FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 18th, 2019

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS SEMI-FINAL MATCHUPS OF THE 2019 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP THIS WEEKEND

Saracens to Square Off Against Munster Rugby Saturday on NBCSN at 12:30 p.m. ET

Defending Champions Cup Champions Leinster Face Toulouse Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Both Champions Cup Matches to Stream Live on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports’ Direct-to-Consumer Live Streaming Product

 2019 Six Nations Rugby Viewership on NBCSN Up 23% vs. 2018

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 18, 2019 – NBC Sports presents the semi-finals of the 2019 Heineken Champions Cup this weekend on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, as two teams will advance to the Champions Cup final in May.

Saturday’s coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN when Saracens face Munster Rugby at Ricoh Arena in Coventry, England. Coverage continues at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN when defending Heineken Champions Cup champions Leinster Rugby host Toulouse at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product – will provide live streaming coverage of Saracens v. Munster Rugby on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET and coverage of Leinster Rugby v. Toulouse on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET. Both matches will stream live, commercial-free and on-demand on NBC Sports Gold. Click here to purchase NBC Sports Gold’s Rugby Pass.

NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey will anchor studio coverage alongside former Premiership Rugby players Alex Corbisiero (analyst), and Dan Lyle (analyst).

The annual tournament, which has been played since 1995, consists of 20 teams who play in countries whose national teams participate in the Guinness Six Nations Championship (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales).

2019 SIX NATIONS RUGBY VIEWERSHIP ON NBCSN UP 23% VS. 2018

Viewership of NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Six Nations Rugby Championship on NBCSN was up 23% vs. 2018, reaching over 4.1 million unique viewers. NBCSN’s 14 premiere Six Nations Rugby telecasts in 2019 posted 124,000 average viewers, up +16% from last year.

The Round Two Scotland-Ireland match on Saturday, Feb, 9 on NBCSN averaged 183,000 viewers to rank as the network’s most-watched Six Nations match to date, while the Round Three Italy-Ireland match on Sunday, Feb. 24 on NBCSN averaged 173,000 viewers to tie as the second most-watched Six Nations telecast on the network.

SARACENS V. MUNSTER RUGBY– SATURDAY AT 10 A.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS GOLD; 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Saracens soundly defeated Glasgow Warriors 56-27 in the quarterfinals, and Munster Rugby reached their record 14th Champions Cup semi-final by edging out Edinburgh 17-13. This marks the second time in three years that Saracens and Munster will meet in the semi-finals. Saracens defeated Munster by a score of 26-10 in 2017.

LEINSTER RUGBY V. TOULOUSE– SUNDAY AT 10:15 A.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS GOLD; 3 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Last month, defending champions Leinster defeated Ulster Rugby 21-18 in the quarter-finals, and Toulouse came away with a narrow 22-21 victory against Racing 92. Both teams have four European Rugby Champions Cups, and hope to become the first team to ever win five such titles. The teams faced each other twice earlier in the competition, with Toulouse winning 28-27 in October and Leinster proving victorious by a score of 29-13 in January.

Following is this weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final matches on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN. Click here for more information.

 

Date Match Time (ET) Network
Sat., April 20 Saracens v. Munster Rugby 10 a.m. NBC Sports Gold
Saracens v. Munster Rugby* 12:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 21 Leinster Rugby v. Toulouse 10:15 a.m. NBC Sports Gold
Leinster Rugby v. Toulouse* 3 p.m. NBCSN

*Same-day delay

 

ABOUT EPCR

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is the organiser of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the European Rugby Challenge Cup and the European Rugby Continental Shield with the stated mission of creating outstanding rugby experiences for all touched by its competitions.

Established in 2014 with headquarters in Switzerland, EPCR has the following shareholders: Federation Francaise de Rugby (FFR), Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), Rugby Football Union (RFU), Scottish Rugby, Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), Premiership Rugby (PRL) and Pro Rugby Wales.

The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup feature clubs which have qualified on merit from their respective domestic leagues – the Gallagher Premiership, the TOP 14 and the Guinness PRO14, with the latter also featuring two qualifiers from the Continental Shield.


ABOUT NBC SPORTS GOLD

NBC Sports Gold is NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product that provides sports fans with access to exclusive premium sports events and content, live and on-demand, at an affordable price. Launched in 2016 with a single cycling product, NBC Sports Gold currently offers 13 individual sports “passes” – eight domestic (PGA TOUR LIVE, Premier League, Cycling, Track & Field, Speed Skating, Rugby, Supercross, and Snow, consisting of seven Winter Olympic sports); two regional (Blazers and Philly); one international (Notre Dame Football); and two domestic and international (Figure Skating and Pro Motocross). In 2019, NBC Sports Gold will add INDYCAR and lacrosse. Among the premium events and content offered by NBC Sports Gold are 28 PGA TOUR events, including THE PLAYERS and FedExCup Playoffs; 150 Premier League matches; the Tour de France and many more prominent cycling races; USA Track & Field and IAAF Diamond League events; domestic and international figure skating competitions; every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match; the entire 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season; 700+ hours of seven Winter Olympic sports; and all Notre Dame Football home games for international fans.

-NBC SPORTS-