CHARGE DOWN
Six Nations in move towards pay-per-view
THE Six Nations is edging closer to moving behind a paywall, with private equity firm CVC Capital Partners poised to secure a 14.5 per cent stake in the Championship.
The big-spending investment group has already acquired a 27 per cent stake in the English Premiership and a 28 per cent share in the Pro14, and now CVC look set to secure a seat at the Six Nations top table.
World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte reportedly revealed to French rugby officials in a high-level meeting last weekend that a big-money deal – believed to be in the region of €450million over five years – was imminent.
Talks between CVC and the Six Nations were put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic but it appears that the unions, who have suffered heavy financial losses in recent months, are moving closer to an agreement.
And the mooted deal could see some or all of the Six Nations games moving from free-to-air
television to a subscription or streaming service in the future with CVC, who will have a major say in commercial rights, looking to maximise their investment. BBC and ITV secured the most recent broadcasting deal – Virgin Media currently hold the rights to the tournament in Ireland – with a joint bid in 2016 in a deal worth almost €100million per year, but that contract expires after the 2021 Six Nations, with the likes of Sky Sports and BT Sport as well as streaming giants such as Amazon Prime poised to enter the race. A newspaper report in March suggested that Sky Sports were the favourites to win the new contract worth a whopping £300million (€330m). The Six Nations swiftly issued a statement at the time. ‘All of this is highly premature and speculative as no proposals have yet been received by any interested party. ‘We would not rule anything out at this stage and the unions will collectively review and make a decision based on the nature of the offers received.’ Last year, IRFU chief executive Philip Browne stated: ‘The reality is there isn’t the same revenue available from selling rights to free-to-air platforms or broadcasters.’ The Six Nations is currently not protected by state legislation to keep the tournament on freeto-air television. Meanwhile, English rugby chiefs yesterday announced plans to cut the RFU workforce by a quarter due to potential losses of £100million. As many as 139 of the 580 members of staff could be made redundant. RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said: ‘We are projecting a four to five-year recovery with cumulative revenue reductions around 20 per cent. ‘To ensure we have a sustainable RFU, we have announced to colleagues that it is proposed that the total number of roles across the organisation will reduce by 139.’