Rugby viewers up 90 per cent
VIEWING figures for Premiership Rugby have almost doubled from the same period last season following the switch to BT Sport, top-flight chiefs said yesterday.
The 16 matches from the first five rounds of the season shown live on the channel attracted average audiences 90 per cent greater than last year, according to figures from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board.
BT Sport is in the first season of a £152m, four-year deal to exclusively show the league. They also have the rights to show English clubs in Europe from next season, but that deal relies on a new competition replacing the Heineken Cup.