Cardiff Met Sport TV wins national award for digital innovation
Cardiff Met Sport TV has been recognised as a national leader in university sports broadcasting after winning the Digital Engagement Award at the 2026 British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Awards.
Held at Durham University, the annual BUCS Awards celebrate excellence across university sport, recognising outstanding achievements from more than 165 higher education institutions.
Cardiff Met Sport TV received the award for Project BSR, an ambitious initiative that transformed coverage of BUCS Super Rugby during the 2025/26 season. The project included live broadcasts of every Cardiff Met home fixture in the men’s and women’s competitions, same-day highlights and social media content, as well as Our Legacy, a behind-the-scenes documentary series following Cardiff Met women’s rugby.
The student-led project significantly expanded the reach of Cardiff Met Sport, with more than 100,000 viewers watching the livestreams across two platforms during the season and Cardiff Met Sport TV’s Instagram content attracting more than 600,000 views since January this year.
Joe Towns, Programme Director for the Sport Broadcast MSc and Innovation Lead, said: “The viewing figures for our rugby livestreams have been phenomenal, with more than 100,000 viewers tuning in across two platforms last season. No other university in the UK is delivering rugby coverage on this scale and it’s helping us connect with prospective students, alumni, players’ families and rugby agents. The livestreams have also created a real sense of belonging across campus.”
A key feature of Project BSR was Our Legacy, a behind-the-scenes documentary series produced by Sport Broadcast MSc students Ellie Place and Devin Pote, following the Cardiff Met women’s rugby team as they defended the BUCS Super Rugby title they won in 2024/25.
The series has already earned national recognition, winning Silver in the Best Documentary category at this year’s National Student Television Awards.
Ellie Place said: “It’s fantastic to receive another award for this project as we prepare to enter the job market. After the women’s rugby team won the BUCS Super Rugby title, we approached them with the idea of a behind-the-scenes documentary, and they embraced it from the start, giving us incredible access. They’ve been fantastic to work with.”
The success of Cardiff Met Sport TV is supported by industry-standard broadcast facilities that enable students to produce professional live sports coverage throughout the academic year.
Ado Rapps, Lab Director and Broadcast Technical Lead, said: “We’ve created an environment that reflects professional broadcast standards while giving students experience across every aspect of live production, from directing and presenting to camera operation, graphics and audio. Our purpose-built pitch-side broadcast facilities are unique in UK higher education and it’s fantastic to see that recognised with a national award.”