Sky Sports announces record rugby league coverage with new season Super League fixtures
Sky Sports will show more rugby league than ever before next year, with around 100 live matches from the First Utility Super League, Kingstone Press Championship, Challenge Cup and World Club Series.
Sky Sports will show every Super League team at least twice before the Easter weekend in the 8th round. The new Super League season kicks off live on Sky Sports on Thursday 5 February with 2014 Grand Finalists Wigan Warriors in action away to Widnes Vikings, before Champions St Helens host Catalans Dragons on Friday 6 February.
Super League will this season be joined on Sky Sports by even more live Challenge Cup coverage, selected Championship matches including live coverage of all six games in the Blackpool Summer Bash, and the newly expanded World Club Series on 20, 21 and 22 February.
The 2015 season will be the first of a new seven-year extended deal for Sky Sports that takes the partnership with the RFL into its 25th year. This coincides with the introduction of a unified points system and structure, allowing promotion and relegation across the Super League, Championship and League 1 competitions. After the regular season finishes at round 23, the two leagues of 12 will become three groups of eight clubs: the Super 8s. The first group (Super League) will play to reach the Grand Final, the second group (Qualifiers) will play for four places in Super League in 2016 and the third group (Championship Shield) will contest their own mini-league. The Qualifiers’ thrilling battle for just four places in Super League in 2016 will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Neville Smith, executive producer of rugby league, said: “It’s the start of a brilliant new era for rugby league. We’re delighted to continue to bring unrivalled coverage of the game with a milestone 100 live matches a season across the Super League and Championship. The leagues’ new structure will bring added excitement at the sharp end of the season – including the decisive battle for that final 2016 Super League spot between the fourth and fifth place teams that promises to be unmissable. And only Sky Sports will tell the whole story of the season live, alongside Challenge Cup matches, the World Club Series and a raft of support programming.”
The regular season schedule of Thursday Thrillers and Friday Night Super League games will be complimented by Catalans Dragons home matches on Saturdays and weekly rugby league programming including Boots n All and Super League Full Time.
Season highlights include Magic Weekend, when all 12 Super League teams are shown live on Sky Sports in two days. Magic Weekend 2015 will take place for the first time at Newcastle’s St James’ Park on 30 - 31 May.
Sky Sports News HQ will bring news, interviews and features from across the leagues on channel 401 and across its digital portfolio that includes Sky Sports apps and skysports.com.
The first 23 rounds of confirmed matches to be played on Sky Sports are as follows:
Round Date Home Team Away Team
1 Thurs 05 February 2015 Widnes Vikings v Wigan Warriors
1 Friday 06 February 2015 St Helens v Catalans Dragons
2 Thurs 12 February 2015 Salford Red Devils v St Helens
2 Friday 13 February 2015 Wigan Warriors v Huddersfield Giants
2 Sat 14 February 2015 Catalans Dragons v Castleford
3 Thurs 26 February 2015 Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants
3 Friday 27 February 2015 St Helens v Castleford Tigers
3 Sat 28 February 2015 Catalans Dragons v Warrington Wolves
4 Thurs 05 March 2015 Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos
4 Friday 06 March 2015 Wakefield Wildcats v St Helens
4 Sat 07 March 2015 Catalans Dragons v Salford Red Devils
5 Thurs 12 March 2015 Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers
5 Friday 13 March 2015 Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos
6 Thurs 19 March 2015 St Helens v Warrington Wolves
6 Friday 20 March 2015 Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors
7 Thurs 26 March 2015 Salford Red Devils v Widnes Vikings
7 Friday 27 March 2015 Hull KR v St Helens
7 Sat 28 March 2015 Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos
8 Thurs 02 April 2015 Hull FC v Hull KR
8 Friday 03 April 2015 Castleford Tigers v Leeds Rhinos
8 Friday 03 April 2015 Wigan Warriors v St Helens
9 Mon 06 April 2015 Warrington Wolves v Castleford Tigers
9 Mon 06 April 2015 Catalans Dragons v Widnes Vikings
10 Friday 10 April 2015 Hull FC v Widnes Vikings
10 Sat 11 April 2015 Castleford Tigers v Hull KR
11 Thurs 16 April 2015 Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves
11 Friday 17 April 2015 St Helens v Leeds Rhinos
12 Thurs 23 April 2015 Wakefield Wildcats v Wigan Warriors
12 Friday 24 April 2015 Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves
12 Sat 25 April 2015 Catalans Dragons v Hull KR
13 Thurs 30 April 2015 Huddersfield Giants v Leeds Rhinos
13 Friday 01 May 2015 TBA
14 Thurs 07 May 2015 Hull KR v Wakefield Wildcats
14 Friday 08 May 2015 TBA
14 Sat 09 May 2015 Catalans Dragons v St Helens
15 Thurs 21 May 2015 Castleford Tigers v Huddersfield Giants
15 Friday 22 May 2015 TBA
15 Sat 23 May 2015 Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors
16 Sat Magic 30 May
16 Sat Magic 30 May
16 Sat Magic 30 May
16 Sun Magic 31 May
16 Sun Magic 31 May
16 Sun Magic 31 May
17 Thurs 04 June 2015 Widnes Vikings v Hull FC
17 Friday 05 June 2015 TBA
18 Thurs 11 June 2015 Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers
18 Friday 12 June 2015 St Helens v Wigan Warriors
18 Sat 13 June 2015 Catalans Dragons v Hull FC
19 Thurs 18 June 2015 Castleford Tigers v St Helens
19 Friday 19 June 2015 TBA
19 Sat 20 June 2015 Catalans Dragons v Wakefield Wildcats
20 Thurs 02 July 2015 Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors
20 Friday 03 July 2015 Leeds Rhinos v St Helens
21 Thurs 09 July 2015 Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos
21 Friday 10 July 2015 TBA
22 Thurs 16 July 2015 Warrington Wolves v St Helens
22 Friday 17 July 2015 TBA
22 Sat 18 July 2015 Catalans Dragons v Huddersfield Giants
23 Thurs 23 July 2015 Hull FC v Wigan Warriors
23 Friday 24 July 2015 TBA
For further information, please contact:
Sky
Sky Sports PR
0207 032 1445
Follow us on twitter @skysports @skysportsRL
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