The Rugby Broadcast Report Issue 18: TV Guide and Rugby Media Rights Update
Never miss a game
Welcome to the Rugby Broadcast Report, a weekly newsletter covering the weekend’s televised rugby action and the latest developments in rugby media rights.
After a fantastic few months of domestic rugby, attention now turns to international rugby this weekend.
In a repeat of the 2016 fixture that saw Ireland overcome the All Blacks for the first time, Soldier Field once again hosts the clash between the two sides on Saturday night (KO: 8:00pm Irish time).
Before that, Steve Borthwick’s England host Australia at 3:10pm on Saturday, followed by Scotland v USA at 5:40pm.
As a reminder, TNT Sports will broadcast every Autumn “Quilter” Nations Series game in Ireland and the UK this season. Viewers in Ireland can watch Ireland v New Zealand live on Virgin Media, while RTÉ will broadcast Ireland’s fixtures against Japan, Australia and South Africa. S4C will provide live FTA coverage of each Test match involving Wales.
If that’s not enough rugby for one weekend, there are plenty of other fixtures to look forward to, including Super Rugby Cymru, Pro D2, Champ, Rugby Europe Trophy & Conference, Top 14, PWR and a number of friendlies.
Irish and UK kick-off and broadcast details for all televised games are listed below, along with various links.*
Premier Sports to broadcast three international rugby fixtures in early November
Barbarians v All Blacks XV (Saturday, 1 November)
Fixture of the weekend (admittedly biased)
The Gallagher Cup: Ireland v All Blacks
Kick-off: Saturday, 8:10pm Irish & UK time
TV: Virgin Media 1 & Player / TNT Sports 2 / Discovery+ / NOW
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
Verdict: All Blacks by 12
Lions Uncut: Australia 2025
The documentary premieres on Friday 31st October at 10pm, exclusively on TNT Sports and Discovery+ (NOW in Ireland).
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Quote of the week
Accidental fans who can not be bothered to change the channel does not immediately strike as something to celebrate, but we are where we are, and a 43% increase suggests the theory holds water, albeit vulnerable should football’s 3pm blackout meet its demise.
This quote from the Guardian in September is an important reminder of the impact that casual fans can have on viewing figures. At the end of the 2024-2025 season, TNT Sports revealed that Saturday afternoon PREM fixtures airing after EPL games drew a substantially higher audience than those without an EPL lead-in. As Gerard Meagher of the Guardian reminds us, however, should the 3pm blackout eventually be removed, such strong viewership will be vulnerable.
The broadcast number
€82 million. TNT Sports (then BT Sport) paid €13 million more for Premiership Rugby media rights compared to what Canal+ paid for Top 14 rights in the 2013-2014 season. In stark contrast, from the 2027-2028 season Canal+ will pay €82 million more per season for the Top 14 rights compared to the average amount that PREM Rugby will earn per season (see source below).
Rugby media rights news
Premier Sports confirmed to Rugby Broadcast this week that the broadcaster will provide live coverage of three international fixtures in November: Barbarians v All Blacks XV, South Africa v Japan and England A v All Blacks XV – you can read more about the news in the link above.
A recent article by Ampere Analysis discussed the increasing value of the domestic Top 14 broadcast rights and the contrasting fortunes of PREM Rugby, which has until recently seen the value of its broadcast agreements stagnate. Ampere Analysis points out that over the past decade the Top 14’s media rights deals have tripled those of PREM Rugby in terms of value.
One of the reasons for this, according to the article, is that Canal+ has shifted its focus from Ligue 1 football rights, which has freed up capital and production resource to invest in other sports such as rugby. On the other hand, TNT has faced little competition in securing PREM broadcast rights and has continued to invest heavily in football and, as such, has not had to increase its investment in the PREM significantly.
The article also highlights certain factors such as the reduction in the number of teams in the PREM and the higher salary cap in the Top 14 that “are likely impacting consumer fandom in the two countries.” According to a Q4 2024 Ampere Analysis report, 20% of UK sports fans follow rugby compared with 29% in France, while 43% of French rugby fans follow the Top 14. On the other hand just 27% of UK rugby fans state that they follow the PREM. This higher popularity for the Top 14 “allows the league to continue to generate higher rights revenues in the next cycle, enabling the league to further entrench its position as Europe’s leading domestic rugby league.”
