Consultation: Six Nations Rugby Union Championship 2025 (Listed events) - Ofcom

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Cymraeg

TV, radio and on-demand Listed sporting events Consultations and statements

Published: 19 December 2024

Consultation closes: 16 January 2025

Status: Closed (pending statement)

Ofcom has received requests from the BBC and ITV for consent to broadcast exclusive live coverage of the Men’s Six Nations Rugby Union Championships in 2025.

Six Nations matches involving home countries are designated as Group B listed events. In accordance with the Broadcasting Act 1996, Ofcom’s consent is required for a broadcaster to provide exclusive live television coverage.

The BBC and ITV/STV plan to share coverage of the 2025 Six Nations. The BBC plans to broadcast live coverage of the Wales and Scotland home matches on BBC One or BBC Two. ITV and STV plan to broadcast live coverage of the England, Ireland, France and Italy home matches across the Channel 3 network.

The BBC will also broadcast live radio coverage of all the matches in the 2025 Six Nations on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

We are provisionally minded to grant consent to the BBC and ITV’s requests and are inviting submissions from interested parties by 5pm on 16 January 2025.

Responding to this consultation

Submit responses using the consultation response form

Main documents

Download

Consultation Six Nations Rugby Union Championship 2025 Listed events • PDF • 233.69 KB • 19 December 2024

Related content

Code on sports and other listed and designated events

The Broadcasting Act 1996 empowers the Secretary of State to designate key sporting and other events as 'listed events'. The purpose of these arrangements is to ensure that key sporting events are made available to all television viewers, particularly those who cannot afford the extra cost of subscription television.

Statement: Listed Events

We are today publishing our methodology to determine the revised list of qualifying services, and having applied it, our updated list of channels that are free-to-view and received by 95% of the UK population.

Sports broadcasting sector research

This independent report by Ampere Analysis for Ofcom looks at developments in the sport media rights market.

How to respond

Address

Listed Events
Ofcom
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA

Email: listedevents@ofcom.org.uk