The RBS Six Nations kicks off with a compelling heavyweight duel between Wales and England under the Millennium Stadium’s atmosphere-inducing floodlights tomorrow (Friday) night, an occasion certain to attract a sizeable TV audience for the BBC, the tournament’s broadcast rights holders.
The BBC extended its exclusive Six Nations broadcast and online rights deal in 2011.
The new four-year contract, worth £40 million a year, runs until 2017, but since the BBC and Home Nations agreed this deal, BT Sport has emerged as a serious, cash-rich player in the sports rights field.
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Indeed, only a year after the latest Six Nations broadcast contract was signed, BT Sport paid £152 million to screen Premiership Rugby and European matches, effectively fuelling the value of rugby’s broadcast rights.
On the eve of the 2015 tournament, the Six Nations board has sought to attract interest from digital and satellite broadcasters such as Sky and BT Sport, which suggests the championship could be screened exclusively by one of the subscription-TV providers from 2018. While praising the terrestrial broadcasters as “fantastic partners”, Six Nations chief executive John Feehan said that, “we need to continue to generate revenues that can fund and develop the game in 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.
“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.”
Mr Feehan is to be applauded for being so candid, but those tuning into the BBC for a roof-raising version of Land of My Fathers tomorrow night should savour the moment for it might be the penultimate time they hear it on terrestrial TV.
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* If the Six Nations eventually becomes part of BT Sport’s rights portfolio, it’s fair to say that we could see more initiatives similar to the one the RFU is currently promoting in conjunction with CBRE, the property adviser.
The All Schools project, which will cost £10 million to implement, has already seen rugby introduced to more than 300 secondary schools with a further 100 added this year. By 2019, the plan is to have rugby played in 750 senior schools. Demand from students is certainly evident. According to last week’s Sport England survey, the number of regular rugby union participants of all ages and both sexes has increased by almost 20,000 over the last two year.
The RFU has committed £25 million to a detailed, post-World Cup legacy project, which includes the All Schools scheme, is keen to emphasis rugby’s all-inclusive nature.
RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie said this week: “Last year, 13 of the 15 who were usually picked [to play for England] went to state secondary schools. The idea that to play rugby you have to go to a public school is palpably not the case at elite level.”