CHANNEL 4 are set to once more broadcast ten games in Super League in 2023.
After signing a two-year deal with the sport back at the start of 2022, the terrestrial broadcaster has impressed viewers far and wide.
From three-quarters of a million tuning in for their first-ever game between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors to six figure audiences for all of their game coverage, Channel 4 has been warmly received by rugby league fans.
And Channel 4’s Head of Sport, Pete Andrews, had a particular message for those viewers.
“We are so grateful, we’ve had a brilliant time and the clubs have been brilliant. It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience for us and we hope it will be overwhelmingly positive again this year,” Andrews told League Express.
“We need to keep on the top of our game. You can’t control the games, but the standard of matches is usually good anyway.
“It’s been a really positive ride, thanks for watching and please keep watching and tell your friends!”
The coverage in 2022 had so many positives, not least the chemistry and camaraderie between the pundits, but Andrews also recognises that there was one major weakness and a lesson that definitely be learned.
“We need to do a better job of letting people know when our games are on. It’s definitely a weakness, we pop up then disappear again,” Andrews continued.
“With ten games you pop up and then you go. We need to let people know when we are on.
“We need to do a little bit more work to put out the messages. If you ran a TV trial between First Dates and Naked Attraction, you might not get a lot of rugby league fans tuning in!
“We just need to put our messages in the right place. We need to be reaching for new audiences.”
