Milestone Match for Premier Sports

It will be a landmark moment for Premier Sports this weekend as they broadcast their 1,000th BKT URC match.

Saturday’s Aviva Stadium showdown between champions Leinster Rugby and the Hollywoodbets Sharks will be the game to bring up the milestone for the Dublin-based company.

It marks a culmination of a relationship that now goes back some seven years.

Chief executive Richard Sweeney said:

“Reaching our 1,000th live BKT URC match on Premier Sports is a proud moment for everyone involved.

“When we first partnered back in 2018 – with the PRO14 as it was then – our goal was simple. It was to give rugby fans one trusted home for every live game from every round.

“Seven seasons later, that sense of consistency and connection with fans has only grown stronger.

“Together with the URC, who have been an exceptional partner, we’ve helped bring the stories, rivalries, and communities of this great competition to life.

“I’d like to express a big thank you to all who work tirelessly behind the scenes at Premier Sports, both in production and our commercial teams, and to all our customers who have been part of the journey.

“As we highlight this milestone, it’s also important to reflect and we remember two great rugby men who were part of our original broadcast team in Eddie Butler and Doddie Weir. Their trusted voices and expertise shaped our Premier Sports rugby coverage, and their legacy continues to live on.”

A number of the original commentary and punditry team from 2018 remain on board today: Chris Paterson, Shane Williams, Stephen Ferris, Ross Harries, Andrew Trimble, Graham Little, Rory Hamilton, Mark Robson, and Lauren Jenkins.

Commenting on the new 2025-26 season, Sweeney said:

“We will be covering all the matches live as usual.

“The difference this year is we have more exclusive games.”

He also pointed to another significant development.

“Since we acquired the rights for the Investec Champions Cup, our audience figures have doubled for URC,” he said.

“We have opened that door into the English rugby market, whereas maybe before, they weren’t prepared to buy us.

“That has been a real positive spin-off from us investing in another competition in another market.

“Premiership rugby followers have the channel; they are paying for it. So they may be there on an afternoon and click on it, and they will say, ‘I am going to watch that.’

“That has been a consistent change in our viewership since we started showing the Champions Cup. So that’s been a great thing, that we have opened up that market.

“People are also finding the Top 14 and the other leagues we show as well.

“In the northern hemisphere, we show more games than anyone else.”

With the third consecutive partnership between the BKT URC and Premier Sports now in full swing Sweeney said that Premier Sports’ evolution with the competition has been a source of pride for the broadcaster.

“We were very proud to extend our partnership with the BKT URC earlier this year for the third time in a row and to be part of one of the most exciting leagues in world rugby, supported by passionate club rugby fans across Scotland, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, and Italy.

“The diversity, competitiveness, and quality of rugby on show each weekend in the BKT URC is exceptional, and it’s been an exciting journey to have been on over the past seven years, and great to see how the Championship has made huge strides forward with rugby audiences reaching record levels.”

Premier Sports’ CEO also paid tribute to the broadcaster’s frontline team, who he described as ‘best in the business.’

“We are fortunate to have a frontline TV talent team that is the best in the business, with world-class former internationals who have unrivalled knowledge of this league, its players, clubs, and supporters, and can connect and engage people invested in the game right across the competition from being part of it season after season.

“Our aim is to be an integral part of the rugby communities we broadcast. Like all those involved in the game, we want to be part of the drive to engage and attract new audiences, younger rugby fans, and keep giving our customers more diverse and fresh rugby to watch, and our style and range of coverage reflects that.”

Premier Sports TV talent team continues to bring all the colour, insight, and analysis from every URC game live with a host of former internationals leading the coverage. The team includes: John Barclay, Stephen Ferris, Tom Shanklin, Ryan Wilson, Simon Zebo, Ian Madigan, Chris Paterson, Andrew Trimble, Philippa Tuttiett, Alan Quinlan, Shane Williams and Thinus Delport – alongside leading presenters and reporters Ross Harries, Graham Little, Connie McLaughlin, Jenny Drummond and commentators Rory Hamilton, Martin Gillingham, Jamie Lyall and Mark Robson.