Major League Rugby extends ESPN deal through 2027 as U.S. rugby builds toward World Cup

Under the renewed agreement, all MLR matches will be available across ESPN’s networks and platforms. Five matches per season will air on ESPN’s linear channels, while ESPN retains exclusive streaming rights to Sunday Night Rugby — the primetime flagship programme the two organisations launched last season, which features pre- and post-match in-studio analysis from current and former players.

The deal arrives at a significant moment for the sport in the United States. The country is scheduled to host the Olympic rugby sevens in 2028 and both the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033, giving MLR a clear window to grow its audience before those events arrive.

Viewership figures suggest the momentum is already building. According to Comscore data, MLR matches broadcast on ESPN2 drew 25 percent more viewers year over year, while streamed matches grew by 35 percent. Social media engagement has climbed even more sharply, with highlight views up 96 percent on Instagram and 714 percent on TikTok over the same period.

“We look forward to building on our longstanding relationship with Major League Rugby and supporting its efforts to expand rugby’s reach across the U.S. through ESPN’s networks and platforms,” said John Suchenski, Senior Director of ESPN Programming and Acquisitions.

Suchenski pointed specifically to the Sunday Night Rugby franchise as a driver of new interest: “Sports fans have responded to Major League Rugby in a positive way the past few years, particularly to the Sunday Night Rugby franchise we introduced last year, and we will continue to serve and grow the rugby fanbase as the country prepares to host the Rugby World Cup in 2031.”

MLR co-president Alexander Magleby described the primetime Sunday slot as essential to the league’s ambitions. The window is traditionally home to marquee U.S. sporting events and major entertainment broadcasts, and Magleby argued that if MLR wants to establish itself as “the contact sport of the spring and early summer,” occupying that slot is the most direct route. “That’s where the greatest eyeballs are on a regular basis,” he said.

Magleby also highlighted the value of consolidating all league matches within a single broadcaster ecosystem — a convenience that fans of the NFL, NBA, and European football have increasingly lost as rights have fragmented across competing platforms.