BKT Extends URC Deal to 2030, Expanding Sponsorship Into South Africa

Image by KBT

BKT has extended its sponsorship of the United Rugby Championship (URC) until 2030 and become the league's Official Global Tyre Partner, expanding the relationship into South Africa for the first time.

Sponsorship Footprint

The renewal, announced on September 15, extends a partnership that began in 2022 and will now run for eight seasons. BKT will retain its title rights in Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, while the new global tyre partnership covers all five URC territories, including South Africa. Financial terms were not disclosed. The expanded agreement brings the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions into BKT's URC sponsorship footprint, adding the league's four South African franchises to the commercial relationship.

The partnership will include fan activations, matchday initiatives and grassroots programmes across the URC's markets. The renewal was marked at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma, home of Zebre Parma, where young local players took part in the activation. BKT, the off-highway tyre brand of India's Balkrishna Industries, already has a sports portfolio spanning football, basketball, cricket, curling and motorsport. It is also an official tyre partner of Six Nations Rugby.

Until now, BKT's URC rights were tied to the competition's Northern Hemisphere footprint. The new global partnership extends the tyre category across the league's full territory, including Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

Customer Base-B2B

The partnership aligns with BKT's customer base. The company manufactures tyres for agricultural, mining, construction and other off-highway applications, giving South Africa relevance beyond its rugby audience. The country's agricultural and mining industries provide potential commercial audiences for a brand whose products are primarily sold to businesses rather than consumers.

BKT's rights in South Africa will not include the URC title association it holds in the Northern Hemisphere. The value of the expansion will therefore depend in part on how the brand activates its new rights around the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions and across the wider South African market.

The deal nevertheless illustrates a broader commercial benefit of the URC's cross-border structure: a sponsor can buy into one competition and gain access to established rugby markets across Europe and South Africa, rather than negotiating separate agreements with individual teams or governing bodies.