NBC Sports Group has partnered with European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) on an exclusive multi-year U.S. media rights agreement to air the Champions Cup, a competition comprised of the top clubs across elite European rugby leagues, including Aviva Premiership Rugby (England), Top 14 (France), and Guinness PRO14 (Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy).
NBC Sports will present more than 150 hours of Champions Cup coverage next season across NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and live streaming platform NBC Sports Gold.
“We’re excited to partner with European Professional Club Rugby and the Champions Cup, which represents the best rugby teams in Europe,” said Jon Miller, president, programming, NBC Sports Group. “The Champions Cup enhances our robust rugby portfolio, which has featured the addition of the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, and Premiership Rugby in the past two years. NBC Sports is the unquestioned home of rugby in the United States, and we’re committed to super-serving this expanding fanbase.”
Related: NBC Sports Group Tackles Rugby World Cup Rights
NBC Sports’ 2018-19 coverage of the Champions Cup will feature more than 65 matches.
“We are delighted to be working with NBC Sports, which will greatly expand our coverage of European professional club rugby in the USA, which is a key market for us,” said Carsten Couchouron, EPCR marketing and commercial director. “Their existing portfolio of rugby rights means that NBC Sports will bring significant editorial and production experience to the transmission of outstanding rugby experiences from the Champions Cup in future seasons.”
