In an industry long dominated by established broadcasters and big-budget platforms, one podcaster is turning rugby broadcasting on its head.
Tim Cocker, co-host of the popular EggChasers Rugby Podcast, has made a bold move: securing the UK and Ireland streaming rights for France’s second-tier Pro D2 rugby league. But instead of selling those rights to a pay-TV channel or launching a traditional OTT service, he’s gone direct-to-fan — streaming matches for free on his FR-UK Rugby YouTube channel.
And fans are responding.
Rugby on YouTube? It’s Working
The experiment kicked off with a live stream of Provence Rugby vs. Soyaux Angoulême — and it drew over 20,000 views. The second game pulled in 6,500 more. Not earth-shattering numbers by global standards, but for a second-tier rugby competition with minimal exposure in the UK market, it’s a striking proof of concept.
Cocker himself handles commentary, while former England international and current Brive coach Joe Worsley lends professional insight as co-commentator. Together, they’re crafting a fan-centric product — complete with match highlights, in-depth clips, and analysis content.
With 12,200 subscribers on the FR-UK Rugby channel and 139,000 subscribers on EggChasers, the audience is growing — organically, affordably, and with intent.
A Platform Built on Passion
Cocker’s rationale is as straightforward as it is compelling:
“There’s a massive hunger for rugby content. I totally believe in YouTube, and I think we can build something professional and distinct.”
He’s not just building a broadcast — he’s building a community. By leveraging his existing EggChasers following and offering free, high-quality streams, Cocker is capitalising on underserved fan demand — particularly for those unwilling to shell out for niche paywalls.
And crucially, he’s doing it without being a former superstar or backed by a major media house.
This is grassroots disruption — packaged with professionalism, purpose, and long-term vision.
How Rights Holders, Leagues, and Federations Can Replicate This Success
Cocker’s YouTube-powered playbook offers a bold blueprint for smaller leagues, second-tier competitions, and niche sports with limited traditional broadcast exposure:
1. Empower micro-broadcasters
Rather than chasing top-dollar rights packages that rarely materialize, offer performance-based, low-barrier content licenses to trusted creators with niche reach.
2. Think “community-first”
Cocker built audience trust through podcasting and insight-led storytelling long before he streamed a match. Rights holders must prioritise partnerships that come with built-in affinity and credibility.
3. Prioritise platform-native content
Don’t just stream — build a channel. Highlights, analysis, interviews, and creator-style behind-the-scenes formats make the experience sticky.
4. Remove the friction
Free, easy-to-access, and algorithmically discoverable beats “premium but hard to find.” Accessibility equals growth.
5. Experiment with content ownership
Give content creators partial monetization rights, community engagement levers, or co-branding tools to grow their investment and incentives.
This isn’t about replacing broadcasters. It’s about building parallel pipelines for sports that are under-monetized, under-distributed, and under-loved.
Is This the Future?
If Brazil’s CazéTV streaming the FIFA World Cup to millions proved that influencers can handle Tier-1 sports, Cocker’s Pro D2 push shows the model can work for Tier-2 competitions too.
The rise of direct-to-platform rights, creator-led sports channels, and YouTube-native leagues marks a seismic shift. We’re entering an era where access, authenticity, and agility will matter more than brand names and broadcast towers.
In this future, the best rights holder might not be the one with the biggest checkbook — but the one with the deepest connection to the community.
Let’s Build the Next Chapter
Are you a league, federation, or sports property wondering how to increase reach, build fan engagement, or unlock new revenue streams?
We help organizations:
- Craft low-cost, high-impact broadcast strategies
- Design creator-first distribution models
- Turn overlooked rights into audience engine
Let’s talk about how your sport can lead — not follow — the next broadcast revolution.
IMAGE: PA Images
