BBC Wales, S4C Announce New Four-Year Deal To Cover Pro12 Rugby

BBC Wales and S4C announced a four-year deal to provide live coverage of games in the Guinness Pro12. Welsh-language channel S4C will show Sunday afternoon fixtures on Clwb Rygbi with Scrum V Live televising Friday evening matches on BBC 2 Wales. Sky is the primary rights holder and will show live matches on satellite TV on Saturday afternoons. The Pro12 is contested by teams from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy (BBC). WALES ONLINE's Sion Barry wrote negotiations "had been taking place for more than a year" between BBC Wales execs and the company which negotiates commercial deals on behalf of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Irish and Scottish unions Celtic Rugby Ltd. As well as the domestic league, Celtic Rugby "also negotiates deals for television coverage of the Six Nations and British and Irish Lions tours." The value of the deal "has not been disclosed," but is understood to be in the region of £3M ($5M) a season (WALES ONLINE, 7/30).