BBC to screen live Super League matches on a Saturday evening for next three years in major boost for RL

[josie andrews]

* BBC Sport have beaten Channel 4 to secure live Super League games
* The coverage will complement that of main rights holder Sky Sports
* BBC are also set to extend their live rights deal for the Challenge Cup

The BBC have won the rights to broadcast Super League matches free-to-air for the next three years in a major boost for rugby league.

Mail Sport has learned that BBC Sport have seen off competition from Channel 4 to secure live Super League games for the first time in a deal that will see at least 12 matches-a-season shown live on BBC Two on Saturday evenings from next month.

The BBC’s coverage will complement that of Super League’s main rights holder Sky Sports, who will show all six games live each week for the first time when the competition resumes with the Hull derby on 15 February.

In addition, BBC Two will broadcast 12 live regular season matches, with more to be made available in BBC iPlayer, as well as two play-off games at the end of the season and the World Club Challenge between Wigan and NRL champions Penrith Panthers on 24 February.

The BBC are also set to extend their live rights deal for the Challenge Cup, which expires at the end of this year, until the end of the 2026 season.

Super League and the BBC declined to comment.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... index.html

[endoman]

Didn't see that coming, excellent news.

[medlocke]

Superb bit of news that like

[Charriots Offiah]

They just need to recruit Channel 4s commentary and presentation teams and everything will be reet.

[WarriorWinger]

Do the clubs or RFL get anything from this or is it just Sky selling the rights to games, therefore saving them money on the broadcasting deal, anyone know?

[WarriorWinger]

Also with the World Club Challenge It's the non captive audience the likes of the BBC need to be aiming at, RL fans in general will tune in to watch the game, it's the new and next generation of audiance that the BBC/RFL need to be aiming for.

If the BBC only show adverts for it during a RL related programme then they are preaching to the converted, they need to be advertising this kind of game at peak viewing times like before/after Eastenders or whatever other popular programmes are on the BBC, even try and get it into the script on Eastenders, there must be at least one RL fan amongst the cast and crew.

[Wiganer Ted]

Perhaps our first game of the season will be on the beeb.
We are at Cas and scheduled for a 3pm ko Saturday 17th February.
Can see the kick off time being changed to the 5-5.30pm BBC slot.
Seems the obvious Saturday televised game!

[Blackpool_Pie]

Bring back grandstand

[Mike]

IMO this sort of thing works best if its on every week. If it isn't causal viewers never know when its on from week to week. The same thing happened to me for channel 4 and I ended up only watching a few and missing more.

[WarriorWinger]

IMO this sort of thing works best if its on every week. If it isn't causal viewers never know when its on from week to week. The same thing happened to me for channel 4 and I ended up only watching a few and missing more.

Same with me as well, likewise with the Superleague show, it varies each week with time so I end up forgetting that it's on whereas if it was on at the same time every week I would probably watch it regular