Six Nations in major broadcasting change as BBC loses rights to show England rugby matches
THE Six Nations will remain on ITV and the BBC until 2029 after a new TV deal was agreed.
But the Beeb won’t show ANY England matches from the start of next season.
Instead, every England’s men’s match will be broadcast on ITV for the next four years.
That means Saturday’s potential title-deciding match between Wales and England will be the last shown on BBC until at least 2030.
England will win the Six Nations if they beat Wales with the bonus point and France fail to beat Scotland, who can both win it all themselves.
A victory without the bonus may also be enough for Steve Borthwick’s side if France fail to win without a try-scoring bonus.
The TV deal, which is said to represent a significant uplift to the existing one of £90 million over four years, will give ITV 10 games per Championship.
That means that ITV will show two matches each weekend, while the BBC will host the other game.
This will include Wales and Scotland home games, as long as England are not involved.
Until now, ITV has had the rights to all England matches at Twickenham.
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But the new agreement will see them show ALL England games home or away.
The agreement will see ITV pay a larger share of the rights for the matches that attract the biggest audiences.
Nevertheless, the fact the BBC will have no England games is a sign of its increasing struggle to pay for expensive rights, reports The Times.
The Six Nations has performed strongly for the free-to-air channels with audiences often topping four million.
It will also remain free-to-air in Ireland with RTE and Virgin Media sharing the rights.
The women’s Six Nations will remain solely on the BBC until 2029.
Chief Executive of Six Nations Rugby, Tom Harrison said: “The significance of these new and innovative free-to-air partnerships for the Six Nations cannot be overstated.
“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.”