Tournament organisers have confirmed the fixture schedule for Ulster's 2016/17 Guinness PRO12 campaign and have announced the broadcasters for the opening 13 rounds.
Ulster will kick off this season with a tie against Newport Gwent Dragons on Friday 2nd September at Kingspan Stadium (kick off 7.35pm).
Les Kiss' men will then travel to play Treviso on Saturday 10th September, before returning to Belfast to host Scarlets the following Friday (16th). They will then face Glasgow at Scotstoun a week later to round off a busy opening month.
New for the forthcoming 2016/17 season, organisers have designated six 'Big Weekends' across the season that will comprise of special intra-union derby matches as well as capitalising on the rivalry between the Italian and Scottish clubs.
Ulster's first inter-provincial match of the season will be against reigning PRO12 champions Connacht at the Sportsground on Friday 7th October, while they will take on Munster at Kingspan Stadium on Friday 28th October.
Over the Christmas period, Ulster will host Connacht on Friday 23rd December before travelling to play Leinster in the RDS Arena on New Year's Eve.
As was the case in 2015/16, Ulster will face a difficult run-in at the business end of the season, with games against Munster away, Ospreys away and Leinster at home in the final three rounds.
"We are delighted to announce the fixture list, as well as the designated broadcasters for the first 13 rounds, ahead of what promises to be a truly special Guinness PRO12 season," said Martin Anayi, Managing Director of PRO12 Rugby.
"After listening to feedback from both the clubs and fans, we have been able to take initial steps to restructure our season that puts the emphasis on creating the best experience possible for supporters.
"With 70 of the first 78 matches scheduled for live television, we have more free-to-air matches than ever before, while the majority of Friday night fixtures will be at the regular timeslot of 19:35, which our fans tell us is their preferred slot."
All 11 home Guinness PRO12 matches are included in an Ulster Rugby Season Ticket, as are the European Rugby Champions Cup games versus Bordeaux-Begles, ASM Clermont Auvergne and Exeter Chiefs, and the pre-season double-header against Northampton Saints and Canada A.
To check availability and to join the almost 10,000 supporters who have already signed up for next season, please click here.
Individual match tickets will be available to purchase in the coming weeks.
ULSTER RUGBY 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12 FIXTURES
Round 1: Ulster v Dragons, Fri 2nd Sep, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 2: Treviso v Ulster, Sat 10th Sep, 20:05, Stadio Monigo, BBC NI
Round 3: Ulster v Scarlets, Fri 16th Sep, 19:05, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 4: Glasgow v Ulster, Fri 23rd Sep, 19:35, Scotstoun, BBC NI
Round 5: Ulster v Ospreys, Sat 1st October, 18:30, Kingspan Stadium, Sky Sports
Round 6: Connacht v Ulster, Fri 7th Oct, 19:35, Sportsground, BBC NI
Round 7: Ulster v Munster, Fri 28th Oct, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 8: Edinburgh v Ulster, Fri 4th Nov, 19:35, BT Murrayfield, BBC NI
Round 9: Ulster v Zebre, Fri 25th Nov, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 10 Cardiff v Ulster, Sat 3rd Dec, 17:15, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, Sky Sports
Round 11: Ulster v Connacht, Fri 23rd Dec, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI / Sky Sports
Round 12: Leinster v Ulster, Sat 31st Dec, 15:00, RDS Arena, Sky Sports
Round 13: Scarlets v Ulster, Fri 6th Jan, 19:35, Parc y Scarlets, BBC NI
Round 14: Ulster v Edinburgh, 10-12 Feb, Kingspan Stadium
Round 15: Ulster v Glasgow, 17-19 Feb, Kingspan Stadium
Round 16: Zebre v Ulster, 24-26 Feb, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Round 17: Ulster v Treviso, 3-5 Mar, Kingspan Stadium
Round 18: Dragons v Ulster, 24-26 Mar, Rodney Parade
Round 19: Ulster v Cardiff, 7-9 Apr, Kingspan Stadium
Round 20: Munster v Ulster, Sat 15th Apr, 15:00, Thomond Park, Sky Sports
Round 21: Ospreys v Ulster, 28-30 Apr, Liberty Stadium
Round 22: Ulster v Leinster, Sat 6th May, 15:00, Kingspan Stadium
Play-offs: 19-21 May, Sky Sports
Final: 26-28 May, Sky Sports
Ulster will kick off this season with a tie against Newport Gwent Dragons on Friday 2nd September at Kingspan Stadium (kick off 7.35pm).
