UK commercial broadcaster ITV has secured exclusive free-to-air (FTA) rights to the upcoming finals weekend of European rugby union’s top-tier Champions Cup and second-tier Challenge Cup men’s club competitions.
The deal, struck with the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) body, which runs the two competitions, will see ITV air the championship games of both competitions being held at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, on its ITV4 linear channel and ITVX streaming service across the UK later this month.
ITV’s coverage will feature Northern Ireland’s Ulster Rugby against France’s Montpellier Herault Rugby in the Challenge Cup final on May 22, while Ireland’s Leinster Rugby will take on France’s Union Bordeaux Begles in the Champions Cup final on Saturday, May 23.
Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, said: “It’s great to be able to broadcast the finest European rugby talent across the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals, bringing the sport to a free-to-air audience on ITV and ITVX.
“The weekend will be action-packed, and one rugby fan will not want to miss.”
The main rights package to the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions in the UK and Ireland is held by pay-TV sports broadcaster Premier Sports under a three-year deal.
The agreement sees Premier Sports air all 63 Champions Cup matches per season through the 2026-27 campaign. For the Challenge Cup, meanwhile, Premier Sports airs two fixtures per round in the pool stage and two rounds of 16 games, before broadcasting all of the competition’s quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.
The rights add to ITV rugby coverage, which includes the men’s Six Nations Championship and England’s Premiership Rugby, as well as its extensive portfolio of soccer rights, comprising all England men and women tournament qualifiers, pan-European UEFA Nations League and Euro 2028, the men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026 and 2030, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
Alongside rugby and soccer, ITV airs coverage of ice hockey’s NHL, horse racing, the World Series of Darts, British Touring Cars, FIA Formula E, the English Football League, and the Carabao Cup, among others.
The EPCR, meanwhile, has been working to bolster its commercial slate, having appointed John Barton as its new chief commercial and marketing officer last November.
Based out of EPCR’s Lausanne headquarters, Barton now heads up the organization’s commercial, marketing, and broadcast teams.
Most recently, the body extended its agreement with worldwide logistics heavyweight DHL through the 2026-27 seasons of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup after unveiling a major multi-year partnership with Dubai-based airline Emirates and a new deal with ticket tech firm Secutix last year.
Other EPCR major commercial partners include Champions Cup title sponsor Investec, alongside brands such as Heineken, DHL, Tissot, Gilbert, Groupe Apicil, and Chery International.
Hosting rights to the 2027 EPCR Finals Weekend have been awarded to Lyon in France.
