Canal+ retains exclusive Top 14 Rugby rights
January 21, 2015
By Colin Mann
Following the conclusion of the bidding process for France’s National Rugby League (la Ligue Nationale de Rugby) the Canal+ Group has confirmed it will be offering its subscribers full and exclusive coverage of the Top 14 championship.
Canal+ retains complete coverage of the competition, namely the seven games each championship match-day, the final stages, as well as iconic weekly show Jour de Rugby.
The rights cover the seasons 2015-2016 to 2018-2019.
Top 14 coverage boosts the widest package of rugby on television, enhanced by the renowned expertise and know-how of Canal+’s sports editorial team. Canal+ also holds the rights to Super Rugby, Rugby Championship and the French national team’s Test Matches in the southern hemisphere.
The news comes a day after an agreement with free-to-air commercial broadcaster TF1 to share coverage of the Rugby World Cup in September 2015.
The four-year deal is worth a record €74 million to the Ligue Nationale de Rugby. An earlier, slightly lower fee (€71m) had been agreed in 2014, but the process was challenged by beIN Sports, forcing the League to put the deal out to tender again.