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The Six Nations will remain on free-to-air TV until 2029 after striking a new deal which will see ITV broadcast all England matches. Despite fears that the championship would disappear behind a paywall, ITV and the BBC have brokered an arrangement to keep the annual tournament on terrestrial TV for the next four years.
As part of the new arrangement, ITV will have the rights to all five of England men’s matches and will show 10 fixtures per year. Under the current deal which ends after this year’s championship, the BBC shows all Wales and Scotland home fixtures, meaning they will screen Saturday’s clash between Wales and England.
Sources have indicated that the new deal is worth around £63m a year, representing a modest uplift on the previous arrangement with ITV paying a slightly greater proportion than previously. It is understood that despite showing interest, TNT Sports did not bid.
The BBC will broadcast five matches a year and will continue to show Wales and Scotland home fixtures, provided England are not involved. Saturday’s match at the Principality Stadium will therefore be the last involving England to be shown on the BBC until 2030 at the earliest.
“The significance of these new and innovative free to air partnerships for the Six Nations cannot be overstated,” said the Six Nations chief executive, Tom Harrison. “By strengthening rugby’s relationships with ITV and BBC, the sport can continue to give as many fans as possible in the UK access to enjoy live coverage of the Six Nations.”
Ultimately, the fact the tournament is staying on free-to-air TV will be a popular decision. The Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said he was “really pleased” that “maximum visibility of our sport” had been retained while earlier in the competition the England captain Maro Itoje issued an impassioned plea to organisers, urging them not to move behind a paywall.
“I think the Six Nations should be viewed by as many people as possible,” said Itoje. “I grew up watching the Six Nations on the BBC and on ITV. The fact that it’s been on free-to-air, for so many people – I think rugby needs more eyes on it, not less. Obviously, I am not involved in the finances of the deals but I think, even though international rugby is massive, the sport should be looking at ways to be more accessible to more people, as opposed to the opposite.”
It is understood that TNT Sports gave long consideration to bidding for the tournament, having won the rights to show the autumn internationals, but in January suggested they would not be following through on their interest. Sky showed no interest in bidding. A TNT Sports spokesperson said: “While we think the Six Nations is the best international rugby competition in the world, its important partnership with free-to-air television across the UK and Ireland, but particularly in markets like Wales and Ireland, would make our involvement very challenging.”
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A subscription broadcaster is likely to pay more for the rights to the championship but would not have the reach of the BBC and ITV. England’s victory over Ireland last year attracted a peak audience of 6.6 million viewers while some fixtures can approach 10 million.
An arrangement that would see some of the tournament remain on free-to-air and some of it go to a subscription broadcaster was considered a genuine possibility but ultimately the BBC and ITV have stumped up to continue their arrangement up to and including the 2029 tournament. As part of the new deal, the women’s Six Nations will remain on the BBC until 2029, as well as the under-20s competition.
