Cardiff Met Sport TV Wins National BUCS Award for Transforming University Sports Broadcasting
- Damian Burgess
- Jul 27
- 6 min read
Cardiff Met Sport TV has been recognised as one of the UK’s leading university sports broadcasters after winning the prestigious Digital Engagement Award at the 2026 BUCS Awards.
Presented at Durham University, the annual BUCS Awards celebrate the very best of university sport, recognising outstanding athletes, coaches, institutions, programmes and campaigns from across the UK.
With more than 165 universities competing for a limited number of national awards, Cardiff Met Sport TV was selected ahead of fellow finalists Manchester Metropolitan University, nominated for its Met Movember campaign, and the University of Edinburgh, recognised for its Growth Through Student Voice initiative.
It is the second time Cardiff Met Sport TV has won the Digital Engagement Award, having previously collected the honour in 2018.
The award recognises Cardiff Met Sport TV’s ambitious BUCS Super Rugby project, a student-led digital strategy designed to transform the way Cardiff Met’s men’s and women’s rugby teams were covered throughout the 2025/26 season.
The project combined weekly live broadcasts, same-day highlights, social media content, cinematic match films and an original behind-the-scenes documentary series, all created by students studying Cardiff Met’s Sport Broadcast MSc.
Three digital promises
At the beginning of the season, Cardiff Met Sport TV made three major commitments around its BUCS Super Rugby coverage.
The first was to livestream every home fixture played by Cardiff Met’s men’s and women’s teams.
Under the Wednesday Night Lights banner, students delivered professional multi-camera broadcasts featuring four cameras, live commentary, replays, graphics, studio presentation and special guests.
Every match was streamed through Cardiff Met Sport TV and simulcast on the national BUCS Sport platform, giving Cardiff Met regular exposure to audiences across the UK and internationally.
The initiative was the first time a UK university had committed to providing this level of weekly coverage across every home fixture in both the men’s and women’s BUCS Super Rugby competitions.
The second commitment was to build a sustained BUCS buzz around every fixture. Alongside the livestreams, students created same-day highlights, real-time social media clips, promotional videos and cinematic recaps designed to keep audiences engaged before, during and after matches.
The cinematic recaps offered a different perspective on the fixtures, using slow-motion footage, music, commentary and dramatic storytelling to capture the atmosphere and emotion of BUCS Super Rugby.
The third strand was Our Legacy, a pioneering behind-the-scenes documentary series following Cardiff Met Women’s Rugby as the team attempted to defend the BUCS Super Rugby title it won in 2024/25.
The series was created to increase interest and engagement around the women’s team and its livestreams, particularly for matches played in the earlier 3pm slot.
Produced by Sport Broadcast MSc students Ellie Place and Devin Pote, the documentary was given access to the team, its coaches and the personalities behind the performances.
The project has already received national recognition, winning Silver in the Best Documentary category at the National Student Television Awards.
Real-world experience for Cardiff Met students
Every element of the BUCS Super Rugby project was delivered by students studying Cardiff Met’s Sport Broadcast MSc, with specialist support from the University’s academic and technical teams.
Students gained direct experience across every part of a live production, including directing, producing, presenting, camera operation, commentary, graphics, replay systems and audio.
Programme Director and Innovation Lead Joe Towns said the project demonstrates how students are able to learn in a genuine professional broadcasting environment.
“Our coverage is perfect for our students on the Sport Broadcast MSc, who get real-world live broadcast experience every week,” he said.
“But it is also brilliant for the wider University. The viewing figures on the streams are huge because we simulcast the output onto the BUCS national platforms as well as our own, so the exposure for the University is massive.
“It is a huge driver for student recruitment and a real positive force for student experience and identity.
“It also means potential applicants, alumni, players’ parents and even rugby agents looking for new talent can all tune in and stay engaged. If they miss the livestream, they can watch the highlights.
“No other university in the UK is doing what we are doing with our rugby coverage. I think there should now be commercial opportunities in the pipeline because we have demonstrated the proof of concept and developed such a robust, high-quality product.”
The content has also become an important part of how Cardiff Met presents sport and student life to current and prospective students.
Livestreams have been shown on large screens across campus and in the Students’ Union bar, while features and documentaries have been played in the main sports reception area. Cardiff Met Sport TV montages have also been used on giant LED screens during University Open Days.
Joe added: “This exposure helps drive attention towards studying at Cardiff Met and supports recruitment.
“We are now working in collaboration with our marketing and recruitment teams to use the success and growth of the rugby coverage to help drive student numbers, attract sponsorship and engage with alumni.”
National recognition for student creativity
Sport Broadcast MSc student Ellie Place, who led Our Legacy alongside co-producer Devin Pote, said the BUCS award provides another major achievement for the students involved.
“We have already won trophies at the National Student Awards for this project, so to pick up another award is fantastic, especially as we are about to enter the job market,” she said.
“Our women’s rugby team won the BUCS Super Rugby title the year before, so we approached them with the idea of a behind-the-scenes, Netflix-style documentary and they said yes.
“They have been fantastic to work with and have given us access to everything. It is a team full of great characters and storylines.
“We need to give a special thank you to Coach Lisa Newton and Rugby Lead Amber Regadsoe for supporting the project. The final episode is out soon.”
The students are supported by a professional technical environment designed to reflect industry production standards.
Ado Rapps, Lab Director and Broadcast Technical Lead, said the project allows students to experience both the pressure and excitement of live broadcasting.
“Our technical team help create an incredible environment which is professional and aligned with industry production standards, but it is also a space where learning happens,” he said.
“Students get to experience all aspects of a live broadcast, including directing, producing, presenting, camera operation, replays, graphics and audio.
“We have industry-standard cameras and we built a gantry and gallery pitch-side to broadcast from. There is nothing like it across the UK and it is amazing to see the work recognised at a national level.”
More than 700,000 digital views
The scale of the project’s impact was central to Cardiff Met Sport TV’s successful BUCS submission.
Since January 2026, the Cardiff Met Sport TV Instagram account has generated more than 600,000 views, with BUCS Super Rugby content responsible for a significant proportion of that reach.
Across the Cardiff Met Sport TV and BUCS platforms, the livestreams attracted more than 100,000 views during the season.
One same-day highlights package reached 10,000 views, while the documentaries, cinematic recaps and social media clips helped maintain interest between fixtures and extend the life of each match beyond the final whistle.
The award submission described the mission as creating a high-quality broadcast product aligned with BUCS Super Rugby branding and production guidelines, while also capturing student rugby through a distinctively student-led perspective.
The project provided a showcase not only for performance sport, but also for student life, creative talent and the wider Cardiff Met experience.
The success also supports Cardiff Met Sport’s Change the Game strategy, particularly its focus on people, profile, student opportunity, recruitment, identity and the development of new commercial opportunities through sport.
Watch the award-winning work
The first two episodes of Our Legacy are available to watch now:
Episode Three will be released soon.
Viewers can also explore examples of the wider BUCS Super Rugby project:
Full Cardiff Met Sport TV livestreams from the season include:
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