Sky Sports has confirmed its opening live games for the 2015 Super League season as English rugby league’s top-flight marks its 20th anniversary with a new structure.
The new season kicks off on Thursday, February 5 with 2014 finalists Wigan Warriors in action away to Widnes Vikings, before reigning champions St Helens host Catalans Dragons the following night.
Every Super League team will feature in front of Sky’s live cameras at least twice before the eighth round of the season on Easter weekend, while more games will be broadcast on Thursday nights.
The regular season schedule of ‘Thursday Thrillers’ and ‘Friday Night Super League’ games will be complimented by Catalans Dragons home matches on Saturdays and weekly rugby league programming including Boots ‘n’ All and Super League Full Time.
Sky Sports will be screening more rugby league than ever in 2015 with around 100 live matches from the First Utility Super League, Kingstone Press Championship, Challenge Cup and World Club Series.
The 2015 season will be the first of a new seven-year extended deal for Sky Sports that takes the partnership with the RFL into its 25th year.
This coincides with the introduction of a brand new unified points system and structure, allowing promotion and relegation across the Super League, Championship and League 1 competitions.
Super League’s regular season will end, after 23 fixtures, on the weekend of July 26, when Super League and the 12-team Championship will be split into three pools of eight – dubbed the ‘Super 8s’ – to determine both the Super League title, via a four-team playoff, and the make-up of the top division for 2016.
The first group (Super League) will play to reach the Grand Final, the second group (Qualifiers) will play for four places in Super League in 2016 and the third group (Championship Shield) will contest their own mini-league.
The Qualifiers’ thrilling battle for just four places in Super League in 2016 will also be shown live on Sky Sports.
Other season highlights include Magic Weekend, when all 12 Super League teams are shown live on Sky Sports in two days, which this year takes place for the first time at Newcastle’s St James’ Park on May 30-31.
The broadcaster’s exclusive live coverage of Super League will be joined by more live matches from the Challenge Cup, selected second-tier Championship matches, including live coverage of all six games in the Blackpool Summer Bash, and the newly expanded World Club Series on February 20-22.
Neville Smith, Sky’s executive producer of rugby league, said: “It’s the start of a brilliant new era for rugby league.
“We’re delighted to continue to bring unrivalled coverage of the game with a milestone 100 live matches a season across the Super League and Championship.
“The leagues’ new structure will bring added excitement at the sharp end of the season – including the decisive battle for that final 2016 Super League spot between the fourth and fifth place teams that promises to be unmissable.
“And only Sky Sports will tell the whole story of the season live, alongside Challenge Cup matches, the World Club Series and a raft of support programming.”
The 2015 Super League Grand Final will once again be staged at Old Trafford on, Saturday, October 10, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
The RFL Championship kicks off on the weekend of February 14, with relegated pair Bradford and London Broncos opening up against champions Leigh and Doncaster respectively, and reaches a climax with the final on the weekend of October 4.
Details of Sky Sports’ live Championship matches will be announced in due course.
Visit skysports.com/rugbyleague for more information about the sport and Sky’s coverage. Scroll down below for the full list of confirmed live Super League games on Sky Sports in 2015.
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