Rugby: 2018-2022 TV rights for the Champions Cup awarded to the UK, Ireland and the USA

The UK public television broadcaster Channel Four Television Corporation has acquired the rights to broadcast one live match for each day of the group stages and a live match for the qualifying round of the Champions Cup for the 2018-2022 cycle, according to EPCR on 21/03/2018. The matches will be broadcast on the public TV channel, Channel 4.

In Ireland, TV3 Group acquired the same rights as Channel 4 in the United Kingdom for its free and private TV channel TV3, added EPCR on 21/03/2018. The pay-TV group BT Sport extended its rights to broadcast the European Cups (Champions Cup and Challenge Cup) for the UK and Ireland for the 2018-2022 cycle, reported European Professional Club Rugby on 04/07/2017. The amount paid by BT Sport would be more than €50m over four years according to the British media.

In the United States, NBC Sports, the sports subsidiary of the American audiovisual group NBCUniversal, has also acquired the rights to broadcast the European rugby cups (Champions Cup and Challenge Cup) for the 2018-2022 cycle on 19/03/2018. NBC Sports will broadcast all matches via…