Home » Six Nations matches set to move behind paywall as new broadcaster emerges

Six Nations matches set to move behind paywall as new broadcaster emerges

THE Six Nations Championship is set for a major broadcasting shake-up, with reports suggesting that TNT Sports will take over coverage from next year. This would mark the first time that some matches would be shown behind a paywall.


The current broadcast agreement between the BBC and ITV, worth £90 million, comes to an end this year. Under the existing arrangement, the BBC airs Wales and Scotland’s home fixtures, while ITV covers the remainder of the tournament. However, with the Six Nations not classified as a ‘Category A’ event by the Government—which would mandate free-to-air coverage, as with events such as the Rugby World Cup final, the football World Cup, the Olympics, and Wimbledon—there has been long-standing speculation that a move to a subscription-based platform was inevitable.


With a valuation of £100 million now placed on the tournament—£10 million more than the previous deal—concerns have grown that the BBC and ITV may struggle to retain broadcasting rights. Barbara Slater, the outgoing BBC director of sport, acknowledged in November last year that the corporation would likely be unable to afford the rising rights and production costs.


Over the weekend, reports emerged suggesting that the BBC was increasingly fearful of being “frozen out” of future broadcasting agreements. Now, RugbyPass has reported that TNT Sports—formerly BT Sport—is poised to become the new host broadcaster, adding the Six Nations to its expanding rugby portfolio, which already includes the Gallagher Premiership and the Autumn Nations Series.
However, ITV may still retain some broadcasting rights, and with negotiations ongoing, there remains an outside chance that the BBC could secure a “sweetheart deal” to continue its involvement. An outcome where some matches remain free-to-air while others require a subscription appears the most probable scenario.


A RugbyPass report stated: “Having impressed the Six Nations committee with their coverage of the Autumn Nations Series, TNT Sports have proven itself more than capable of taking on such a prestigious event as the Six Nations and look destined to be the host broadcaster from next season.”


The report continued: “At best, the new TV deal will be a hybrid of subscription and free-to-air live coverage, with ITV Sport likely to be TNT Sport’s most probable partner unless the BBC can secure some kind of ‘sweetheart’ deal with the Six Nations committee.”


Despite these reports, a TNT Sports spokesperson remained cautious, stating: “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.”


A subscription to TNT Sports costs between £20 and £30.99 per month, depending on available deals. In addition to rugby, the broadcaster also provides live coverage of the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League football competitions, as well as MotoGP, cricket, UFC, boxing, and WWE.


With the future of Six Nations broadcasting yet to be finalised, rugby fans await confirmation of where they will be able to watch their favourite tournament next season.

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