FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 17th, 2017

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS NEWCASTLE V. SARACENS PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CLASH FROM PHILADELPHIA ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, ON NBCSN

Second Consecutive Year NBC Sports Presents Premiership Rugby Match on U.S. Soil on NBCSN

Premiership Rugby Semifinals This Weekend; Exeter-Saracens Live on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on NBCSN; Wasps-Leicester at 9:45 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 17, 2017 – For the second consecutive year, NBC Sports will present an Aviva Premiership Rugby match on U.S. soil, when Newcastle Falcons host Saracens at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, September 16, on NBCSN. The event will be staged by Premiership Rugby in conjunction with AEG, and an official start time will be announced in the coming weeks.

September’s contest featuring Newcastle and Saracens follows Premiership Rugby’s first-ever match in the United States, which NBCSN televised and streamed in March 2016, when Saracens took on London Irish at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., home of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will provide streaming coverage of the event. Streaming will also be available on NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product.

“We’re excited to televise Premiership Rugby here on U.S. soil for a second consecutive year,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN. “Following our first full season as the U.S. media home of Premiership Rugby, September’s match in Philadelphia featuring Newcastle and Saracens is a testament to the continued growth and interest in rugby here in the States.”

“The key to staging this match in such an impressive stadium has been the partnership we are announcing for the game with AEG and NBC Sports,” said Mark McCafferty, Premiership Rugby’s Chief Executive. “AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company while NBC Sports is one of the world’s most prestigious sports media companies. This presents us with a powerful combination to help make this match a huge success.”

“We are excited by the continued development and trajectory of rugby at all levels in the US, from the huge surge in playing numbers to an ever-growing appreciative and knowledgeable fan-base,” said Daniel Lyle, Director, AEG Rugby. “We believe our long standing relationships with NBC and this new multi-year partnership with Premiership Rugby represent a meaningful next-step in developing the sport in the United States. Bringing World Class teams and players to our shores complements the initiatives and priorities of USA Rugby, including broader exposure within our country of the game being played at the highest levels.”

Saracens are the reigning two-time Premiership Rugby champions, and won the European Rugby Champions Cup for the second consecutive year this past weekend. Newcastle last won the Premiership title in the 1997-98 season.

September’s match between Newcastle and Saracens enhances NBC Sports’ robust slate of rugby properties, which includes Olympic rugby coverage through 2032, Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Sevens World Series, the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups, the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship, the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup, and exhibition matches featuring the USA Eagles, New Zealand All Blacks, and Qantas Wallabies.

NBC Sports presents the semifinals of the 2017 Premiership Rugby campaign this weekend beginning on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on NBCSN, when Exeter Chiefs host Saracens. NBC Sports Gold will present exclusive streaming coverage of the semifinal between Wasps and Leicester Tigers at 9:45 a.m. ET. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Gold’s Premiership Rugby coverage.


NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.


NBC Sports Gold
is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and online at NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.


About Premiership Rugby

Tickets for Newcastle Falcons v Saracens in Philadelphia will be available on 20 June. For full details see premiershiprugbyusa.com. Premiership Rugby was formed by the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs to manage the top league in English club rugby union – Aviva Premiership Rugby and the Singha Premiership Rugby 7s. It acts on behalf of the clubs in commercial negotiations with partners, broadcasters and league sponsors.  Premiership Rugby has a multi-award winning Community Department which operates programmes in Great Britain and South America. In February 2016 Premiership Rugby was shortlisted for the Governing Body of the Year title at the prestigious Sports Industry Awards.

About AEG

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which is affiliated with or owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent arenas, stadiums, theaters, clubs and convention centers around the world including The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center and the Mercedes-Benz Arenas; AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE; AEG Sports, which is the world’s largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events;  and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, AXS.com ticketing platform, AXS cable television channel and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.


About NBC Sports Group

When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–