Toronto Wolfpack will produce all of the team’s Betfred Championship games in both the UK and Canada in 2019 after announcing a broadcast agreement at today’s Rugby Football League (RFL) season launch in York, UK.
After discussions ongoing since the end of last season involving the RFL and Sky Sports agreement has been reached for all matches to be available for live publication on Sky Sports platforms in the UK. Distribution in Canada and around the world are included as part of the deal and will be confirmed over the next few weeks.
Brian Noble MBE, Toronto Wolfpack Director of Rugby, commented:
“We have invested significantly in our broadcast for the last two seasons, culminating in our 2018 postseason games reaching 140 million homes in 19 countries worldwide. We are extremely grateful to both Sky Sports and the RFL for sharing our vision to grow our game globally in 2019, and thank both for their efforts building this opportunity.”
Toronto Wolfpack’s growing army of fans in Canada, the UK and across the world will be able to enjoy every minute of action from an exciting new-look 14 team Betfred Championship in 2019. The Pack’s diverse range of sponsors and partners will also benefit from an amplified reach and opportunity to access new markets while opposing teams in the Betfred Championship will gain exposure from a minimum of two televised games against the Wolfpack. Noble continued:
“The entire Wolfpack organization is driven by the belief that the world is a better place with more rugby balls in more kids’ hands. Maintaining our impressive broadcast reach plays a key role in inspiring youngsters around the world to take up our sport, while showcasing our product and players live is key in continuing to grow our brand.”
Additional plans for 2019 include Sky Sports showing games from the Betfred Championship Play-Offs including the Betfred Championship Play-Off Final. October’s final game of the 2019 Betfred Championship season will again be known as the £1M Game and serve as a winner takes all showdown in the quest for promotion to the Super League.
Mark Foster, who heads the RFL’s commercial department, added:
“We saw with the reaction to Sky’s live coverage of the £1M Game between the Wolfpack and London Broncos in Toronto last autumn what a massive boost that was to the profile of the Betfred Championship.
“This couldn’t have happened without the co-operation and support of Sky Sports and Toronto Wolfpack and we wish to thank both organisations for helping us to broadcast in the UK and around the world what will be a fantastic Championship as well as League One in 2019.”
At least one match a week will also be shown through the RFL’s Our League membership platforms (app & web) in 2019 including the Betfred Championship, League One, Coral Challenge Cup, Coral Women’s Challenge Cup, 1895 Cup and Women’s Super League. Foster concluded:
“This is fantastic news for all the fans and clubs of Betfred Championship and League One with both competitions being broadcast more than ever before.”
The first round of matches in the Betfred Championship sees the Wolfpack take on newly-promoted York City Knights at Bootham Crescent on Sunday February 3rd (10am EDT / 3pm GMT). The game will be shown live on the Sky Sports platform as well as through the Wolfpack’s Canadian and global broadcast partners.
