The new rugby season is underway, with another campaign set to play out in both the professional club game and on the international stage. Hours of action will be brought to television screens, with games spread across a selection of different channels and streaming services, both on free-to-air TV and behind paywalls.
For die-hard rugby fans in the UK, making sure you don't miss a moment carries a price tag. Due to the complexity of subscriptions, bundles and one-off offers, it is almost impossible to put forward an exact figure for the total cost of watching rugby across all the major providers.
Cost of full coverage
As the i Paper reports, fans can expect to pay over £1,000 this season if they want access to all of the action from the major domestic leagues and Test arena. The i concluded that fans wanting access to all the major rugby providers were looking at a yearly cost of £1,068.
Broken down, that figure constitutes the £180 cost of the UK TV licence, as well as a £420 Sky Sports package, £312 TNT Sports subscription and £156 fee for Premier Sports.
Free-to-air and subscription options
In terms of free-to-air coverage, ITV and BBC share the rights to the men's Six Nations, with the former also showing the entire Nations Championship and next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia. ITV also show selected Prem Rugby matches, including the final. S4C also show a range of Welsh rugby matches, from coverage of Super Rygbi Cymru to international fixtures featuring Wales' men's, women's and age-grade sides.
TNT Sports broadcasts Prem Rugby and Premiership Women's Rugby, with its coverage bundled with other sports including football and tennis. A standalone yearly streaming subscription comes in at £25.99 a month, or £30.99 cancellable.
Premier Sports and Sky Sports
Premier Sports has also become a major player in rugby coverage, showing fixtures across the United Rugby Championship, Champions Cup and the Top 14 in France, as well as Major League Rugby and Japan League One. Subscriptions start at £11.99 per month on Sky, Virgin, STV Player and Prime Video, although that is on top of the cost of access to those streaming platforms.
Sky Sports held the rights to last summer's British & Irish Lions tour, this summer's Greatest Rivalry series and Rugby Championship games, with rugby fans looking at an array of subscriptions and payment plans that range from £24 per month to £35 per month. While prices can range due to contract and introductory offers, the total cost for full access stands at £1,068 for the season.
