BBC set to lose major sports tournament and it'll 'leave free-to-air TV'

The BBC could lose the Six Nations, which airs each February to March, in a big blow amid fears it will be put behind a paywall.

The BBC is reportedly at risk of losing a major sports tournament in a huge broadcast shake up amid fears it will leave free-to-air TV. The BBC could lose the Six Nations, which airs each February to March, in a big blow amid fears it will be put behind a paywall.

The joint broadcasting deal between the BBC and ITV expires in March and then it is open for bids. Private equity giants CVC will be involved behind the scenes, it has been reported by the Mail, ahead of the Autumn Internationals in November.

TNT Sports have entered the market for international rugby and will surely consider bidding if their coverage of the autumn series is a hit. Sky Sports reduced their rugby portfolio but still hold the rights to the Rugby Championship and the Lions tour.

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Apple TV have reportedly discussed a billion-dollar deal for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and they are understood to have expressed an interest in rugby. BBC director of sport Barbara Slater said the broadcaster may no longer be able to afford their share in the competition.

She said: "Sports rights in the UK have more than doubled in the past decade. The BBC’s income in real terms has gone down 30 per cent." Recent reports have also suggested that the creation of a new world league could see rugby’s television rights sold as a bundle – taking it further out of reach of the BBC.

“We need a well-funded BBC if we are going to be able to continue to afford sports rights,” she told MPs. She went on and said: "It is incredibly difficult for the BBC to maintain, across a range of sports, the expectations of those governing bodies.”

She said: “With the Six Nations, like anything, we will have to assess the affordability at the time. Because it is very difficult for the BBC, on that trajectory of income, to continue to afford everything that we have. The truth is we’re probably not going to be the highest bidder, and it will come down to individual governing bodies as to how they balance that reach and revenue.”