Channel will show five live matches, rising to seven‘Great news for the profile of rugby in England’English club rugby is set to return to free-to-air television following the agreement of a new deal with ITV. At the start of this season there was widespread disappointment when the popular Channel 5 highlights show was axed but Premiership Rugby has now negotiated a fresh partnership with ITV until the end of the 2023-24 season.
There is a catch for viewers hoping to see full games on ITV every weekend, with the deal involving a mere four live matches this season plus the final on ITV4. Premiership officials, though, are delighted that their grand finale, for the first time in the competition’s history, will be shown on live free-to-air TV in tandem with BT Sport’s well-regarded coverage.