Six Nations

• With injuries across the six nations teams ruling out 19 players due to incidents pre-season or during the tournament, the first few Six Nations weekends have already highlighted the importance of the Blackeye Gin cause.
• Infused with botanicals from every major rugby playing nation, Blackeye is setting out to change the game - in more ways that one.
• Mike Tindall added: "We're also incredibly proud to have made our first Blackeye Rugby Fund donation (helping Gary Street, World Cup winning coach).
• Launching our Blackeye cans means it's never been easier to support the cause, and if Blackeye isn't yet behind the bar in your clubhouse, it should be!"

• But the high-octane drama risks being overshadowed by off-field events that could also threaten the principles of public service broadcasting.
• Viewing figures for the Rugby World Cup in 2023 were 19% higher than the 2019 tournament, and 30% higher than in 2015.
• Free-to-air Six Nations games regularly draw between 3 and 4.5 million viewers in the UK.
• So, when the current broadcasting deal ends in 2025, the Six Nations could very well end up behind a paywall.

Financial woes

• It faces a stark future both on and off the field, with players leaving Wales for more money and salary caps being introduced for those who stay.
• The SNP’s Gavin Newlands recently reiterated calls for broadcasting to be devolved so that the Six Nations remains free-to-air.
• The Irish Rugby Union has also previously warned about the “substantial financial damage” to rugby if the Six Nations was classified as free-to-air.

Lessons from cricket

• Free market proponents point, for example, to how Sky’s long-lasting commitment to cricket has led to innovation and technical advances such as multiple cameras and data-rich, TV-friendly statistical analysis.
• It results in a quality of coverage that the BBC or ITV might struggle to match with more meagre budgets.
• But test cricket offers a cautionary tale.
• Having hauled in millions of new enthusiasts, cricket failed to keep them watching.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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