BBC/ITV drive Six Nations bid to £100m
BBC and ITV have raised their joint Six Nations bid towards £100m-a-year in a final attempt to prevent the tournament vanishing behind a paywall.
The major free-to-air channels, whose six-year contract expired nine days ago, are understood to have increased their offer by more than 25 per cent in an ambitious move to clinch a new deal. Powerbrokers say a decision could be made this week, twelve months later than planned because of the pandemic.
“This is a very competitive bid and it’s been reinforced by the DG’s (Director General Tim Davie) determination not to lose the Crown Jewels of international rugby,’’ sources told The Rugby Paper. “It looks as if BBCITV are closing in on a deal.’’
This time last year they feared they had been discounted before the Six Nations board put the tournament’s media rights out to tender.
For reasons that have never been explained, they prohibited any joint bid, a ruling which effectively cleared the way for Sky to gain the rights.
BBC and ITV had joined forces in 2015 to outbid Sky. In March last year The Rugby Paper’s revelation that the championship was in ‘very real danger’ of losing its mass exposure via terrestrial television provoked outrage from fans in all four home countries.
“Opposition from the public and politicians alike was so strong that it took the Six Nations aback,’’ a BBC insider said. “It compelled them to change their strategy and that made it a whole new ball game.’’
Government pressure forced Six Nations Rugby Ltd to remove their prohibition of joint bids.
“We are pleased that in response to our letter, the Six Nations has confirmed that joint bids from broadcasters are now being considered,’’ said Julian Knight, chair of the crossparty Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The climactic nature of the tournament will also have forced some Unions to change their policy of selling to the highest bidder. The spectacular finish as provided by successive matches in Paris generated audiences of around 6m, impressive figures considering that England, with its vast audience, was involved in neither.
The tender document,
sent to prospective broadcasters in February last year invited bids for the next three Six Nations’ championships ending in 2024. That may now be reduced to two years.
Despite the ravages of Covid, the Six Nations remain bullish about reaching their annual target of £150m for TV rights for a bumper package of around 100 matches with the annual autumn series and pre-World Cup friendlies in 2023 added to the Six Nations.
Amazon are expected to win the rights for the autumn series following their coverage of the Nations Cup before Christmas. This year’s autumn bill features England, Scotland and Wales at home to South Africa and Australia plus IrelandNew Zealand.