Les Kiss' men will then travel to play Treviso on Saturday 10th September, before returning to Belfast to host Scarlets the following Friday (16th). They will then face Glasgow at Scotstoun a week later to round off a busy opening month.
New for the forthcoming 2016/17 season, organisers have designated six 'Big Weekends' across the season that will comprise of special intra-union derby matches as well as capitalising on the rivalry between the Italian and Scottish clubs.
Ulster's first inter-provincial match of the season will be against reigning PRO12 champions Connacht at the Sportsground on Friday 7th October, while they will take on Munster at Kingspan Stadium on Friday 28th October.
Over the Christmas period, Ulster will host Connacht on Friday 23rd December before travelling to play Leinster in the RDS Arena on New Year's Eve.
As was the case in 2015/16, Ulster will face a difficult run-in at the business end of the season, with games against Munster away, Ospreys away and Leinster at home in the final three rounds.
"We are delighted to announce the fixture list, as well as the designated broadcasters for the first 13 rounds, ahead of what promises to be a truly special Guinness PRO12 season," said Martin Anayi, Managing Director of PRO12 Rugby.
"After listening to feedback from both the clubs and fans, we have been able to take initial steps to restructure our season that puts the emphasis on creating the best experience possible for supporters.
"With 70 of the first 78 matches scheduled for live television, we have more free-to-air matches than ever before, while the majority of Friday night fixtures will be at the regular timeslot of 19:35, which our fans tell us is their preferred slot."
All 11 home Guinness PRO12 matches are included in an Ulster Rugby Season Ticket, as are the European Rugby Champions Cup games versus Bordeaux-Begles, ASM Clermont Auvergne and Exeter Chiefs, and the pre-season double-header against Northampton Saints and Canada A.
To check availability and to join the almost 10,000 supporters who have already signed up for next season, please click here.
Individual match tickets will be available to purchase in the coming weeks.
ULSTER RUGBY 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12 FIXTURES
Round 1: Ulster v Dragons, Fri 2nd Sep, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 2: Treviso v Ulster, Sat 10th Sep, 20:05, Stadio Monigo, BBC NI
Round 3: Ulster v Scarlets, Fri 16th Sep, 19:05, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 4: Glasgow v Ulster, Fri 23rd Sep, 19:35, Scotstoun, BBC NI
Round 5: Ulster v Ospreys, Sat 1st October, 18:30, Kingspan Stadium, Sky Sports
Round 6: Connacht v Ulster, Fri 7th Oct, 19:35, Sportsground, BBC NI
Round 7: Ulster v Munster, Fri 28th Oct, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 8: Edinburgh v Ulster, Fri 4th Nov, 19:35, BT Murrayfield, BBC NI
Round 9: Ulster v Zebre, Fri 25th Nov, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI
Round 10 Cardiff v Ulster, Sat 3rd Dec, 17:15, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, Sky Sports
Round 11: Ulster v Connacht, Fri 23rd Dec, 19:35, Kingspan Stadium, BBC NI / Sky Sports
Round 12: Leinster v Ulster, Sat 31st Dec, 15:00, RDS Arena, Sky Sports
Round 13: Scarlets v Ulster, Fri 6th Jan, 19:35, Parc y Scarlets, BBC NI
Round 14: Ulster v Edinburgh, 10-12 Feb, Kingspan Stadium
Round 15: Ulster v Glasgow, 17-19 Feb, Kingspan Stadium
Round 16: Zebre v Ulster, 24-26 Feb, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Round 17: Ulster v Treviso, 3-5 Mar, Kingspan Stadium
Round 18: Dragons v Ulster, 24-26 Mar, Rodney Parade
Round 19: Ulster v Cardiff, 7-9 Apr, Kingspan Stadium
Round 20: Munster v Ulster, Sat 15th Apr, 15:00, Thomond Park, Sky Sports
Round 21: Ospreys v Ulster, 28-30 Apr, Liberty Stadium
Round 22: Ulster v Leinster, Sat 6th May, 15:00, Kingspan Stadium
Play-offs: 19-21 May, Sky Sports
Final: 26-28 May, Sky Sports
Click here to download the full Guinness PRO12 fixture schedule for the 2016/17 season.