The Six Nations will remain on free-to-air in the UK for the next four years after a landmark deal was struck with ITV and BBC, Telegraph Sport understands.
However, the new deal means that ITV will now show all of England’s games, which means that Saturday’s match between Wales and England will be the last shown on BBC until at least 2030.
The deal, which is said to represent a significant uplift in the existing one of £90 million over four years, will see ITV broadcast 10 games per Championship with the BBC showing the remaining five games, including Wales and Scotland home games as long as England are not involved.
The news will come as a huge boost to rugby supporters, amid concerns that it would go behind a paywall.
The new deal will also see the BBC show the men’s Under-20 Six Nations and the women’s Six Nations.
It is understood that negotiations moved swiftly after the BBC was encouraged by the strong viewing figures for the current Championship, which after round four were understood to have increased five per cent from last season, surpassing 75 million across the core markets.
TNT Sport had declared its interest in broadcasting the Championship, which is regarded as the biggest rugby tournament outside of the Rugby World Cup, but critically ITV declared its interest early in the negotiations and with the BBC also coming to the table, the combined offer represents the perfect balance of ‘reach and revenue,’ ensuring that the Championship is broadcast to the widest possible audience while giving the unions greater financial stability.
It represents a significant coup for Six Nations chief executive Tom Harrison, whose negotiations included a commitment to work with the broadcasters to ensure that the scheduling over the next four years is more flexible and the matches are given the best opportunity to attract the highest audience by avoiding clashes with other sports or set-piece events.
With the deal in place, work will now begin on the schedule, which could see an increase in Friday night games and a reduction in Sunday fixtures, while the kick-off times on Saturday may also change, taking into account player welfare.
The most viewed game during this season was England’s narrow victory over France, which peaked at 13 million across the core markets.
It is understood that plans are also underway to look at ways of modernising and innovating ways in which the games will be broadcast.
Good news for rugby, bad news for England fans...
First, the very good news. TNT Sports would have done an excellent job with the Six Nations, no question whatsoever, but rugby union simply must have a constant presence on free-to-air television and this Six Nations deal guarantees that for another four years, at least. The initial reaction is one of relief.
Yes, you can wonder how the Six Nations might look behind a paywall, with the best producers and analysts working on it every week. That greater investment would accelerate coverage of the sport, just as we have seen Sky Sports take cricket coverage to a new level. But it comes at a cost. Viewers of the Ashes in the 2000s still remember those great summers on Channel 4 and will continue to talk wistfully for decades about that glorious period for Test cricket - because everyone was able to see it.
Rugby union just does not feel big enough at this point to be able to pass up the chance of attracting viewers flicking through the TV guide, or children stumbling upon it for the first time, however good the cash might be. Only showing highlights and the odd club game outside of Rugby World Cups would be insufficient. Which is why this TV deal is so important.
However, there is one flaw. Saturday’s game between Wales and England will be the first England shown by the BBC this tournament, given the currently only show home matches for Scotland and Wales. Neither broadcaster’s coverage has been perfect, and there is a noticeable gap between them and TNT, but the BBC have certainly outperformed their rival and currently have better analysts in Sam Warburton and John Barclay.
It will be interesting to see how viewers react to the BBC’s coverage of England on Saturday after four rounds of England on ITV, because even though the BBC’s opportunities to show England games have been limited, now ITV will show all of them. Hopefully that leads to a refreshed approach with ITV’s coverage, because right now this deal is great news for rugby fans, but not such great news for England followers.
