BBC Wales and S4C have announced the Celtic League matches that will be televised live between 5 September and 27 December.
Cardiff Blues’ first home game with Connacht will be televised on Saturday 13 September with a 5.30 pm kick-off. After that there are two Friday evening matches before the end of the year – against Leinster Lions on 10 October and Gwent Dragons on 7 November.
The match with the Neath/Swansea region will not be televised while the broadcasters’ will not nominate their coverage of the Celtic Cup quarter-finals on 3/4 October until after the first round matches have been played.
Cardiff’s finance director Alun Doull said,
‘Television coverage is a fact of life in professional sport and we are taking a positive view of these arrangements. We have been pleased with the two-way dialogue between us and them this week. They have agreed to one or two of our requests, as they have with other regions. That is only healthy as we work together to establish the new structure.
‘We will decide as soon as possible the date and time for the match with Neath/Swansea on the weekend of 24/25 October. Our Christmas match with Bridgend/Pontypridd will be played on Saturday 27 December at 5.30pm.
‘One other initiative that I think the WRU should be praised for is the way the matches in the New Yaer tie in with international weekends. To give a couple of examples, Cardiff Blues entertain Glasgow on the weekend of Wales v Scotland and when Wales are playing in Ireland we are away to Connacht.’