rlhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/8356391.stmrl

Challenge Cup will no longer be shown on the BBC next year. This is not good for the sport. With the Cup not being on the BBC, it sorts of takes away a bit of the magic of it.

Hopefully though Sky will get the rights to show the games and the coverage will be a lot better.

Edit

I thought the beebs coverage was poor anyway.

give it ITV, we need regular rugby league on terrestriol telly, last i saw ITV on a saturday afternoon, was filled with crappy old films no-body watches.

Doesn't this just mean that the RFL have the right to sell the final to the highest bidder rather than being forced to give it to the BBC for nothing? They could still cut a deal with the BBC if they wanted to.

Personally I'd like to see it stay on the BBC, but only if the RFL gets a reasonable financial deal and only if the coverage and marketing by the BBC is improved massively.

If the CC is removed from the BBC then this is a complete and utter disastrous day for Rugby League.

Sky's coverage alone is not good enough, not wide enough and not comprehensive enough. Yes, we RL Fans know where to find it, but what about Joe Public?

Get it on ESPN and give it the facelift it deserves!

Exactly, it will become a second rated competition. Sponsorship will be really difficult at any decent level of revenue.

That would be the worst possible result from this. I certainly wouldnt pay an extra £9 a month to watch a cup game that comes round once every month.

i thought it was a 'protected' event

if it is on the other terrestriol/free view channels it will also be promoted better with more adverts, i think i saw one advert for the rugby league on BBC and that was only for the final.

I don't mind it coming off the bbc but it has to go to another free view channel, we need to wider public to see it, especially when they are just flicking through the channels on a saturday/sunday afternoon.

I really hope they get it on another freeview channel. I can't afford sky sports so for me the best thing about the challenge cup is that I can watch it on tv and bbc iplayer. Also we'll get a lot less new fans if it's only on sky sports.

Does this mean the rounds prior to the final will be on?

Seems unlikely. Hope Sky get it. Much better coverage IMO even with Tweedledum & Tweedledee commentating.

its not been removed from the bbc, its been removed from the protected package, therefore the rfl if they wanted could sell the challenge cup rights to sky. however, the challenge cup, in my opinion should be kept on terrestrial television

Im pretty sure that I heard somewhere that the RFL wanted it taking off the protected list anyway.