By Ben James
Copyright walesonline
S4C has renewed its broadcast rights for the United Rugby Championship for the next two seasons, ensuring the league will remain on free-to-air TV in this country. Earlier in the year, it was announced that BBC Wales had lost the rights to show the URC after Premier Sports sealed an exclusive deal to broadcast the league until 2029. That marked the second time the BBC had lost the rights to show the league, having initially lost out to Premier in 2018 before coming back on board in 2021. However, S4C have retained the Welsh language rights – allowing them to broadcast a live match featuring on the Welsh teams in every round of the competition. They will also show an additional second match involving a Welsh side on a deferred ‘as live’ basis. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. The first round of the season will see Cardiff’s clash with the Lions at the Arms Park on September 27 broadcast live, with the Scarlets ‘ clash with Munster that same day being broadcast in full a day later. In total, S4C will feature 20 live games and 18 deferred matches throughout the season. The channel has broadcast the league in every one of its 24 seasons, dating back to the original Celtic League in 2001. “Our partnership with S4C holds so much value due to their belief in the league from day one,” said Martin Anayi, CEO of the United Rugby Championship. “They saw the vision initially held by the Celtic League and embraced our expansion to Italy and then South Africa. They have showcased the extraordinary moments and backed us in the toughest of times. “They have broadcast the crowning of Scarlets and Ospreys championship teams, and for a quarter century they have focused their cameras on legends of the Welsh and international game who have gone toe-to-toe in our league. “As a league, we are grateful to ensure that free-to-air coverage of the URC continues across the UK and Ireland thanks to this extension with S4C, and the renewal with TG4 which we announced a few months ago. Professional sport must walk a tightrope in terms of ensuring the game is well resourced while also providing access and awareness to new fans. “We are glad to maintain that balance in our new broadcast cycle and I would like to thank everyone at S4C for their continued support of the league and Welsh rugby.” All of S4C’s live URC matches will be available on S4C, as well as S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and S4C’s YouTube channel with English language commentary available. The channel is also showing one match per round from Super Rygbi Cymru this season. “We are delighted to renew our commitment to live coverage of the URC from September onwards,” said S4C’s head of sport, Sue Butler. “S4C has always been there for the Welsh regions, with the free-to-air coverage that is so important for the game in Wales. “We’re looking forward to following the progress of the Welsh regions, with both Welsh and English commentary available on all our platforms for this new season.” S4C’s live URC Fixtures for 2025/26: R1 – Saturday September 27 Cardiff v Lions, KO: 19:45 R1 – Sunday, September 28 Scarlets v Munster, 16:25 (deferred) R2 – Friday, October 3 Dragons v Sharks, KO: 20:05 R3 – Friday, October 10 Scarlets v DHL Stormers, KO: 19:45 R4 – Friday, October 17 Dragons v Cardiff, KO: 19:45 R5 – Saturday, October 25 Cardiff v Edinburgh, KO: 19:45 R6 – Saturday, November 29 Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors, KO: 19:45 R7 – Saturday, December 20 Ospreys v Munster, KO: 17:30 R8 – Friday, December 26 Scarlets v Ospreys, KO: 17:30 R9 – Thursday, January 1 Dragons v Scarlets, KO: 15:00 R10 – Friday, January 23 Ospreys v Lions, KO: 19:45 R11 – Friday, January 30 Benetton v Scarlets, KO: 19:45 R11 – Saturday, January 31 Ospreys v Dragons, KO: 19:45 R12 – Friday, February 27 Cardiff v Leinster, KO: 19:45 R13 – Friday, March 20 Scarlets v Zebre Parma, KO: 19:45 R14 – Saturday, March 28 Leinster v Scarlets, KO: 17:30 R15 – Friday, April 17 Dragons v Vodacom Bulls, KO: 19:45 R16 – Friday, Apr 24 Cardiff v Ospreys, KO: 19:45 R17 – Friday, May 8 Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff, KO: 19:45 R18 – Saturday, May 16 Scarlets v Dragons, KO: 17:15
