New Zealand Rugby set to reap sponsorship, broadcast gains from Nations Championship deals in UK, France
Thursday, 4 December 2025
Nations Championship broadcast revenues are shared by Rugby Championship, SIx Nations.
NZ Rugby’s overall broadcasting revenue will increase in 2026 despite Sky reduction.
Free-to-air deals in UK, France means bigger audiences - and sponsorships.
ANALYSIS: New Zealand Rugby is set to enjoy an overall increase in broadcast revenue next year - despite the reduction in the domestic Sky deal - and benefit from its strategy of increasing the All Blacks’ sponsorship power in the wake of a major broadcast deal in the UK.
Free-to-air UK broadcaster ITV has agreed to pay £90m ($207m) for the first two editions of the new Nations Championship tournament, in line with NZ Rugby expectations that the overseas broadcast market would in time offset the reduction in the NZ Rugby-Sky deal that starts in 2026.
Under the terms of Nations Championship, broadcast deals among the Six Nations countries are pooled, with a portion being shared with the Rugby Championship countries - and vice versa.
To put the ITV deal for the Nations Championship into context, it is more than the most recent deal for the Six Nations and covers the 2026 and 2028 editions of the new 12-team tournament.
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It is understood that NZ Rugby’s 2026 income from broadcast revenue will be north of $100m and exceed this year’s figure.
However, the biggest commercial uplift for NZ Rugby is likely to be through sponsorship, which is now its single-biggest revenue stream.
The free-to-air nature of the deal in the UK, following a similar deal in France, opens the door for the All Blacks’ Nations Championship tests in Europe to draw in massive numbers.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the England-France test in the Six Nations peaked at 6 million viewers on free-to-air coverage in the UK - a number that the England-All Blacks test in November next year could rival if not beat.
The Nations Championship decider between the top-ranked southern hemisphere side and the top-ranked northern hemisphere side will also be a drawcard.
ITV’s interest in the Nations Championship came as a surprise, following assumptions that pay-TV broadcaster TNT would land the tournament.
However, rugby bosses now appear to be enjoying a much-needed win-win scenario for the code, with the new tournament attracting a significant broadcast windfall without going behind a paywall.
Much of the Six Nations’ long-term success has been attributed to the fact that it has always been accessible on free-to-air TV.
The All Blacks will now have access to that same market, a major boost for NZ Rugby’s commercial strategy.
NZ Rugby’s next big sponsorship opportunity - specifically the front-of-jersey naming rights - will come after the 2027 Rugby World Cup when the current deals expire.
To get an increase, NZ Rugby will have to be able to show sponsors that the All Blacks consistently reach millions of viewers - and free-to-air broadcast deals in the UK and France will help them do it.
The ITV deal is also the first tangible evidence that the Nations Championship can be a commercial winner - as has been promised by NZ Rugby and others.
It also shows that England and France remain the economic engines of the world game as NZ Rugby tries to get the balance right between serving its domestic fans while benefiting from that commercial reality.