BBC set to showcase live Super League games for the first time ever

In a huge development for the TV rights for the upcoming season it’s being reported that the BBC will air Super League matches live over the next three years.

Sky Sports landed a deal to broadcast every Super League game over the next three years last year however it was unclear what that would look like.

It was still assumed that there might be a free-to-air broadcaster involved, as Channel 4 have been for the past two seasons in airing ten games a year.

That’s now been confirmed with Mail Sport reporting that the BBC will have free-to-air coverage of Super League, broadcasting at least 12 matches a season across the next three years.

The games will be shown on a Saturday evening on BBC Two and will reportedly start from next month when Super League kicks off, with BBC’s coverage complementing Sky’s commitment to broadcast all six games.

The Mail further report that the BBC will have two play-off games shown and also have rights to broadcast the World Club Challenge clash next month between Wigan Warriors and Penrith Panthers.

On top of that the broadcasters commitment to the Challenge Cup is set to continue as they have extended their deal to showcase the competition, per the Mail, extending their deal until the end of the 2026 season.

It’s still to be seen how Sky Sports TV deal will look as they broadcast every game but getting games on free-to-air television is a major boost for the sport as a whole and for fans.

It had been announced back in October that Sky Sports would broadcast all Super League games for the next three years but the addition of the BBC as broadcasters is a major change up.

At the time of Sky Sports securing the deal Rhodri Jones, RL Commercial Managing Director, said: “Super League’s partnership with Sky Sports has been constantly evolving since the competition was launched in 1996, and we are excited to have confirmed this significant extension which will lift that partnership, and the Super League itself, to a new level.

“The timing is perfect for a deal of this kind after such an exciting and competitive season underlining the genuine depth of the competition, and with Rugby League embarking on an exciting new era through our strategic partnership with IMG.

“Sky Sports also share our optimism about the potential for growth of the women’s and wheelchair Super Leagues in the next three years, so they also form an important part of the new deal.”