China secures TV deal to broadcast Premiership Rugby

The English Premiership is about to become the first professional club rugby tournament broadcast in China - to a national audience in the millions on free-to-air Chinese broadcaster CCTV5+, reports The Telegraph.

The historic four-year deal will see 25 Premiership matches broadcasted per season, plus the semifinal and final live, with Beijing Elite Rugby producing Mandarin commentary and a weekly highlights show.

"This is a very significant day in the history of Premiership Rugby," Dominic Hayes, commercial director at Premiership Rugby, said.

"Launching on free-to-air TV in China is part of our strategic goal of increasing the global impact of Premiership Rugby and helping to grow the game in new countries around the world.

"CCTV5+ reaches 400 million households and this will lead to a huge increase in rugby's exposure, in a new and very exciting market."

The deal is a massive coup for Premiership Rugby, and a step towards growing the game in the biggest market in Asia.

The first game to be broadcast live will be the Christmas Eve clash featuring Leicester Tigers and Saracens.