British rugby league supporters have been given a major boost with the news that Catalans Dragons’ home matches are likely to return to being broadcast live on Sky Sports this year.
Canal+ Sport, beIN SPORTS and Eurosport were all understood to be in the running to provide coverage from Stade Gilbert Brutus on Steve McNamara’s side throughout the 2021 campaign.
Now a deal has been struck with beIN SPORTS for games to be shown, and it's believed it will allow Sky Sports to show games from the start of this season.
The French side open their Super League campaign with a game against Hull KR at Emerald Headingley on Saturday, March 27.
Catalans’ home games were not televised last year, with the exception of a few appearances on the French channel L'Équipe.
Now UK Super League fans look set to be able to watch their team when they play away in Perpignan again as part of the new deal that was agreed today.
The news is a boost with games set to be played behind closed doors until May at the earliest and restrictions over foreign travel still in place.
Catalans owner Bernard Guasch recently spoke about the importance of the club’s home games returning to Sky Sports after they failed to secure a television contract for the 2020 campaign.
The Dragons chief told League Express: “It is essential that we are back on television.”
News of today’s deal will come as a major boost to Dragons fans after a traumatic year last term which saw Guasch shell out £50,000 for a private jet to fly McNamara’s squad to England for each of their Super League fixtures once the season resumed in early August.
