Six Nations set for significant shake-up as officials target free-to-air broadcast deals
The current Six Nations broadcast deals expire after the 2025 Championship.
The Six Nations fixture list is set for a significant shake-up as officials prepare to pitch TV rights packages for future editions of the Championship.
The current broadcasting deals with free-to-air broadcasters expire at the end of the 2025 tournament and according to reports, officials are weighing up options to attract ‘strong bids’ in an attempt to remain available to the masses.
With the rights expiring this year, there is a possibility that the Six Nations could move to paywalled broadcasters like TNT or Sky, particularly after the UK government deemed that the tournament is not a ‘Crown Jewel’ sporting event which requires it to be shown on free-to-air television.
Six Nations shake-up
According to a report by the Daily Mail, a move away from free-to-air broadcasters is no formality as organisers are mindful of the importance of being available to the masses.
In a bid to attract bigger bids from the likes of terrestrial broadcasters, BBC and ITV, the unions are being urged to be “flexible and innovative” and with a revamp of the fixture list one of the key areas.
Traditionally, most Six Nations matches are played in the afternoon but later kick-off times are being pushed for the benefit of potential broadcasters.
England: 2025 Six Nations squad, fixtures, TV channels and match officials
The Six Nations is also set to be shortened by a week from next year with the removal of one of the rest weeks with the tournament taking place over six weeks instead of seven. This would likely result in a block of three games, a break and then the final two rounds.
In the current schedule, Super Saturday only occurs on the final weekend of action with all three fixtures taking place on the same day. However, this could become the standard for all five rounds going forward replacing the current set-up which sees the action spread over the weekend.
Nations Championship talks
According to the aforementioned report, the task of securing a new rights deal with broadcasters has been delayed by the desire to wrap the Six Nations into a package with the new Nations Championship.
Northern and southern hemisphere unions are set to meet next month to continue talks to finalise the biennial global league in a bid to iron out the final details including the confirmation that Japan and Fiji will be the additional nations involved with the Six Nations and Rugby Championship teams.
The 2026 Six Nations fixtures will not be confirmed until a rights deal is in place as the officials must work with the broadcasters to determine the exact timings of matches.
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