National League close to TV return on Thursdays
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Clubs in National League One are hoping for a major boost from games televised live on Thursday nights next season.
The satellite channel British Eurosport wants to show 18 matches, the first regular season coverage since the advent of Super League 11 years ago for the level immediately below.
There will be no money up front for the clubs, but the coverage would make it easier to bring in sponsors and advertisers. The competition is looking for a new backer following LHF Healthplan's withdrawal.
"It's disappointing that there's no immediate revenue involved, but it will make it a lot easier to sell sponsorship," said Widnes' general manager, Pat Cluskey. "By avoiding Super League, we should get much better newspaper coverage on Friday mornings. It's a great chance to promote the sport at this level."
The Rugby League, which is understood to be brokering the deal, said that it was keen to maximise coverage of the National Leagues but had no contract to announce. One complication could be that Sky has the television rights to the National League Grand Finals, which Eurosport would want as the climax of its coverage, while the BBC covers the play-offs.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments