European rugby union’s EPCR governing body has announced a new wide-ranging broadcast rights deal with OTT streaming service DAZN covering its elite Champions Cup and secondary EPCR Challenge Cup competitions.
This deal spans the current 2026-27 campaign and the following 2027-28 season, with DAZN bringing global coverage to a myriad of markets.
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The most prominent of these markets is Italy, a competitor in EPCR competitions, where, crucially, DAZN will broadcast the progress of both Italian sides competing in the tournaments.
DAZN will stream every Champions Cup game live with English-language commentary, with one match per round distributed free-to-air.
In 2026-27, no Italian sides qualified for the Champions Cup, but the country’s two representatives in the United Rugby Championship club competition, Benetton Rugby and Zebre Parma, will compete in the Challenge Cup.
As such, DAZN will also stream every Challenge Cup game featuring Benetton and Zebre live with Italian-language commentary throughout the tournament.
These rights do not infringe on the existing coverage provided by the EPCR TV direct-to-consumer platform, which will continue to also show coverage of both tournaments.
Benetton and Zebre both reached the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup in 2025-26.
Speaking on the announcement, EPCR chief commercial and marketing officer John Barton commented: “Expanding the international profile and accessibility of our competitions is a key priority for EPCR, and this new agreement with DAZN is an important step forward.
“Italy is a particularly exciting market for us, and combining free-to-air and subscription coverage, alongside EPCR TV, will give more fans the opportunity to engage with the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.”
DAZN has also captured EPCR rights in a variety of international markets, largely targeting budding rugby markets where rights values are still low.
Rights in all the following markets are free-to-air, with live broadcasts, delayed coverage, and on-demand replay all available.
In Europe, this includes the DACH region (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), the Benelux region (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands), the Baltic region (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), Poland, and Romania.
Outside of Europe, the markets DAZN has acquired rights to include Brazil, the Caribbean islands, Japan, the Pacific islands, and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
DAZN chief executive Shay Segev added: “By combining EPCR’s world-class rugby competitions with DAZN’s global reach and innovative platform, we can bring the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to more fans across more markets.
“DAZN’s partnership with EPCR reflects our commitment to support leading sports properties with growing their international audiences, while giving fans easier and more flexible access to the sport they love.”
EPCR action will kickoff this weekend, with the first round of Champions Cup and Challenge Cup group stage matches beginning tonight.
