Premier Sports hit Champions Cup targets, says broadcaster chief

Investec Champions Cup broadcaster Premier Sports insisted they hit viewership targets across the opening weekend of action.

The Irish broadcaster has taken over the broadcast rights from TNT Sports for Great Britain as part of a three-year deal with the competition’s governing body EPCR.

Despite concerns over the coverage, which featured some technical glitches and jumpy cuts, the weekend’s broadcasting is a milestone for a brand often seen as a challenger.

Premier Sports, like many platforms, does not share viewing figures and subscription numbers – though the broadcaster is understood to have passed 300,000 recently.

They insist, however, that they met targets, pushed by Friday and Sunday night games.

“We had a very successful first weekend as the UK host broadcaster for Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, delivering every game live (14 fixtures) despite some very poor weather conditions across competing countries,” chief executive Richard Sweeney told City AM.

“Our best performing game in terms of viewing figures was our opening night featuring Bath against La Rochelle closely followed by Sunday’s games between Toulouse and Ulster and Bristol Bears against Leinster.

“The majority of our subscribers are watching via our streaming platform and Amazon and as a subscription channel and we are really pleased with the numbers over the weekend which have hit our targets.

“We were delighted with our social media engagement numbers across rugby which shows the excitement around this tournament, the profile of the rugby stars and stature of international clubs involved. It indicates that this tournament continues to capture imagination and comment amongst rugby fans.”

The Investec Champions Cup continues this weekend with rounds three and four next month.