ESPN and Major League Rugby have reached a multiyear media rights agreement that will bring games within the league to network platforms. Under this new deal, all regular season and playoff games are going to be streaming live on ESPN+, and a select number of matches will also be presented on the ESPN2 linear network. Fans will have the ability to stream the replays of each match, along with highlights and other content on The Rugby Network after a 72-hour delay. The league will also be available across Sub-Saharan Africa as part of this agreement. Coverage of the league commences on Saturday, Feb. 15 with a five-matchup slate to commence the 2025 season.
FOX Sports aired 21 regular-season matches of Major League Rugby last year, including the league championship that averaged 200,000 viewers on the broadcast network. The result marked a significant year-over-year decline of 269,000 viewers and indicated a record low finish for the league. CBS Sports had broadcast the league final in 2019 and amassed an audience averaging 510,000 viewers, the largest on record. The media rights agreement is said to be facilitating the substantial proliferation in visibility and reach from the league, and it follows a season in which it registered advancements in media coverage, ticket sales and social media engagement.
“During our 2024 campaign we grew our viewership by more than 25 percent year over year,” Nic Benson, commissioner of Major League Rugby, said in a statement. “We are hyperfocused on increasing our audience and introducing rugby to more American sports fans every year. This relationship with ESPN will give us an opportunity to supercharge that growth. Given the depth of talent across the league, I’m confident we’re headed toward our most exciting season yet. This strategic agreement will enable more of our fans to tune-in for some best-in-class rugby action.”
The Major League Rugby season will last for 18 weeks and conclude with two weeks of the playoffs leading up to the MLR Championship on June 28. Throughout the season, 11 teams situated across the United States will compete for this title as games begin their dissemination across ESPN platforms. The deal takes place two years ahead of the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027, the last occurrence of was broadcast by NBC Sports in the United States.
“Major League Rugby has built a strong foundation as the premier professional rugby league in North America, and we’re thrilled to be part of its next phase of growth,” Tim Bunnel, senior vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN, said in a statement. “As MLR continues to establish itself on the North American sports landscape, we look forward to bringing the league’s dynamic competition to an even wider audience.”
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