BBC ALBA ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF LIVE FIXTURES FOR NEXT PHASE OF MAGNERS LEAGUE
BBC ALBA is delighted to announce today (Wednesday) details of the next phase of its Magners League coverage, bringing viewers live action as Glasgow and Edinburgh continue in their league campaign.
(left to right) Johnnie Beattie (Glasgow Warriors) & Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors captain) at BBC ALBA programme launch.
The next phase of matches from January – March 2011 will prove crucial to both teams and will cover rounds 13 – 18 with BBC ALBA providing live coverage of six matches throughout this period, with home productions and feeds from host broadcasters, as follows:
TV HOST |
Home |
Away |
Kick-off |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday 8th January |
RTE |
Munster |
Glasgow |
7.30pm |
Friday 18th February |
TG4 |
Munster |
Edinburgh |
7.50pm |
Friday 25th February |
BBC ALBA |
Glasgow |
Dragons |
7.50pm |
Saturday 5th March |
S4C |
Osprey |
Glasgow |
5.30pm |
Friday 25th March |
BBC ALBA |
Glasgow |
Ulster |
8.05pm |
Saturday 26th March |
S4C |
Edinburgh |
Osprey |
6.30pm |
BBC ALBA will also bring rugby fans live action throughout the festive period as Glasgow and Edinburgh battle it out over two matches for the 1872 Cup, as well as vital Magners League points. The first match will be live from Firhill on Monday 27th December at 5.35pm with the second match coming live from Murrayfield on Sunday 2nd January with a kick-off time also at 5.35pm.
Edinburgh are currently sitting seventh in the league table having won five out of 10 games whilst Glasgow sit tenth having managed three wins from nine games played so far. With players out to prove themselves in the lead-up to the six nations and if favourable results are achieved by the two Scottish teams, it could make for a very close and exciting league over the remaining rounds of the competition.
Alan Esslemont, head of content for BBC ALBA said: “We have been absolutely delighted at the level of interest our live rugby coverage has generated over the first season and very much look forward to bringing viewers an exciting package as we continue to support Glasgow and Edinburgh’s campaign throughout the competition.
“The Magners League receives international recognition and we are delighted to increase its reach by providing a platform for professional rugby in Scotland that can be enjoyed by a wider fan base through our television coverage. We’d like to wish both teams all the best as they compete for crucial points in the forthcoming rounds of the league.”
Craig Docherty, Edinburgh chief executive, said: “Everyone at the club is extremely pleased about the benefits that our partnership with BBC ALBA is bringing. The coverage, both in terms of the live match broadcasts and the supplementary feature material, has been first class, and has been well received by our supporters.
“It’s fantastic that the unique drama of the 1872 Cup derbies will be brought into people’s homes during the festive period, and we’re also delighted to see that two more Edinburgh games will be available for viewers’ enjoyment in what will be a crucial segment of the Magners League season.”
Hailing the matches as vital to his team’s aspirations of making the play-offs for a second successive season, Warriors head coach Sean Lineen said: “The Magners League season is really gathering pace now, and every game is crucial if you want to make the top four come the end of the campaign.
“We’ve got some fantastic matches coming up in the next few months, especially at Firhill, and it would be great to really get the place rocking as we look to pick up those all-important points.”
BBC ALBA has signed an exclusive deal to show live Magners League rugby in Scotland for the next four years. The channel is committed to showing at least eight Edinburgh or Glasgow home matches per season, and has teamed up with Irish, Welsh and Italian broadcasters to also provide live coverage of selected away matches for both sides.
Home match production will be produced for BBC ALBA by mneTV, with commentary in Gaelic along with trackside analysis and interviews in English.
The 22 round league season kicked-off on the first weekend in September 2010 and runs through until the weekend of 6th May 2011. The final phase of live matches on BBC ALBA covering rounds 19 -22 will be announced at a later stage.