The upcoming United Rugby Championship is reportedly set to be aired on the national broadcasters in both the UK and Ireland.
The United Rugby Championship – a rebranded Guinness Pro14 which will include the four former South African Super Rugby sides – is set to kick off this September.
According to the Financial Times, some of the matches in the upcoming tournament are due to be shown on RTÉ in Ireland and on the BBC in the UK.
? BREAKING ?
The United Rugby Championship kicks off in Sept 2021 as a world class 16-team league that will unify the northern and southern hemispheres, with the introduction of Cell C Sharks, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls ?⚡️?? #URC
— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) June 15, 2021
RTÉ and the BBC are set to secure broadcasting rights for the URC.
The Pro14 is mostly shown on paid TV in the UK and Ireland as things stand, with Eir Sport broadcasting the majority of matches in Ireland, while Premier Sports show most games in the UK.
Irish language channel TG4 and Welsh language channel S4C have both shown games in recent seasons, but the vast majority of games are not available on free-to-air TV channels.
While it has not yet been revealed just how many games of the URC will be on free-to-air TV next season, with tournament organisers also set to launch a new streaming service, the return to RTE and the BBC seems like a step in the right direction.
This is the United Rugby Championship ?
Welcome. Failte. Benvenuto. Croeso. Welkom. Wamkelekile!#URC pic.twitter.com/O5pURUloGR
— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) June 15, 2021
Both broadcasters have shown Pro14 matches in the past (as well as games from previous iterations of the tournament), but RTE have not done so since 2014, while the last match aired on BBC in 2018.
Premier Sports are unlikely to be a broadcast partner of the United Rugby Championship next season, while Eir Sport will cease broadcasting entirely later this year.
In South Africa, the United Rugby Championship will be shown by SuperSport, just as the Pro14 was.
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