Get ready for a seismic shift in the world of rugby! ITV is poised to broadcast every England rugby Test match in the new Nations Championship, marking a massive win for fans and free-to-air television. This could be the biggest shake-up in rugby broadcasting in years!
ITV has reportedly bid a staggering £90 million to secure the rights for the inaugural Nations Championship, ensuring that every single Test match next year will be available to watch without a subscription. This is a huge deal because it guarantees widespread access to top-tier rugby action for fans across the nation.
Here's what's even more surprising: Telegraph Sport reports that ITV's bid trumped TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), who had just finished broadcasting this year's Autumn Internationals. TNT Sports invested heavily in their rugby coverage, so this is a major upset.
To put this into perspective, ITV and the BBC previously shelled out £63 million for a three-year deal for the Six Nations Championship. This new bid signifies a substantial investment and a clear strategic direction for ITV. It's also a significant departure from the recent trend of major sports like football, cricket, and Formula One migrating to pay-TV platforms. This move is widely seen as a tremendous boost for the newly formed tournament and rugby as a whole, bringing it to a broader audience.
One source intimately involved with the deal emphasized, "This is major money and guarantees exposure for a major tournament." Think about what this means for the sport: more viewers, more fans, and more opportunities for growth.
For those unfamiliar, the Nations Championship is a brand-new tournament that brings together the Six Nations powerhouses (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales) with their southern hemisphere rivals from the Rugby Championship (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina), plus rising stars Fiji and Japan. These games will be played in July and November, providing a thrilling mid-year and end-of-year rugby spectacle.
France has already secured its broadcasting deal with free-to-air channel TF1, and a similar arrangement is anticipated in Ireland, further demonstrating the commitment to making the tournament accessible to a wide audience. The ITV deal is expected to cover the first two tournaments, with the second slated for 2028. And this is the part most people miss: ITV is also set to broadcast the 2027 World Cup in Australia, meaning rugby can anticipate unparalleled exposure through to at least 2029, when the current Six Nations deal concludes. This long-term commitment suggests a deep-seated belief in the future of the sport.
Industry insiders suggest that ITV has been actively streamlining its operations to invest heavily in live sports, as evidenced by the speed and seriousness of their bid. This isn't just a passing interest; it's a calculated move to establish themselves as a major player in sports broadcasting.
Remember England's clash with France this past February? It drew a peak of six million viewers across all devices, becoming ITV's biggest audience of the year at that point and their most-watched weekend broadcast since football's European Championship in 2024. Across Europe, that electrifying match peaked at a staggering 13 million viewers. These numbers show the immense potential audience for international rugby.
England's Nations Championship journey kicks off with a highly anticipated showdown against reigning world champions South Africa in Johannesburg in July, followed by a match against Fiji in Port Elizabeth. Steve Borthwick's squad will then journey to Argentina to face Los Pumas.
Following the tour, England will host Australia, Japan, and New Zealand at Twickenham in November, culminating in a thrilling finals weekend (also at Twickenham) where the top-ranked teams from each hemisphere will battle it out for the championship title, while the remaining teams will compete against each other based on their rankings. This innovative format promises high-stakes drama and intense competition.
Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the Six Nations, described the new tournament as a "tectonic shift in the sport" at its launch last month. "Rugby’s strongest nations have collaborated with a clear vision to grow the game, by challenging traditional ways of operating to create a tournament structure with genuine global relevance, which will unlock the true value of the sport," he stated. He further added that the Nations Championship will "take international rugby to new heights."
While TNT Sports was initially considered the frontrunner after their impressive Autumn Internationals coverage, they are now expected to focus on securing the rights to the European Champions Cup to complement their Gallagher Premiership coverage. This strategic shift could allow them to build a strong portfolio of club rugby.
Bill Sweeney, the RFU (Rugby Football Union) chief executive, confirmed that financial agreements are in place for the distribution of broadcast, commercial, sponsorship, and ticketing revenues. The revenue split between the northern and southern hemispheres has been agreed upon, with the funds flowing into the north being subject to the existing Project Light agreement with CVC, which outlines how revenue is distributed among the unions. Sweeney emphasized that the entire game will benefit from the Nations Championship, driven by commercial partner and broadcaster demand for a more meaningful competition.
Telegraph Sport reached out to both the Six Nations and ITV for comments, but both declined. But here's where it gets controversial... Will this deal truly benefit all nations involved, or will it further concentrate power and resources among the already dominant teams? Some argue that smaller nations might struggle to compete financially and competitively in this new landscape.
What do you think about ITV potentially securing the Nations Championship rights? Is this a positive step for rugby, or are there potential downsides we should be considering? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
