Premier Sports has won the rights to show the Investec Champions Cup for the next three seasons.
The agreement will see Premier Sports cover all 63 Investec Champions Cup matches plus two EPCR Challenge Cup pool matches per round, two EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16, and all matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
It has won the contract from TNT Sports, formerly BT Sports, which had been the lead broadcaster of the Champions Cup since 2017.
The move sees Premier Sports add to its existing suite of rugby, having been the official broadcaster for the United Rugby Championship (URC) – as both Premier Sports and Viaplay – for the past six seasons, and the Top 14.
In addition, Premier Sports is planning to create and launch a 24/7 rugby channel at the very heart of which will sit the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup
Jacques Raynaud, CEO of EPCR, said: “Premier Sports has huge ambition to become the home of club rugby in the UK and Ireland, along with their rights to TOP14 and URC competitions. We are delighted to join them on this journey and tremendously excited to help them reach new heights by bringing the very best of elite club rugby to UK and Ireland audiences.
“In addition to the match day coverage, the creation of a 24/7 rugby channel represents a step-change in Premier Sports rugby coverage.
"The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup will be at the heart of this new offering, led by key rugby personalities including Stephen Ferris, John Barclay, Tom Shanklin and Ryan Wilson.
“Furthermore, we have been able to work with Premier Sports to ensure new fixture times for English clubs, avoiding clashes with Premier League football to maximise viewing.
“We have worked with the team at Premier Sports for many years both on the EPCR Challenge Cup in the UK and Ireland and as our broadcaster in Asia.
"We have been very impressed with their commitment and ability to raise the profile and production of URC coverage to exciting new levels and we look forward to working with them as EPCR continues the ambitious growth of its competitions.”
Mickey O’Rourke, founding managing director of Premier Sports, said: "Our exciting new TV partnership with EPCR and the marquee offering of all 63 Investec Champions Cup games live in the UK and Ireland, complements our existing URC and TOP14 coverage and shows our innovation, ambition and growth as a broadcaster.
“We will now provide the most comprehensive rugby club coverage available across the UK and Ireland with 80 top European rugby fixtures, 151 URC games across five rugby nations and 110 Top 14 games live – making Premier Sports the destination for any rugby fan – and we will be driving significant investment into raising the profile of EPCR’s competitions to new and existing audiences.
“Every week will be rugby week at Premier Sports, with a stellar talent line-up of top pundits, presenters and commentators leading our coverage.
"We will look to mirror the pride, passion and excitement that EPCR, players, clubs and supporters invest in European rugby every season and bring fans closer to the action and the game’s star players.
“We are equally excited to welcome new rugby customers to Premier Sports and will be offering affordable annual and monthly subscription offers to support all rugby fans.”
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