The Top 14 has expanded its coverage in the US, with RugbyPass announcing that the Top 14’s “premier match up” each week will be shown on RugbyPass TV – the coverage started with Toulouse v Toulon earlier this month. Separately, the Top 14 is broadcast by sports streaming provider FloSports in the US.
RugbyPass TV has also quietly launched as a 24/7 channel on YouTube (link below) via the RugbyPass YouTube channel. This is another example of World Rugby’s efforts to make RPTV more widely available and comes on the back of the launch of a RPTV FAST channel on Samsung TV Plus in the UK and the US earlier this year.
An exclusive story from SportsBusiness has revealed that Scottish Rugby has appointed newly founded Red Tiger to support ithe SRU’s commercial strategy. Both parties “will work together with the national union’s in-house commercial team to identify new sponsors and revenue streams.” The article also states that Scottish Rugby’s broadcasting rights revenues brought in £15.1 million in 2024.
Munster have confirmed that this weekend’s friendly between the Irish province and Argentina XV will be shown exclusively live on Munster’s OTT platform, Access Munster.
The URC has appointed consultancy agency Futures Sport & Entertainment to advise on audience and commercial data. According to Sportscal, Futures will provide brand insights, fan engagement, and growth consultation.
Here’s your full TV guide for this weekend’s action:
Thursday 30 October
7:30pm – Pontypool v Aberavon (Super Rugby Cymru) – S4C Clic / YouTube
8:00pm – Angouleme v Grenoble (Pro D2) – YouTube
Friday 31 October
7:00pm Croatia v Denmark (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV
7:45pm – Bedford Blues v Doncaster (Champ) – Clubber TV
7:45pm – Worcester Warriors v London Scottish (Champ) – Clubber TV
Saturday 1 November
12:00pm – Latvia v Norway (Rugby Europe Conference) – Rugby Europe TV
1:00pm – Sweden v Lithuania (Rugby Europe Trophy) – Rugby Europe TV
1:15pm – Barbarians v All Blacks XV (Friendly) – Premier Sports 1 & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland
1:30pm – Toulon v Lyon (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in Ireland
2:00pm – Cambridge v Nottingham (Champ) – Clubber TV
2:00pm – Richmond v Coventry (Champ) – Clubber TV
2:30pm – Cornish Pirates v Caldy (Champ) – Clubber TV
3:00pm – Exeter Chiefs Women v Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC (PWR) – BBC iPlayer / Unavailable live in Ireland
3:00pm – Chinnor v Ampthill (Champ) – Clubber TV
3:00pm – Ealing Trailfinders v Hartpury RFC (Champ) – Clubber TV
3:10pm – England v Australia (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 1 & 2 / Discovery+ (UK) / NOW (Ireland)
3:35pm – Castres v Bordeaux (Top 14) – Premier Sports Rugby & Online / Unavailable live in ROI
4:10pm – South Africa v Japan (International) – Premier Sports 2 & Online / NOW (Ireland)
5:00pm – Munster v Argentina XV (Tour Match) – Access Munster Channel
5:40pm – Scotland v USA (Quilter Nations Series) – TNT Sports 2 / Discovery+ (UK) / NOW (Ireland)
8:00pm – Toulouse v Stade Français (Top 14) – Premier Sports Online Only / Unavailable live in Ireland
8:10pm – Ireland v New Zealand (Gallagher Cup) – Virgin Media 1 & Player / TNT Sports 2 / Discovery+ (UK) / NOW (Ireland)
Sunday 2 November
1:00pm – Leicester Tigers Women v Bristol Bears Women (PWR) – YouTube
1:00pm – Loughborough Lightning v Sale Sharks Women (PWR) – YouTube
3:00pm – Saracens Women v Harlequins Women (PWR) – TNT Sports 3 / Discovery+ (UK) / NOW (Ireland)
8:05pm – La Rochelle v Racing 92 (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 (Super Rugby Cymru)
Rugby Europe TV (Conference, Trophy & Super Cup)
YouTube (RugbyPass 24/7 channel)
Final thoughts
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*TV guide subject to change. The website version of this newsletter will be updated if required.