Premier Sports will broadcast five matches from the upcoming Six Nations tournament that starts next month
Premier Sports have announced a deal to show five of this year’s Six Nations matches, including all three of Wales’ home games in the tournament.
The subscription channel will show Wales’ Cardiff clashes with France, Scotland and Italy in round two, three and five. They will also show the round one match between Italy and Scotland, as well as Scotland’s round four fixture against France.
All five of those matches will also be broadcast on the BBC – meaning viewers won’t lose out on free-to-air coverage in this year’s tournament – while Wales’ matches are also broadcast on S4C.
However, the fact that Premier will now broadcast the five matches assigned to the BBC in this year’s tournament does raise questions about whether the tournament will stay entirely on terrestrial TV in future seasons.
The BBC and ITV have shared the broadcast rights for the tournament since 2015 – having joined forces to thwart Sky Sports’ bid that year.
Since then, ITV have gradually shown more matches – now broadcasting 10 of the 15 matches.
Last year, amid suggestions TNT Sport could bid for the rights, BBC and ITV signed a new deal until 2029 to keep the Six Nations on free-to-air, with ITV continuing to show two out of three matches from every weekend.
What Premier Sports’ move into showing the Six Nations means in the long term remains to be seen.
However, the broadcaster have increased their rugby coverage in recent seasons.
Having been the broadcast partner of the United Rugby Championship for some time now, they have also started showing the Champions Cup in recent seasons.
They also own the rights to the Top 14 in France, as well as Japan League One and USA’s MLR.
In announcing their deal to broadcast matches in this year’s Six Nations, Premier Sports confirmed that former Wales centre Tom Shanklin, alongside Andy Goode, Jim Hamilton and Ryan Wilson, would provide punditry throughout the tournament.
“The Guinness Men’s Six Nations is one of the crown jewels of international rugby,” said Richard Sweeney, CEO of Premier Sports. “The Championship showcases the world’s best players and remains one of the most culturally significant competitions in international sport and we’re delighted to bring these outstanding fixtures to our customers and growing rugby network.
“This deal is another significant step in Premier Sports’ growth and commitment to rugby. From our experience of URC, Top 14 and EPCR competitions to elite international rugby, we are committed to investing in rugby and telling its stories with insight, expertise and passion.
“We will bring our own unique take and presentation on these big games and provide a new coverage vantage point for rugby fans.
“We have seen significant audience and subscriber growth in the past year through our live coverage of the Investec Champions Cup and France’s TOP14, and the addition of Six Nations matches further strengthens our rugby proposition for viewers, advertisers and partners.”
“Our ability to reach audiences both in the UK and internationally is a key part of Premier Sports’ strategy. We can combine high-quality live coverage with our flexible streaming platforms, to bring world-class rugby to fans wherever they are.”
