EPCR is pleased to announce that Europe’s premier club tournament will benefit from even greater TV exposure for the next three seasons at least following an agreement which will see France Télévisions broadcast a second live free-to-air Heineken Champions Cup match each weekend. In addition to its traditional Sunday afternoon fixture, France 2 will also screen a live Heineken Champions Cup match on each tournament Saturday after a tripartite arrangement was agreed between EPCR, France Télévisions and beIN SPORTS, EPCR’s principal broadcast partners in France, until the end of the 2021/22 season. beIN SPORTS will be the host broadcaster for the additional matches with France 2 co-broadcasting on a free-to-air basis. The 25th anniversary season of the European Cup promises to be a special one for rugby fans in France with over 40,000 tickets already sold for Finals Weekend at the iconic Stade de Marseille on 22/23 May 2020. The additional free-to-air coverage in France will kick off in Round 1 when La Rochelle host Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, 16 November at Stade Marcel Deflandre live on France 2 and beIN SPORTS, as well as on BT Sport in the UK and Ireland. The following day, the clash of Racing 92 and reigning champions, Saracens, will also go out live on France 2, beIN SPORTS and BT Sport. This development comes off the back of a successful first season of free-to-air coverage in the United Kingdom and Ireland, yielding a growth in the Heineken Champions Cup broadcast audience of over 40% in the UK, with Channel 4 and Virgin Media supplementing the all-encompassing exposure provided by BT Sport. EPCR Director General, Vincent Gaillard, said: “As we get ready for the start of the tournament’s 25th anniversary season which will culminate in the Marseille 2020 Finals weekend, we are delighted that the Heineken Champions Cup will now have increased free-to-air broadcast exposure in France. We would like to thank both beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions for collaborating on this important development, and we also greatly appreciate the continuing support of the LNR and the TOP 14 clubs in further promoting our tournament.” Laurent-Eric Le Lay, France Télévisions Director of Sport, said: “We’re very pleased to be adding a second Heineken Champions Cup match to our coverage each weekend. This new agreement further emphasises our long-standing commitment to the tournament and to European club rugby." “France Télévisions has a strong, historic association with the great game of rugby and we broadcast more than 60 fixtures each year including the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup, as well as France’s test matches, the Six Nations Championship for both men and women, the Under 20 Six Nations Championship, the PRO D2, the finals of the women’s Elite 1 Championship and the TOP 14 final.” The Heineken Champions Cup gets underway on Friday, November 15 when Gloucester Rugby take on four-time winners Toulouse, live on BT Sport. Heineken Champions Cup – Free-to-air TV coverage (Rounds 1-4) Round 1 – Saturday, 16 November Bath Rugby v Ulster Rugby (13.00) Channel 4 / Virgin Media / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS La Rochelle v Exeter Chiefs (16.15) beIN SPORTS / France 2 / BT Sport Sunday, 17 November Racing 92 v Saracens (16.15) France 2 / beIN SPORTS / BT Sport Round 2 – Saturday, 23 November Saracens v Ospreys (13.00) Channel 4 / Virgin Media / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS Toulouse v Connacht Rugby (14.00) France 2 / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS Lyon v Leinster Rugby (16.15) beIN SPORTS / France 2 / BT Sport  Round 3 – Saturday, 7 December Northampton Saints v Leinster Rugby (13.00) Channel 4 / Virgin Media / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS La Rochelle v Glasgow Warriors (16.00) beIN SPORTS / France 2 / BT Sport Sunday, 8 December Northampton Saints v Leinster Rugby (13.00) Channel 4 / Virgin Media / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS Toulouse v Montpellier (16.15) France 2 / beIN SPORTS / BT Sport Round 4 – Saturday, 14 December Montpellier v Toulouse (16.00) beIN SPORTS / France 2 / BT Sport Leinster Rugby v Northampton Saints (17.15) Virgin Media / Channel 4 / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS Sunday, 15 December ASM Clermont Auvergne v Bath Rugby (16.15) France 2 / beIN SPORTS / BT Sport Click HERE for a full list of Heineken Champions Cup fixtures and broadcast details