The Government has dismissed a select committee’s recommendation to include the Six Nations in the ‘crown jewel’ category of sports events mandated for live free-to-air broadcast.
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For Group A events like the Olympic or Paralympic Games, public service broadcasters must be given a chance to acquire rights under fair and reasonable terms when live rights are available, although there is no obligation on broadcasters to make a purchase or on rights holders to accept any offers.
The Six Nations falls under Group B, where only the provision for highlights to be offered to free-to-air broadcasters exists.
Despite traditionally being broadcast on free-to-air television, uncertainty looms over the event’s fate after the conclusion of the current BBC and ITV deal at the end of the 2025 tournament.
BBC executives have raised concerns about the potential loss of the competition after next year, as paid broadcasters may present competing Unions with more lucrative offers.
“The Government believes that the current list of events works well to deliver the best outcome and that it strikes an appropriate balance and therefore we have no plans to undertake a full review of the list,” its response to the Welsh Affairs Committee stated.
“Listing an event in either Group A or B does not guarantee that an event will be broadcast or available free-to-air. Rights holders are not required to sell rights to listed events and broadcasters are not obliged to purchase them or to show the events.
“The legislation sets out to ensure that where live rights to a Group A listed event are made available, they must be offered for purchase by a qualifying service – it does not require that a qualifying service is the final purchaser.”
The chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, Stephen Crabb, said: “Welsh broadcasting is a major success and can attract international partners to invest and produce high quality programming that can be enjoyed by international audiences.
“But as our Committee made clear in October, broadcasting in Wales can be even better, including the protection and provision of more Welsh language content and securing major sporting events free-to-air.
“While it is of course disappointing that the UK Government does not feel it necessary to amend the listed events to include the Six Nations, the general support it is offering to the Welsh broadcasting sector is warmly welcomed.”
This year’s Six Nations gets under way on February 2 when France host Ireland in Paris.
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#1. Damian Willemse
In his usual fullback role, he showcases exceptional skills, yet his versatility extends to playing as a fly-half, winger, or inside centre.
Having initially joined Saracens on a brief stint in 2019, the playmaker missed the opportunity to leave a lasting mark when called up by South Africa as a replacement for the injured Jesse Kriel during the Rugby World Cup pool stage.
Since then, he has evolved into a formidable player, making him an excellent addition to the Saracens squad.