Champions Cup lands new broadcaster in UK and Ireland in major shake-up

The EPCR have confirmed that Premier Sports will be the lead broadcaster for the Investec Champions Cup until 2027 in the UK and Ireland, as reported by RugbyPass.

Premier Sports will cover all 63 matches of European rugby's showcase tournament for the next three seasons.

On top of its coverage of the Champions Cup, it will also show two matches per pool stage round of the Challenge Cup, two round of 16 matches and every match from the quarter-finals onwards.

Premier Sports are already the UK's broadcaster for the Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship, and have also announced plans to launch a 24/7 rugby channel.

The new European season gets underway on the weekend of December 6 on its new home.

“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," CEO of EPCR Jacques Raynaud said.

"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.”

Founding managing director of Premier Sports Mickey O’Rourke added: “We are delighted and proud to bring the world’s greatest international club rugby competition to our customers in the UK and Ireland.

“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 TOP14 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.”