Hearst Networks’ free TV brand BLAZE will bring a package of live Elior Champ Rugby matches to its viewers in the U.K. and Ireland via a pilot partnership with ClubberTV.
BLAZE will deliver free-to-air coverage of nine fixtures, which will also be streamed on the brand’s app, beginning this weekend. Matches will continue live every Sunday in the same time slot through to November 22.
Heather Jones, chief creative officer for EMEA at Hearst Networks, stated, “Champ Rugby reflects everything BLAZE stands for. It’s exciting, fiercely competitive, and deeply rooted in local communities, and we’re delighted to bring live rugby to free-to-air audiences. We know viewers increasingly value live experiences, and this partnership gives more fans the opportunity to discover one of English rugby’s best-kept sporting secrets every Sunday afternoon.”
Simon Gillham OBE, chair of the Champ Rugby board, added, “This is fantastic news for Elior Champ Rugby and will showcase the best of the league to a wider audience. We want our competition to be accessible to as many audiences as possible, and this extra offering now makes Champ Rugby the only weekly free-to-air rugby on English television. I’d like to thank ClubberTV and Hearst Networks for their commitment and support to our game.”
BLAZE, marking its tenth anniversary this year, is available on Freeview, Sky, Freesat, Freely, and Virgin TV channel.
