Free-to-Air Six Nations Coverage Confirmed Until 2029
2025 Guinness Six Nations Championship Round 1, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland 1/2/2025 Ireland vs England Ireland’s Dan Sheehan celebrates scoring their fourth try Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Six Nations Rugby, Virgin Media Television and RTÉ have confirmed a new long-term partnership that means rugby fans in Ireland will have access to experience every moment from the men’s, women’s and U20 Six Nations Championships until 2029.
RTÉ and Virgin Media are longstanding supporters of rugby and have shared coverage of the Six Nations tournaments since 2022, bringing fans in Ireland closer to all the action. The new and enhanced partnership with the two broadcasters means that fans can look forward to free-to-air access to comprehensive live, highlights, radio and audio coverage, when fixtures get underway in 2026.
In 2026, RTÉ will show eight fixtures from the Men’s Championship, including two Ireland clashes, seven Women’s Six Nations fixtures, and seven U20 fixtures, three of which will be Ireland games in respective tournaments.
Virgin Media will cover seven men’s fixtures, three of which will be Ireland games, eight women’s, and eight U20 fixtures, with two Ireland fixtures in each Championship.
This format of fixture sharing will alternate between RTÉ and Virgin Media for each year of the partnership.
Eve Higgins celebrates as Anna McGann runs in Ireland’s second try during their 54-12 second round victory over Italy in Parma ©INPHO/Tom Maher
Commenting on the new partnership with Virgin Media and RTÉ, Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, said:
“The Six Nations sits alongside some of the most loved and respected events in world sport, capturing the attention of millions of global fans every year. Through the new partnership with RTÉ and Virgin Media we are hugely excited to offer fans in Ireland free-to-air access to experience every moment from the iconic Championship for the next four years.
We are committed to driving exposure, engagement and audience growth for the women’s game, and our pathway competitions, so to have the support of both broadcasters for the Women’s and U20 Six Nations offers a vital route to deliver on this commitment.”
Kevin Potts, IRFU CEO, added:
“As the most watched sports event in the country, ensuring the Six Nations Championship remains accessible to all fans was of paramount importance to the IRFU. We are thrilled that through this new partnership, the Guinness Men’s and Women’s Six Nations will continue to be available free-to-air, allowing millions of Irish rugby supporters to enjoy the tournament, live on their screens. As the sport’s popularity continues to grow, these partnerships with RTÉ and Virgin Media will ensure that rugby remains at the heart of Irish sport, enabling the next generation of fans to experience the excitement and passion of international rugby.”
Virgin Media Television Director of News and Sport, Mick McCaffrey said:
“Free-to-air broadcasting has been instrumental in the growing popularity of rugby in Ireland. Together with RTÉ, we’re ensuring that the men’s, women’s and U20 Six Nations remain accessible to fans across the country, and we look forward to delivering four more years of top-class rugby to Irish audiences.”
Group Head of Sport, RTÉ, Declan McBennett, said
“The Six Nations tournaments remain marquee international sports rights and RTÉ are delighted to join with Virgin Media in bringing the games to a mass audience. The tournaments continue to deliver memorable moments and Ireland’s success in recent years is further evidence of just how important these games are to the Irish sporting public. We hugely value this opportunity to acquire the rights free-to-air and to serve our audience.”