Premier Sports have secured the TV rights for the new United Rugby Championship for the next four years and will show every single match live.
The subscription channel has held the UK rights for the Guinness PRO14 for the past three seasons.
That contract expires this month, but they have now extended and expanded their partnership with the tournament.
As well as retaining the rights for the UK, they has also been awarded the TV rights for the Republic of Ireland for the first time.
They will show all 151 games live as the tournament moves into a new 16-team era, with South Africa’s top four franchises coming on board to join the 12 sides from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy.
Premier will provide exclusive coverage of more than 100 URC games as part of a new broadcasting landscape for the competition, which will feature greater free-to-air TV.
BBC Wales are set to come back on board with live coverage after a three-year absence, showing some 15 games, while S4C may increase the number of matches they broadcast.
In Ireland, RTE and TG4 have agreed a four-year deal which will see 52 of the 60 fixtures involving Irish sides being available free-to-air.
The news that Premier are to continue as primary rights holders is likely to divide opinion.
Fans have appreciated the fact they show every match live, while the cost has generally been viewed as pretty good value for money given the extent of the coverage.
But there have been complaints over technical issues, such as streaming reliability, while the commentary has also been a point of contention at times, notably when they have utilised an Irish broadcast feed.
As part of their new deal, Premier say they will introduce territory specific commentary teams, increase studio coverage and launch a new Premier Player OTT service for UK customers.
Their commentators and pundits will include the likes of Shane Williams, Tom Shanklin, Stephen Ferris, John Barclay and Jim Hamilton.
URC chief executive Martin Anayi said: “Premier Sports have been our biggest supporters in their first three years with us and they are as eager as we are to see the United Rugby Championship set new standards.
“They have become disrupters in the rugby space having most recently picked up Top 14 rights and from our very first conversations in 2017 they challenged us to show every game live.
“Before Premier Sports broadcast our league fans never had the chance to watch every minute of their team’s campaign – since then Premier have broadcast over 1,000 hours of live rugby and created a new standard that will carry into the United Rugby Championship.
“Premier Sports want to raise the bar and their marquee names will stir debate to ensure every team’s story is told, they will extend their studio coverage and upgrade the Premier Player.
“We are incredibly excited that Premier Sports will continue to play a major role in the showcasing of our new tournament to rugby fans across the UK and Ireland within our family of broadcasters.”
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Premier Sports CEO Richard Sweeney added: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured another four years of exclusive rights with the United Rugby Championship.
“Premier Sports will be the only place to watch all 21 game weekends per season from opening weekend to the Grand Final with every single game live on our channels.
“We’ll deliver all the tournament action across all five rugby nations plus host more than 100 live and exclusive games through the season.
“Aligned with the new opportunities that URC brings, we will be significantly investing in our new URC rights – with more extensive panel insight from studio, more cameras and broadening our mix of commentators from relevant territories for live games.
“We will also be launching a new and improved Premier Player in time for the new season. Premier Sports will once again showcase the most competitive and the compelling games and provide the most comprehensive live TV coverage where every game counts.”