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BT retains Premiership Rugby rights

December 21, 2020

By Colin Mann

Despite suggestions that the multiplay telco was set to lose its rights amid rumours of disagreement over price, BT Sport and Premiership Rugby have renewed their longstanding broadcast partnership and BT Sport will continue as the home of Gallagher Premiership Rugby in the UK for the next four years.

BT Sport subscribers will continue to enjoy up to 80 live games (69 Gallagher Premiership Rugby and 11 in the Premiership Rugby Cup) in every Premiership Rugby season, with the BT Sport Rugby team bringing match coverage all the way through to 2024.

Whilst fans have been unable to attend live sport, Premiership Rugby and BT Sport have worked together to make every match from each round available for BT Sport subscribers and enabled eligible club season ticket holders to gain free access to home Gallagher Premiership matches on the BT Sport App.

“Today’s announcement is great news for rugby fans as BT Sport remains the home of Gallagher Premiership Rugby in the UK,” declared Andy Haworth, managing director, BT Sport. “This has been an extremely difficult year for sport, this is a partnership that extends beyond the TV screen, and we hope this agreement helps to give Rugby clubs in the UK some certainty for the future in these difficult times. We will continue to play our part in bringing the best TV coverage of top flight club rugby to our viewers whilst they are not able to attend live sport.”

“BT Sport have been incredibly supportive partners of Premiership Rugby since they showed their first live match in 2013,” added Darren Childs, Chief Executive at Premiership Rugby. “This year we have innovated together, with Match Pass, and in bringing all the season’s games to fans through a difficult period for live sports. We are pleased we have reached an agreement to extend our partnership through to 2024.”

The new partnership will be celebrated in a new campaign, ‘Get Stuck in this Christmas’, which will encourage all rugby fans to watch Gallagher Premiership Rugby on BT Sport as all 12 matches in Rounds 4 & 5 over the Christmas period are live on the channels.

 

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