The Six Nations Championship all the time generates excitement amongst stadium and television audiences. However, there is a risk that this exciting drama will likely be overshadowed by events off the pitch, which could also threaten public broadcasting rules.
As a televised event, rugby is thriving. Watching the numbers for the 2023 Rugby World Cup were 19% higher than the 2019 tournament and 30% higher than 2015. Free-to-air Six Nations matches draw repeatedly 3 to 4.5 million viewers in the UK. Globally, estimated 121 million people followed the tournament in 2023
It is subsequently surprising that the British Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has classified the Six Nations as: “B category” Tournament. This means it could actually be sold to anyone, provided free-to-air broadcasters are given access to highlights or delayed broadcasts.
Meanwhile, for ‘Category A’ events corresponding to the FA Cup final and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, free-to-air terrestrial broadcasters must offer full live coverage. There has recently been a proposal to maneuver the Six Nations to Category A rejected by the UK government.
The BBC and ITV have had the rights to the Six Nations since 2003, but that might change. Rugby’s governing bodies need extra money and free-to-air channels are struggling financially. What’s more, more and more people are opting for streaming services generally. So when the current broadcasting deal expires in 2025, the Six Nations might find themselves behind a paywall.
Financial problems
Money – or lack thereof – is a giant factor here and Welsh rugby specifically feels the effects of this greater than most. He is standing in front of A harsh future each on and off the pitch, with players leaving Wales in search of extra money and salary caps introduced for those that stay.
Although it exists consensus in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) for the Six Nations to stay uncoded, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has warned this may occur “fight to survive” with no competitive bidding scenario involving Sky, Amazon Prime and others.
Some Scottish politicians agree with the Senedd, adding one other constitutional dimension. The Gavin Newlands of the SNP recently renewed calls for broadcasting to be handed over in order that the Six Nations stays free-to-air.
There are precedents for rugby also moving to a subscription service. The 2023 Autumn Internationals were only available on Amazon Prime, and from 1997 to 2002, England’s home games were shown exclusively on Sky Sports.
However, this raises concerns about affordability, especially for those fans who already consider that attending matches is too expensive. For stay-at-home advocates, even the “home comfort” option of watching TV may turn out to be too expensive.
According to the former BBC director and now WRU executive director of rugby, Nigel Walker, this “market tension and competition” is essential to rugby’s survival. The Irish Rugby Union has also previously warned against “significant financial damage” for rugby if the Six Nations were classified as uncoded.
Cricket lessons
Free market advocates point to, for example, what Sky’s long-term involvement in cricket has led to innovations and technical progress corresponding to multiple cameras and data-wealthy statistical evaluation tailored for your TV. This ends in broadcast quality that the BBC or ITV might struggle to match on more modest budgets.
But Test cricket carries a cautionary tale. He was met by a wave of recent fans during Channel 4’s charming coverage of the 2005 Ashes epic, together with the final day of the fourth Test draw 8.4 million viewers. When Sky secured the rights a 12 months later, this recent audience had disappeared.
He saw Ashes 2023 peak viewing figures only 2.12 million. Cricket, which attracted hundreds of thousands of recent enthusiasts, did not attract them to look at it.
If rugby is dammed, it should have serious consequences. Perhaps as an inevitable consequence of a captive audience, subscription prices may rise as “market forces” prevail.
And if televised rugby has lit a fireplace in the belly of an emerging generation of players, possibilities are a paywall will put it out just as easily. This is particularly essential in Wales, where 51% of the population said they were serious about the tournament, compared with just 26% in England.
Keith Morris/Alamy News
In Wales, where rugby players are often seen as heroes, the cultural consequences are also significant. Players are role models who help cement a shared sense of national belonging and cultural identity. Will their power to encourage future generations diminish if fans cannot afford to look at them? Perhaps not, but making rugby less accessible could dampen the enthusiasm of emerging talent.
There is one other mystery about the very nature of public broadcasting. According to the regulations, one principle Broadcasting in the public interest is that it should ‘meet a wide selection of interests referring to sport and other leisure activities’.
To many individuals, the rules for public broadcasting may appear to be an unnecessary piece of an increasingly complex puzzle, but they shouldn’t be ignored. The standards of protection and quality they supply, and the inclusivity they supply, weren’t necessarily designed with rugby in mind. But losing them to the pursuit of larger paydays could be a big blow to the cultural and social fabric that sports weaves throughout society.
