A decision on whether the Six Nations championship will continue to be broadcast on terrestrial television will be made “within weeks” after confirmation of a £365m five-year investment deal with the private equity firm CVC. Officials are insistent, however, that CVC is “a force for good” and will play a crucial role in broadening rugby union’s global popularity.
Having already bought stakes in Premiership Rugby and the Pro 14, CVC has purchased 14.3% of the Six Nations’ commercial rights, which will yield £95m over five years for the Rugby Football Union. The other home unions have been allocated lower amounts based on their relative audience share, with the Welsh Rugby Union receiving £51m and the Irish Rugby Football Union and Scottish Rugby Union benefiting by £48m and £44.5m respectively.
Significantly, the unions will still retain overall voting control but Ben Morel, the Six Nations’ chief executive, has made clear some changes are inevitable as the men’s and women’s games look to build a more secure and prosperous future in the wake of Covid-19. Aside from an enhanced TV agreement to replace the existing £90m joint Six Nations deal with BBC and ITV, putting in place an enhanced autumn series tournament will be among the early priorities.
It also seems virtually certain that a large chunk of the Six Nations action will now disappear behind a paywall but Morel insists no final decision has been taken. “I can’t give you a gut feeling because the conversations haven’t started,” he told the Guardian. “I can reassure people that we are going to do what is right for the game
in the long term but I can’t prejudge based on things I don’t know.
“We are in the process of collecting proposals in the next couple of weeks. We will then review them and see what we can do. You’ll know in a few weeks. It’s not just about the men’s Six Nations but the women’s Six Nations, the under-20s and the autumn internationals. It’s about striking the right balance between exposure, active promotion of the tournament and financing, especially at a time when it’s a difficult situation for everybody.”
Sky and Amazon may well be among the interested parties and, according to Morel, the “strategic partnership” with CVC will enable the game to stay relevant in a fast-changing, increasingly competitive sporting world via wider use of technology and more personalised content. “CVC is a catalyst for the changes to happen at the right pace. Rugby has good intentions but it’s not known for doing things quickly. Now, hopefully, there’s going to be a bit more rationality.
“CVC are not buying the rugby unions, they’re buying a piece of the collective business. They obviously want to be a force for good for rugby because, ultimately, that is in their interests. If we want to create long-term value we need to make sure the experience people have is better and not just repackaged. This value is going to come from better fan experiences: making the product and the competitions better.”
There is certainly greater scope, given CVC’s various investments, for a more smoothly aligned season structure between internationals and the big European leagues. “The fact CVC fully understand rugby and are interested is an opportunity for that to happen,” said Morel. “I’m not going to say it’s straightforward but at the same time it’s a unique chance.”
