S4C will show one live game per weekend of the new Guinness PRO14 season.

Championship chiefs accepted a bid from Premier Sports for the rights after the pay TV channel outbid the BBC and Sky Sports, who previously split fixtures.

Premier Sports will show one match per round on their free-to-air sister channel FreeSports and now the PRO14 have secured a deal with S4C to televise games until 2021 in Welsh.

The channel will show 17 live games, starting with the Scarlets’ trip to Ulster, and they will also televise the Dragons’ festive derbies when they travel to Cardiff Blues and entertain the Ospreys.

If a region reaches the PRO14 final then it will be shown in Welsh on S4C.

Martin Anayi, PRO14 chief executive, said: “We have been working hard in the background to ensure the Guinness PRO14 remains on S4C because they have been passionate supporters of the Championship since the very beginning.

“Free-to-air access remains a vital part of our broadcast offering while we also recognise the affinity that fans have for local language broadcasters such as S4C and TG4 in Ireland.

“I would like to thank everyone involved from Premier Sports, S4C and our team at PRO14 Rugby for bringing this all together – it’s a great result for the broader fanbase in Wales and for the Championship itself.”

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips said: “This latest addition of S4C to the broadcast portfolio means at least one Welsh region will be in action each weekend on Free-To-Air television and is a further bonus for Welsh rugby supporters.

“With two Welsh derby matches at Christmas and New Year included in the S4C schedules, as well as the PRO14 Final should one of our teams make it, there really is something for everyone in this innovative new offering and we are extremely grateful to S4C for their continued support.”

The move to Premier Sports, combined with separate deals in Ireland and South Africa, is understood to have boosted the coffers to the tune of around £30million.