BBC presenter Tanya Arnold has hailed the new TV deal that will see Super League aired live by the free-to-air broadcaster for the first time.
The new three-year broadcast deal will see 15 games shown live each season, with ten on network TV with the rest across BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. The corporation will also continue to show Challenge Cup games, including the men’s, women’s and wheelchair finals.
Castleford’s home clash with Wigan this Saturday will be the first to be shown on BBC Two, followed a week later by the World Club Challenge between the Warriors and Penrith Panthers.
Highlights will also be available the day after games on the BBC website.
“It’s fantastic, to have live Super League on the BBC is huge,” Arnold told League Express.
“I’ve very excited to be involved in it all.
“It’s a huge period for the sport now and there are so many people who just want to get eyes on the game and see what we all know – that this is a brilliant game.
“Channel Four did a great job over the last couple of years and hopefully we can kick that on even more.
“5:30 on a Saturday evening is a great slot and a big viewing time, so fingers crossed this is a really big year for the sport and it kicks on over the next three years.”
The deal and highlights package means that the Super League Show, which has aired weekly since 1999, will no longer be shown.
“Times move on, and this new deal, with the live games and the highlights packages, is great for the sport,” added Arnold.
“The highlights package on the website has huge potential. The BBC website gets 20 million unique views and is the biggest of its kind, so with that that, plus all the radio and everything else that’s going on, it’s huge.”
