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Premiership Rugby facing a huge drop in value of its broadcasting rights - report
By Online Editors
Failure to agree to a new deal with either BT Sport or Sky before the coronavirus crisis has left Premiership Rugby facing a potential huge drop in the value of its broadcasting rights. With private equity firm CVC Capital Partners buying 27 per cent of Premiership Rugby last year for £200million, there was a belief that more lucrative commercial and TV deals would follow.
However, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has proven untimely, with The Times reporting that the English top-flight might now struggle to get anything close to the £40m a year it currently receives from BT, whose six-year deal is set to elapse at the end of the 2020/21 season.
It is said that broadcasters had expected the sale of the latest TV rights to be wrapped up before June. However, with the 2019/20 season indefinitely suspended since March, uncertainty surrounds the sport amid speculation that some Gallagher Premiership clubs are in danger of going bust due to the stoppage.
The delay in the arrangement of a new TV deal for the English league is one of many gloomy financial stories circulating about the game. Last week it was reported that the CVC buy-in to the Guinness Six Nations (and a separate deal with the Guinness PRO14) had also been delayed by the global virus pandemic.
The Financial Times suggested papers were to be signed last month regarding the deal but the Six Nations said: “We have not agreed to either take a break nor to push through a completed agreement. The conversations are simply ongoing and obviously take into account the new environment created by the current pandemic.”
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I like Andy’s critical approach to all hot issues especially when it comes to the rugby big “bosses”. However, sorry Andy, I don’t support your “we shouldn’t be questioning the integrity of Karl Dickson or any other official”. May I ask why? They do have a lot of responsibility, but they are people like us with all their sins and weaknesses. We have to respect their decision during the games, but why they became untouchable afterwards and people cannot even criticize them and the ones, who does express their concerns, got punished for publicly analyzing their mistakes and asking questions. If they believe they did right, there shouldn’t be a problem for any of the refs to answer these “questions” publicly. I don’t really remember such cases. However, I do remember how Craig Joubert shown his running skills in 2015 or Pascal Gauzere shined in Cardiff in 2021. I do believe that Rassie, as anybody else, had a full right to share his vision of Nic Berry’s performance the same year. I do not support the hate in any form especially in public one, but creating the cast of untouchable refs and rugby bosses is not for me. As for Karl, he had all means to question his appointment for the game and since I don’t now whether he did it, blaming just RFU wouldn’t be quite correct at this moment. I love the game of rugby and almost every time I watch it I don’t support any team, I just wanna see the good game and fair referring. Sorry, Karl. last Saturday you got my Craig Joubert”s award of the round. It is up to Karl to prove that I am wrong, not to Andy or RFU’s corporate bla-bla-bla. Something like that…
Go to commentswell remember the blues had a guy called jed rowlands for a season. remember scott took his coaching team with him give him time
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