Six Nations chiefs refuse to rule out paywall as £300m TV deal is mooted

Tournament bosses refuse to rule out annual competition leaving free-to-air TV

Ireland and Scotland go head-to-head in the 2020 Six Nations championship. Tournament bosses have refused to rule out the competition being screened on pay-for TV channels

Six Nations chiefs have refused to rule out the prospect of the tournament leaving free-to-air TV and going behind a £300 million paywall.

The next television rights bids are lodged later this month and there are fears Sky Sports could be in pole position amid reports any joint bids would be rejected.

ITV and the BBC teamed up to outbid the broadcaster when the last TV deal was negotiated, and Six Nations fixtures have been shown on terrestrial channels since England’s home matches were screened exclusively on Sky between 1997 and 2000.

The Rugby Paper claimed Sky Sports had become the favourite to secure a deal in the region of £300 million which would bring an end to the competition being shown on terrestrial TV until 2024 “at the earliest”.

Six Nations chief executive officer Benjamin Morel branded the report “highly premature” but suggested nothing was off the table.

The report quoted an industry source as saying: “By ruling out any joint bids it’s almost as if the Six Nations are clearing the way for Sky. There is a very real danger that they will be prepared to sacrifice the big audiences on BBC and ITV for more money.”

In response, a Six Nations spokesperson said on Sunday night: “Six Nations are in the process of seeking bids for various sets of media rights but these are not due for some time.

“All of this is highly premature and speculative as no proposals have yet been received by any interested party. We would not rule anything out at this stage and the unions will collectively review and make a decision based on the nature of the offers received.”

Last week it was claimed that CVC Capital Partners, a minority shareholder in the Premiership and Pro14, was weighing up an approach including southern hemisphere governing body SANZAAR, which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship, which would result in competitions from around the world being bundled together for broadcasters.