TNT – formally BT Sport are set to take over the current deal held by Amazon Prime for the Autumn Internationals in the last standalone deal before a mega auction will take place for TV rights for the new Nations Championship and the Six Nations from 2026.
Having secured and held the rites from 2020, Amazon will not be joining the bidding this time around paving the way for TNT to become the leading streaming service of men’s rugby for the home nations.
Rugby fans if they want to watch Warren Gatland’s side will likely have to pay out on an additional subscription for TNT, although certain Sky packages such as Sky Q see the channel included in their deal through Discovery +.
Wales are expected to play a two-test series in Australia later in the year, with a third test against another Pacific Island mooted to be also on the Southern Hemisphere tour.
England has already confirmed they will play the big three of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, while the All Blacks also have matches against Ireland and France.
The 2024 and 2025 series will be the last in their present form as World Rugby has approved plans to set up a new 12-team global league in 2026, with matches to be played in the existing July and Autumn international windows.
The Six Nations unions are planning to sell their TV rights for the new Nations Championship in the same process as the Six Nations auction from 2026, although as there will be different packages on offer the two competitions could still end up being broadcast on separate channels.
BBC Sport and ITV currently share the live rights for the Six Nations Championship, and they are expected to make strong bids when the new tender is issued next year.
[Lead image: Welsh Rugby Union]
