EXCLUSIVE: BT Sport set to showcase Championship rugby

By JON NEWCOMBE
BT Sport are ready to add the Championship to their growing rugby portfolio.
The broadcaster is said to be close to agreeing a deal with the RFU to cover Championship matches in addition to Sky Sports’ coverage for next season with a view to taking over the deal in the long term.
“It would be positive news if that was the case, especially if it meant more money coming into the Champion-ship,” said Yorkshire Carnegie CEO Gary Hetherington. “BT Sport have a good relationship with PRL, and are welcome partners to the game.”
Sky are contracted to cover the Championship until 2020 as part of the England international package.
But The Rugby Paper understands their appetite for Championship rugby has diminished since they lost Premiership rights to BT Sport 20 months ago. According to Barb, the first leg of the Championship final between Bristol and Worcester, shown on Sky Sports 3, attracted 63,000 viewers.
BT Sport have grown Premiership audiences by over 50 per cent since they took over coverage of England’s top division, with two matches this year – Quins v Leicester and Saracens v Quins – attracting over 200,000 viewers.
They are currently broadcasting the JWC in Italy and high-profile sponsorship deals in Wales and Scotland point to them entering the bidding war for the rights to cover senior international rugby in the not too distant future.