FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 30th, 2018
NBC SPORTS BEGINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF EXCLUSIVE GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP RUGBY COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND
Season Schedule Includes First-Ever Live Premiership Rugby Match on Broadcast Television – Harlequins v. Saracens on NBC on Saturday, Oct. 6
Coverage on NBCSN Begins This Saturday at 9 p.m. ET with Runners-Up Exeter Chiefs v. Leicester Tigers
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 30, 2018 – NBC Sports will present nearly 300 hours of exclusive coverage of the 2018-19 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season, which begins this weekend on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold, highlighted by last year’s runners-up Exeter Chiefs facing Leicester Tigers on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product – will provide comprehensive live, commercial-free coverage of all 2018-19 Premiership Rugby matches, as well as an hour-long Premiership Recap Show after each round.
In addition to NBCSN’s telecasts, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide live streaming coverage of a pair of matches this weekend, beginning on Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET, when Bristol Bears host Bath Rugby. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will also stream Sunday’s match featuring Newcastle Falcons and defending champion Saracens at 10 a.m. ET.
Each weekend, NBCSN will present the most compelling Premiership Rugby matches on the schedule, in many cases preceding or following live coverage of Premier League soccer. The Premiership Rugby season will culminate with live coverage of the league Final on Saturday, June 1. In addition, NBC Sports will present the first-ever live Premiership Rugby match on U.S. broadcast television on Saturday, Oct. 6, when Harlequins face defending champion Saracens at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey will anchor studio coverage for this Saturday’s match on NBCSN alongside analyst and former Premiership Rugby player Alex Corbisiero, who played seven combined seasons for London Irish and Northampton Saints. U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame member Dan Lyle will also contribute to NBC Sports’ Premiership Rugby studio coverage throughout the season.
Following is NBC Sports’ Premiership Rugby telecast schedule on NBC and NBCSN through Round 9 of the 2018-19 season:
| Date | Coverage | Time (ET) | Network |
| Sat., September 1 | Exeter Chiefs v. Leicester Tigers* | 9 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat.., September 8 | Wasps v. Exeter Chiefs* | 12 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat., September 15 | Harlequins v. Bath Rugby* | 9:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sun., September 23 | Saracens v. Gloucester Rugby | 2 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sun., September 30 | Leicester Tigers v. Sale Sharks* | 2 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat., October 6 | Northampton Saints v. Leicester Tigers | 12 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat., October 6 | Harlequins v. Saracens | 2:30 p.m. | NBC |
| Sun., November 18 | Bristol Bears v. Exeter Chiefs | 10 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Fri., November 23 | Worcester Warriors v. Harlequins | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat., November 24 | Exeter Chiefs v. Gloucester Rugby* | 3 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sun., November 25 | Leicester Tigers v. Saracens* | 2 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Fri., November 30 | Harlequins v. Exeter Chiefs | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sat., December 1 | Saracens v. Wasps* | 3:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Sun., December 2 | Bath Rugby v. Sale Sharks* | 4 p.m. | NBCSN |
*denotes same-day delay
EXETER CHIEFS V. LEICESTER TIGERS – SATURDAY AT 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Coverage of the 2018-19 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season on NBCSN begins Saturday when Exeter Chiefs face Leicester Tigers in a meeting between two perennial title contenders. Before missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker last season, Leicester had reached the semifinals every year since 2004. Meanwhile, Exeter Chiefs have reached the Premiership Final in three consecutive years, winning the title in 2016-17. The two clubs split their meetings last season, with Leicester winning 20-13 at home in September before Exeter turned the tables with a decisive 30-6 victory on New Year’s Eve at Sandy Park.
NBC SPORTS GOLD TO PROVIDE LIVE, COMMERCIAL-FREE COVERAGE OF ALL GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP RUGBY MATCHES
NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product — will give fans access to every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match of the 2018-19 season with its “Rugby Pass,” beginning with Bristol Bears v. Bath Rugby on Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET. The direct-to-consumer pass, powered by Playmaker Media, will offer fans in the U.S. unprecedented commercial-free coverage, live and on-demand, on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices. The “Rugby Pass” can be purchased for $69.99 starting today. Click here for the full Premiership Rugby on NBC Sports Gold schedule through Round 9.
PREMIERSHIP RUGBY ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP: NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming of all Premiership Rugby matches airing on NBCSN, as well as exclusive streaming coverage of matches each week, via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
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.
–NBC SPORTS–
