GP on ITV4

fogba · Post by **fogba** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 9:24 am

ITV has struck a deal with Premier Rugby to broadcast weekly highlights of the Guinness Premiership rugby union top-flight.

The rights, which had been held by the BBC, will begin with immediate effect with the first round of games on the weekend of the 6th September.

A new hour-long weekly Guinness Premiership highlights show will air on ITV4 at 6.30pm on Sunday evenings, covering all 22 rounds of the new season, the Guinness Premiership semi-final and final.

The show, hosted by Craig Doyle, will also be repeated on ITV1 on Tuesday nights at 12.30am, bringing in an even wider audience.

The addition of the Guinness Premiership highlights package complements ITV’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup for which it attracted record audiences for the 2007 tournament which saw England progress all the way through to the final before losing to South Africa.

roysboys · Post by **roysboys** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 9:34 am

that's good news for poor people like me who don't have the shirtbuttons to be able to afford a season ticket and/or Sky etc, and on at a reasonable time as well

westy154 · Post by **westy154** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 9:50 am

Yet again the BBC fail. they may have had this highlight package, but never really it seems bothered doing anything with them (not that I ever noticed at least. Still I have Sky Sports...). At least ITV, for all their flaws, have made a commitment to showing weekly highlights in a dedicated program at a specified time.

Good on them.