By Karim Hammam
The world's leading rugby nations are restructuring their television rights strategy in a bid to increase broadcast revenue. The Six Nations and Sanzaar have formed a new company to operate the Nations Championship and jointly market the commercial rights of major competitions including the Six Nations, Rugby Championship, British and Irish Lions series, and the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour.
New commercial agency created
The organisation will be overseen by a chief executive and a board comprising two co-chairs and the CEOs of the ten founder unions: England, Ireland, France, Wales, Scotland, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina. Bill Sweeney, chief executive of England's Rugby Football Union, described the entity as a commercial rights agency that will consolidate and aggregate rights to maximise global revenue.
Broadcast revenue focus
Sweeney said the aggregation aims to address the sport's relatively low broadcast income, which currently accounts for 21% of the RFU's total revenue compared to 25% from sponsorship and a larger share from match days. The new agency will seek an optimal balance between pay-TV and free-to-air exposure across different markets.
Finals weekend moves from Qatar
The inaugural Nations Championship finals weekend will take place at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium this November. The 2028 finals, originally slated for Qatar, will be relocated after a sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways fell through. France, Spain, and England are among the nations interested in hosting the 2028 edition.
Promotion and relegation uncertain
It remains unclear whether promotion and relegation will be retained for the 2030 edition, raising concerns about a potential widening gap between the top tier and the rest of the rugby world.
Ticket sales strong but challenges remain
All of England's home matches in November are sold out, and ticket sales for the Saturday and Sunday finals are progressing well. However, there is concern over attendance for the Friday double-header featuring the third and sixth-placed teams from each hemisphere. Sweeney acknowledged the competition format is still new to many fans and requires an educational effort.
