ITV ‘agrees’ 2027 Rugby World Cup rights deal

ITV has reportedly secured the UK free-to-air live rights to the 2027 men's Rugby World Cup, beating out the BBC, which had explored a bid following strong viewing figures for last year's Women's Rugby World Cup. ITV pushed for exclusive rather than shared rights, and as a result now holds rights to major men's international competitions through at least 2029, including the first two editions of the Nations Championship in 2026 and 2028 and the Six Nations for the next three years. Internationally, CBS has secured US rights, while Nine Network and TF1 have struck deals in Australia and France respectively.