Major sporting event to be shown on free-to-air TV in major £80m twist | Rugby | Sport

The inaugural Nations Championship in rugby union is likely to be broadcast on free-to-air television, following a bid exceeding £80m by ITV. If the bid is successful, all Six Nations and Nations Championship matches will be accessible on terrestrial TV in the UK until at least 2029.

ITV has been vying with TNT Sports, who were initially predicted to secure the new competition, but it appears ITV have won the rights for the first two editions of the tournament. The Nations Championship, which is set to replace the summer international tours and Nations Series from next autumn, will consist of a 12-team competition culminating in a finals weekend, with the inaugural event taking place in London.

At present, ITV holds the rights to England’s Six Nations matches as part of a joint £63m deal with the BBC for the premier annual international rugby competition. England’s three July fixtures include clashes against world champions Springboks in South Africa, followed by a second match against Fiji in the Rainbow Nation.

The three-week tour will conclude with a game against Argentina, before matches at Allianz Stadium against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Deals with free-to-air broadcasters in Ireland and France are anticipated to expand the terrestrial coverage of the competition, which has been years in the making.

This development could prove a blow for TNT Sports, which has recently bolstered its rugby offerings with the Nations Series, taking over from the Champions Cup, according to City AM.

Six Nations chief Tom Harrison described the tournament as a “tectonic shift in the sport” when announcing the Nations Championship.

“The world’s biggest and best Championships are defined by intense sporting drama, and the Nations Championship will stand alongside these,” he further stated. “The Finals Weekend will add a totally new dimension for fans, and promises to create an incredible spectacle, crown Champions, and act as a catalyst to grow rugby’s reach, globally.”