French Twitch streamer pays “five-figure sum” to secure PREM Rugby rights for his viewers

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I’m so excited! Florian Marliere just announced he’s going to be showing PREM Rugby matches on his Twitch channel through Janusport. It’s going to be awesome to watch with him and the community!

For a long time, rugby fans have needed to pay to watch live games, and even when they do, it can be difficult to find the specific matches they’re looking for.

I was pretty bummed to find out last season’s Premiership Rugby games were only available through Bein Sports in France, and there wasn’t a plan for this season at all. But thankfully, that’s all getting sorted out now!

Florian Marliere to broadcast PREM Rugby in France

Florian Marliere, the owner of Janusport, has about 11,000 followers on Twitch. Now, he’s offering those viewers – and anyone else who wants to tune in – the chance to watch live PREM Rugby matches on his channel, completely free.

Marliere told L’Equipe he spent a significant amount of money – a “five-figure sum” – to secure the rights to broadcast PREM Rugby games for the remainder of the season. He’ll be showing the matches on his Twitch channel and providing live commentary.

Marliere will provide commentary directly over the game footage on the livestreams, a popular style often used for gaming broadcasts. 🎮

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 19, 2026

You also have the option to renew this agreement through the 2026/27 season. The season kicks off this Friday with a match between the current champions, Bath, and Saracens.

Okay, so everyone thinks of Twitch as being all about video games, but live commentary with a video feed? That’s not new at all. I’ve been watching Mark Golbridge do it with Bundesliga soccer for a while now, and he’s seriously good at it. He really makes the matches come alive!

Marliere will be providing commentary on his own this weekend, but he’s hoping to be joined by professional rugby players from lower divisions – like Pro D2 or the Third Division – in future broadcasts.

Marliere could give rugby a huge boost in France

It’s true that rugby isn’t hugely popular in France, and that’s why other TV channels haven’t been eager to secure broadcasting rights for the games.

For Marliere, who is 36, it’s not about profit – he simply wants more people to be able to enjoy the game he’s passionate about.

Marliere explained the new partnership came about because, as a rugby fan, he was no longer able to enjoy watching the competition, and he found that frustrating.

To be frank, we’re not expecting to profit from this project – we might actually lose money. However, we’re hoping it will get our name out there and create opportunities for other, more lucrative projects down the line.

It was a difficult process getting this done, involving tough negotiations, but it seems like the effort will pay off in the end.

We spent months negotiating to prove we’re a reliable, professional, and skilled partner, capable of building a complete experience around the championship. It will be more than just the live event – we’ll also offer coverage before and after the matches.

Marliere says he’s receiving 30% of the costs covered by an energy drink company that’s sponsoring his live streams of the games.

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2026-03-19 20:49