Six Nations matches could move to pay-per-view
The Six Nations board will consider offers from subscription television channels when the current broadcasting rights deal expires, after the 2017 tournament.
The Telegraph report today indicates live coverage of the competition may not be available live on free-to-air channels from 2018.
Six Nations Chief Executive John Feehan said it was important the organisers got the best deal possible to support the development of rugby union in the Northern Hemisphere.
"The championship has never been healthier, it is in great shape and our terrestrial broadcasters have been fantastic partners,” he said. “But that being said, they, like anybody else, have to be kept honest.”
"We have developed the greatest championship in world rugby and the reality is we need to ensure that we continue to generate revenues that can fund and develop the game within the northern hemisphere. The Six Nations is fundamental to that. Without the revenues that the Six Nations brings in, most of the home unions probably couldn’t survive.”
Feehan emphasized: "So the reality is that this is an extremely important revenue stream and broadcasting is an extremely important element of that revenue. So I don’t think it is good enough just to say we wouldn’t consider every option.
The Six Nations is classed as a Category B under the Listed Events code, meaning it could be shown on pay-tv provided there was sufficient delayed coverage and highlights on free-to-air channels.
