Will the Nations Championship financially underdeliver for in-need Fiji? Sport Business With Fiji set to sell out Everton’s stadium this weekend why isn’t it rosy for the island nation, Ollie Phillips asks. In theory this month should have been a dream one for Fiji’s rugby team, despite losing to Wales in their opening Nations Championship match. They’ve upped sticks from Suva in the Pacific and chosen [...]
Reality is rugby’s Nations Championship is botched Sport Business With the inaugural Nations Championship around the corner, Ollie Phillips looks at why the sport’s bosses missed a trick. The Nations Championship kicks off this weekend, but when you look at what is the star match of round one based on the players involved – South Africa’s home fixture against England on Saturday – it [...]
Nations Championship: Monzo makes first move into rugby, with Allianz and ITV Sport Business Monzo have broadened its sponsorship portfolio, joining Allianz in sponsoring ITV’s coverage of rugby union’s Nations Championship competition. The challenger bank and insurance giant have each signed deals with the free-to-air broadcaster to be part of the channel’s coverage of the inaugural inter-hemispheric tournament. It is Monzo’s first step into rugby union and comes after [...]
Why investors will be keeping a close eye on rugby’s Nations Championship June 7, 2026 The Nations Championship begins in a month and it will be a stress test for investors looking at rugby, Neil Barlow says. International rugby tournaments have always been the sport’s biggest draws. There is nothing quite like the Six Nations to bring out classic memes of rugby fans wearing bootcut jeans and loafers filling pubs. [...]
Prem Rugby signs free-to-air broadcast deal with ITV January 22, 2026 Prem Rugby has extended its deal with ITV to keep England’s top flight league on free-to-air television. The partnership will see the broadcaster show seven matches per season, including the final. It continues a longstanding agreement between the two organisations, with every match each season also broadcast on TNT Sports. The move solidifies the free-to-air [...]
Prem to Champ to sevens: Four rugby business stories to follow in 2026 January 2, 2026 How do I feel about rugby in 2026? I am not too sure. We were supposed to have the launch of Ultimate Sevens and R360 but one of those has been mothballed until 2027, we were supposed to have an exciting promotion race in the Champ but ring fencing may stop that, and we’re still [...]
Newcastle Red Bulls, Dupont and ITV: Top rugby business stories of 2025 December 19, 2025 This year really has been a 12 months where the business of rugby became a major talking point in ovalball discourse. We have always seen the odd deal here or investment there but 2025 has seen a step change across the sport, and it remains to be seen how it will pan out. So here [...]
Sheffield Wednesday: Joint bid could win £30m fight for crisis-hit club December 3, 2025 A number of the six bidders for Sheffield Wednesday are considering joining forces as competition to buy the Championship club hots up. Administrator Begbies Traynor has set an initial deadline of this Friday to begin exclusive negotiations with a preferred bidder, but with a number of credible offers on the table that timeline is likely [...]
ITV launches £80m bid for rugby’s Nations Championship December 2, 2025 Rugby union’s inaugural Nations Championship looks set to be shown on free-to-air television after ITV bid more than £80m. If successful, every Six Nations match and Nations Championship fixture will be terrestrial TV in the UK until at least 2029. The broadcaster has been in competition with TNT Sports, the early favourites to land the [...]
Nations Championship will bring a tectonic shift in sport, say rugby chiefs November 17, 2025 Rugby’s new Nations Championship, which starts next year and will pit the best of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres against each other, “signals a tectonic shift in the sport” says Six Nations CEO Tom Harrison. The biennial competition will comprise three rounds apiece in July and November followed by a three-day Finals Weekend, the inaugural [...]