (Pro D2)
YouTube (Ealing v Coventry)
YouTube (Doncaster v Cornish Pirates)
YouTube (Melrose Sevens)