Premier Sports add 'crown jewel' to expanding rugby portfolio

Premier Sports will show five live matches – one in each round – in this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship, after joining BBC, ITV and S4C as one of the competition’s UK broadcast partners.

It is another play by Premier Sports to position itself as the home of of elite rugby, with the subscription-only service hosting more than 400 live top-class rugby fixtures every season with rights to four major international rugby competitions, including the Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship.

The newly acquired rights will see Premier Sports deliver live coverage of Championship fixtures involving Scotland and Wales, starting with Scotland’s trip to Rome to face Italy on February 7th.

Premier Rugby’s cameras will be at Wales vs France and Wales vs Scotland, in rounds two and three, before heading north to Murrayfield for Scotland’s clash with France.

The potential wooden spoon decider between Wales and Italy is their final offering, which takes place in Cardiff on Saturday March 14th.

Its Guinness Men’s Six Nations coverage will be headlined by Andy Goode, Jim Hamilton, Tom Shanklin and Ryan Wilson.

In addition to its UK broadcast footprint, Premier Sports will stream its Six Nations coverage across key Asian markets, to support bringing the Championship to new and emerging rugby audiences and expanding the global reach of one of the sport’s most iconic tournaments.

Premier Sports is also now the exclusive home of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations in Canada and exclusive rights to Nations Championship, SANZAAR tour matches, Super Rugby Pacific plus the Greatest Rivalry.

Richard Sweeney, CEO of Premier Sports, said: “The Guinness Men’s Six Nations is one of the crown jewels of international rugby. The Championship showcases the world’s best players and remains one of the most culturally significant competitions in international sport and we’re delighted to bring these outstanding fixtures to our customers and growing rugby network.

“This deal is another significant step in Premier Sports’ growth and commitment to rugby. From our experience of URC, Top 14 and EPCR competitions to elite international rugby, we are committed to investing in rugby and telling its stories with insight, expertise and passion. We will bring our own unique take and presentation on these big games and provide a new coverage vantage point for rugby fans.

“We have seen significant audience and subscriber growth in the past year through our live coverage of the Investec Champions Cup and France’s TOP14, and the addition of Six Nations matches further strengthens our rugby proposition for viewers, advertisers and partners.”

“Our ability to reach audiences both in the UK and internationally is a key part of Premier Sports’ strategy. We can combine high-quality live coverage with our flexible streaming platforms, to bring world-class rugby to fans wherever they are.”