I subscribed to every rugby TV channel and it cost me £1000 - it's a big problem

Every time a new rugby union offering on TV is announced – this week it’s the All Blacks’ tour to South Africa on Sky – the same questions pop up from worried supporters.

How much will the extra subscription cost me? And how many more providers do I need in order to watch my favourite sport?

Working out a precise figure for the cost of watching rugby union in the UK is almost impossible.

Frankly, I spent a day trying to price up an optimum package, and it defeated me, such is the complexity of subscriptions, one-off offers and bundles of the different platforms and streaming services from a multitude of providers: ITV, BBC, S4C, TNT Sports/HBO Max, Premier Sports, Sky, RugbyPass and, until recently, Amazon Prime.

The digital age has not only dramatically increased the number of ways to view – on your TV, PC, laptop and mobile phone – but also the number of ways we pay to view.