£365m Six Nations boost ...but MPS demand matches are kept on free-to-air TV
CVC takes 14.3pc tournament share after signing £365m deal Government is called on to ensure paywall fears quashed
The Six Nations was last night urged not to remove international rugby union from free-to-air television following the arrival of a £365million cash injection that could send the championship behind a paywall.
Six Nations chief executive Ben Morel insisted the completion of a deal, which is for a one-seventh share with the six participating unions with private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, did not spell the end of free-to-air coverage, though with Sky Sports and Amazon lurking, it is widely assumed that the investors would push for a switch to maximise their financial potential.
MP Kevin Brennan has called for the Government to stop the Six Nations going behind a paywall. Brennan, a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, last year tabled an Early Day Motion, signed by another 11 MPS, calling for the tournament to be added to the list of sporting events that must be shown free-toair. “It’s a mistake to take the Six Nations behind a paywall or part of the Six Nations,” Brennan told The Daily Telegraph. “If you hide the crown jewels away in a cupboard, it has an effect on the sport as a whole.
“It takes away that shared cultural experience that is the Six Nations and that’s inspired so many people to follow rugby or get involved in playing. It should be listed because it’s a long-established part of our sporting and cultural history and heritage.”
Clive Efford, a fellow member of the committee and a former shadow sports minister, said: “It would be disgraceful if they put the Six Nations behind a paywall and a breach of the promises they have made. Cricket has learnt that putting Test series like the Ashes entirely behind a paywall minimises the reach of their sport.”
Having already purchased stakes in the Gallagher Premiership and Guinness Pro14, CVC expanded its power base by acquiring a 14.3 per cent share in the Six Nations in what is billed as a “long-term strategic partnership”.
This investment will extend to the Women’s Six Nations. In the men’s game, BBC and ITV’S deal to broadcast the Six Nations finishes this year, with a tender process under way for the next set of rights.
Morel pointed out that the Six Nations – unlike the deal struck with the Premiership – retained control over commercial decisions and that CVC’S investment did not automatically mean the Six Nations would migrate behind a paywall.
“We have to maintain a long-term interest so, no, it does not mean that at all,” Morel said. “Any decision over free-to-air, moving to pay, those decisions will remain in the power of the unions.”
With England’s opening-round defeat by Scotland attracting 8.7 million viewers, Morel described the power of terrestrial coverage as “phenomenal”.
“When you look at commercial arrangements, you need to look at three important aspects,” Morel said. “One is the exposure a broadcaster will give you, the second is to heavily promote the championship to the existing fan base, but also a new fan base, and the third is obviously financials. You try to find the right balance between exposure, promotion and financing.”
There is still widespread apprehension among supporters about the entry of private equity. During its 11-year stewardship of Formula One, CVC massively increased revenues, but that came at a cost of abandoning many traditional venues and dwindling television audiences. Morel, though, insists that they are not getting into bed with the devil.
“Private equity wants to build long-term value, and if they do then that will be in the interests of unions and the interests of fans,” Morel said.
Morel also dismissed the possibility of opening up the Six Nations to promotion and relegation.