Six Nations Rugby has today confirmed it has agreed a new partnership with Sky Italia for broadcast rights in the Italian market.
The agreement in principle will see Sky Italia become an official broadcast partner of Six Nations Rugby across all three Six Nations Championships as well as the Autumn Nations Series.
Subject to final contract, the partnership will see Six Nations matches across the Guinness Six Nations, Women’s Six Nations and Men’s Under-20 Six Nations available to rugby supporters in Italy, meaning fans will be able to enjoy widespread coverage of Rugby’s Greatest Championships. The coverage will start next week on June 19 with the launch of the 2021 Under-20 Men’s Six Nations Championship.
Welcoming the news, Ben Morel, Chief Executive of Six Nations Rugby said: “Sky Italia are synonymous with excellence in sports broadcasting and we are really pleased to have agreed this partnership. We look forward to working closely together to tell the story of our great Championships to fans in Italy and continue to grow the game there.”
FIR President Marzio Innocenti added: “We’re delighted to welcome back Sky Italia to the Italian rugby family, with an unprecedented level of coverage of our national teams.
“Sky will play a pivotal role in promoting rugby to new audiences, bringing the emotion and atmosphere of Rugby’s Greatest Championships to life in the homes of current and new fans alike. Sky has always been highly focused on women’s sports, so we are particularly thrilled to work together on the Women’s Championship, ensuring the best possible stage for our Azzurre while inspiring new generations to approach and join the game.”
Marzio Perelli, Sky Executive Vice-President, commented: “We are delighted to broadcast the Six Nations Championship, the most prestigious rugby tournament for the top teams in Europe, including Italy, on our channels again.
“All fans will be able to continue experiencing the emotions of great rugby on Sky, which thus confirms the support for the Italian national team and the Italian teams involved in international competitions.
“Sky’s programming dedication to the oval ball means an increase in rugby events, indeed: in addition to the Six Nations 2022, we will give visibility to our young and women rugby players, thanks to the broadcast of the U20 Six Nations and the Women’s Six Nations, as well as the Autumn Internationals.
“This is in addition to the already rich rugby content, which includes the Heineken Champions Cup, the European Rugby Challenge Cup and the events organized by Sanzaar. ”
No further comment will be made at this point from any of the parties until such time as the contract terms have been concluded.
