Rugby League (RFL) commercial director Mark Foster is excited ahead of the Cup quarter-final, which will attract over a million free-to-air spectators in the UK, and about the Cup final in Tottenham, whose seat sales have been very successful. .
Remember that this meeting (Saturday 3:30 PM) will also be broadcast live on France 3 Occitanie.
Mark Foster, can you tell us what BBC 1 channel shows in England?
This is a great opportunity to show Rugby League and Challenge Cup on this public channel. We will have three matches live on BBC1 with the Dragons quarter-final against Saint-Helens on Saturday, one of the semi-finals at land Road and the final at Tottenham Stadium. Matches on BBC1 traditionally attract over a million viewers. I know Saturday will be one of the most watched matches this season.
Why is it so important to show this contest on the BBC?
It has been the broadcast partner of the Challenge Cup for over 70 years. It’s a wonderful partnership that we were happy to extend to three years last winter. Free television coverage is important for Rugby League and Challenge Cup. It gives us visibility to so many people. In the UK over 80% of people who watch XIII on TV watch it only on the BBC. And we are delighted that the BBC is also broadcasting all 61 Rugby League World Cup matches in October and November.
‘Confident to fill Tottenham stadium’
What do you expect from this dragon – Saint-Helens?
It is a remake of last year’s ‘Grand Finale’. We are sure that everyone will want to watch this quarter final and those who may not be fans of rugby league will watch after watching Saturday’s game.
Are the RFL afraid to see the Catalans in the final at Tottenham and therefore cause less attendance?
For just one year this year, it will take place at Tottenham’s hugely impressive stadium. We know this transfer will attract many people who want to head to an amazing stadium to watch one of the major events on the UK Sporting calendar. With a capacity of over 62,000 and ticket sales well above their normal levels at the moment, we are confident of filling the stadium. People are taking advantage of life to achieve some kind of normalcy. They missed out on the experience of attending live events with their friends and family over the past two years. So they really want to make the most of it so that they can start coming to the stadium again.