PRO14 RUGBY HAS confirmed Premier Sports as the new UK and Northern Ireland broadcaster of the Guinness Pro14 on a three-year deal.
The agreement will see the subscription-based Premier Sports show every Pro14 game live, with one game per round screened on the free-to-air FreeSports channel.
Premier Sports takes over from Sky Sports as the UK broadcaster of the Pro14, while BBC NI has missed out in Northern Ireland.
Pro14 Rugby says negotiations are still ongoing with a local language broadcaster in the UK, understood to be Welsh-language channel S4C.
Eir Sport’s capture of the Irish rights to the championship is expected to be officially confirmed this week.
Premier Sports is currently available in high definition on the Sky and Virgin TV platforms, as well online via their Premier Player. FreeSports will also go HD on Sky and Virgin from July.
Subscription to Premier Sports currently costs £9.99 per month or an annual fee of £99.
The company says it will launch a new ‘Premier Sports 2′ channel in order to provide live coverage of all 152 games each season, as well as screening Pro14 highlights shows on FreeSports.
The overall new rights deals are expected to notably increase the TV revenue for Pro14 clubs.
“The partnership with Premier Sports will be a watershed moment for the Guinness Pro14, our clubs and their supporters,” said Pro14 CEO Martin Anayi.
“As an innovative global rugby championship full of world-class players we are always looking to raise our game and this relationship is a bold step for us. This will take coverage of the Guinness Pro14 to a new level and unlock the tournament’s vast potential.
“By better resourcing our clubs through increased central revenue, we will ensure sustainability so they can further invest from the ground up to drive success on and off the pitch so they can retain supporters and attract new fans of all ages. Now rugby fans will be able to watch every game in the Guinness Pro14 which offers them more action than ever and that’s a terrific achievement.
“The bidding for broadcast rights showed us just how much interest there is in the Guinness Pro14 since our expansion into South Africa and the significantly increased revenue will allow us to invest back into our clubs, a figure which has doubled over the last three years.”
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