Great news for Super League as French TV deal confirmed

Catalans Dragons and the Betfred Super League will have a higher national profile in France in 2023 thanks to a new broadcast agreement with the digital platform L’Equipe.

Under the agreement, five of the Dragons fixtures are confirmed for live coverage through L’Equipe’s website and app in the first half of the 2023 Betfred Super League season: their away games at Wigan Warriors on March 9 and at Leeds Rhinos on March 25; their home fixtures against Warrington Wolves on April 8 and against St Helens on May 5; and their Magic Weekend match against Wigan Warriors on June 3.

Emmanuel Alix, the Digital Director at L’Équipe, said:

“After broadcasting the Rugby League World Cup, we are delighted to offer the best of the club competition with the presence of the only French team – the Catalans Dragons. This partnership is part of the promise of the L’Équipe platform to offer the biggest competitions and to discover all sports.”

Bernard Guasch, Catalans Dragons Chairman, said :

‘I’m delighted with this new agreement with L’Équipe. This is a great news for our fans but also for the Super League competition.”

Rhodri Jones, the Managing Director of RL Commercial, said:

“We are delighted to announce this new agreement with L’Equipe, which will increase the profile of the Catalans Dragons and the Betfred Super League across France.

“It adds to our existing range of domestic and global deals as we look forward to the action of another Super League season – which kicks off this weekend with three televised fixtures and also the World Club Challenge from Sydney.

“We have benefited from the sport’s long-term partnership with IMG in securing this deal, and we are also grateful to our international broadcast partners and the RDA agency who have been working with us for five years to raise Super League’s global profile.”

L’Equipe join a growing list of broadcast partners across five continents as the global reach of the Betfred Super League continues to grow, in partnership with the RDA agency and the sport’s strategic partners IMG.

Rugby League fans in Australia and New Zealand will again be able to enjoy Super League fixtures up to and including the Grand Final on Fox League and Sky Sports respectively.

Matches will be broadcast through South East Asia and across the Middle East and North Africa through Viaplay, and to Canada through Sportsnet.

All this is in addition to the domestic platform of the Betfred Super League, with 66 matches to be shown live by the major broadcast partners Sky Sports, an additional 10 free-to-air through Channel 4, and regular coverage on BBC Sport through the weekly Super League Show.