The free-to-air broadcaster is now the UK’s number one destination for international rugby until 2029
UK broadcaster ITV has just announced a new deal it says will bring a minimum of 124 international fixtures to free-to-air television between now and the end of 2029.
With ITV’s impressive line-up set to include the Men’s Six Nations, the new Nations Championship and numerous other internationals, the TV giant is describing the offering as the “most comprehensive free-to-air access to international rugby since the game turned professional”, and that may not be an exaggeration.
It’s certainly good news for armchair rugby fans in the UK, as we explain below.
What does the ITV offering include?
Last March, ITV and the BBC announced a joint deal that would keep the Men’s Six Nations on free-to-air terrestrial TV until at least 2029. As part of that deal, ITV (and Scottish equivalent STV) will broadcast 10 of the 15 Six Nations matches each season – including every England game.
ITV has since confirmed it’s also snapped up the exclusive rights to the 2026 and 2028 editions of the brand new Nations Championship, meaning competitive international action on our screens throughout July and November.
In 2027, ITV will broadcast the Summer Nations Series, essentially a warm-up for the 2027 Men’s World Cup.
And in 2029, ITV has exclusive rights to both the July internationals and the Autumn Nations Series.
For club rugby fans, meanwhile, ITV will continue to air seven Gallagher PREM games per season (including the Twickenham final) until at least 2027-28.
What about the Men’s Rugby World Cup?
That may well be turn out to be an elephant in the room. While ITV has held the rights to the Men’s World Cup since 1991, a UK broadcaster for the 2027 competition in Australia is yet to be confirmed.
Could ITV’s decision to spend big on the Six Nations and the Nations Championship be a sign that the World Cup is about to disappear behind a paywall for the first time in the UK?
This is just speculation, of course, but whether or not ITV is involved in the bidding for the next tournament, there’s no question the broadcaster now has men’s international rugby involving northern hemisphere teams pretty much sewn up.
Where will UK viewers be able to watch the 2027 World Cup? (Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)
What else can I watch free-to-air in the UK?
The BBC will continue to air five matches per season in the Men’s Six Nations until 2029, along with every game in the Women’s Six Nations and the U20 Six Nations.
The Beeb also shows one game in every round of Premiership Women’s Rugby, a deal that will continue until at least the end of the 2026-27 season. Two matches per round are available for free on the PWR YouTube channel.
In addition, selected URC, Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches involving Welsh club sides are available for free via Welsh language channel S4C (available on BBC iPlayer), along with the occasional game on the BBC.
What rugby do I still have to pay for in the UK?
Most club rugby remains behind a paywall for UK-based fans.
TNT Sports has sewn up the rights to every game in the Gallagher PREM until the end of the 2030-31 season, as well as one PWR match per round until the end of the 2028-29 season.
Premier Sports, meanwhile, has rights to every Investec Champions Cup game – and a selection of Challenge Cup matches – until the end of the 2026-27 season, as well as French Top 14, US Major League Rugby and Japan Rugby One.
A question mark remains over southern hemisphere-based rugby competitions. In recent years the Rugby Championship has aired on Sky Sports in the UK, though with SANZAAR’s answer to the Six Nations taking a break in 2026, it’s unclear what will happen when it resumes. Sky has also been the long-term home of the British & Irish Lions, though we wouldn’t expect broadcast partners for the 2029 tour of New Zealand to be announced until much nearer the time.
Someone is also sure to snap up the rights for August and September’s “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” tour, in which the All Blacks will tour South Africa for the first time in three decades.
What if I’m travelling outside the UK when any of these games are taking place?
The good news here is that the wonders of a VPN allow you to take your streaming services with you when you’re travelling overseas – provided it complies with the streamer’s T&Cs, of course.
While geo-blocking usually prevents you from tuning in as you would back home, VPNs allow you to change your device’s IP address, making your tablet, smartphone or laptop appear to be back at home. The result? You can watch the rugby action as if you were back home.
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