Premiership Rugby and ITV have agreed a two-year extension to the rights deal which sees seven Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches, together with the Last, broadcast free-to-air.
The brand new deal additionally sees a rebranded highlights present – Gallagher Premiership Unleashed – air on Wednesday nights to round-up all of the thrills of the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season.
This extension follows a record-breaking 2023/24 which noticed the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Last 2024 ship the very best peak viewers ever for a Premiership Rugby match on ITV.
Throughout ITV and TNT Sports activities, the Last additionally drew a median viewers of 1.2m and a share of 14.3%, roughly 1 in 7 of all UK viewers. While the ITV common viewers share for Gallagher Premiership fixtures was additionally up 3% when in comparison with the 2022/23 marketing campaign.
Televised Fixtures
The primary match of the 2024/25 season on ITV sees runners-up Tub Rugby host fierce rivals Bristol Bears in a blockbuster West Nation derby at The Rec (Sat, Oct 5).
A fortnight later, ITV will showcase one other heavyweight match-up, this time at Mattioli Woods Welford Highway between historic rivals Leicester Tigers and Gloucester Rugby (Sat, Oct 19).
The opposite confirmed conflict sees Leicester Tigers head to Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, for Harlequins’ iconic ‘Massive Recreation’ (Sat, Dec 28), which headlines the bumper festive fixtures interval within the 2024/25 season.
The remaining three fixtures might be introduced sooner or later, earlier than the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Last 2025 brings the season to an in depth on Saturday, June 14 dwell on ITV1 and ITVX.
Simon Massie-Taylor, Chief Govt Officer at Premiership Rugby, stated: “Premiership Rugby is thrilled to increase our relationship with ITV and to proceed to supply free-to-air entry to Gallagher Premiership Rugby with seven blockbuster fixtures on high of the revamped weekly highlights present.
“The 2023/24 season noticed ITV viewership data smashed for The Showdown 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between London rivals Saracens and Harlequins – and once more for the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Last 2024 – including to a formidable year-on-year improve in general viewers share.”
Niall Sloane, Director of ITV Sport, stated: “Viewers are eagerly anticipating the brand new Gallagher Premiership Rugby season on ITV1 and ITVX this Autumn. In addition to final season outperforming the earlier on linear, on ITVX streams for the matches and highlights had been up by +14% additionally with 1.8m.”
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