Great news for Irish Rugby fans as Six Nations free-to-air coverage to remain until 2029

RTÉ and Virgin Media have announced a new broadcast agreement which will see the Six Nations remain on free-to-air TV in Ireland through to 2029. 

The landmark deal will ensure Irish audiences will have the opportunity to see every game live across the Men's, Women's and the U20 Six Nations tournaments each spring.

Fixtures over the next four years will be shared equally between RTÉ and Virgin Media with details of coverage of the 2026 tournament to be confirmed over the coming months.

As part of the agreement, in 2026 RTÉ will show eight fixtures from the Men's championship including two Ireland games; seven Women's Six Nations fixtures and seven U20 matches with three from each tournament being Ireland games. 

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Virgin Media will provide coverage of seven Men's fixtures in 2026, three of which will be Ireland games; eight fixtures in the Women's championship and eight in the U20 tournament featuring two Ireland fixtures.

This format of fixture sharing will alternate between the two broadcasters for each year of the new partnership up until 2029. 

As part of the deal, announced this Tuesday, RTÉ will has retained the audio and radio rights to the Men's Six Nations until 2029. 

It's certainly a welcome announcement for Rugby fans around the country with many competitions including the Champions Cup now only available to customers who are paying for sport packages through subscriptions. 

A selection of games in the United Rugby Championship will still be free-to-air on TG4 for Irish customers but a Premier Sports subscription will be needed to watch every game.

As part of the latest rights deal, at least one fixture per round featuring an Irish province will only be available via a subscription platform. 

It will be a massive relief to Irish rugby fans that the Six Nations hasn't gone down a similar route and remains committed to the free-to-air model until at least 2029. 

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Speaking on the announcement, Group Head of Sport at 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". 

McBennett also spoke on the importance being able to broadcast the coverage to the public saying: "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 free-to-air rights and to serve our audience". 

Mick McCaffrey, Director of News and Sport at Virgin Media Television also highlighted the importance of the Six Nations not going behind a paywall for the Irish public. He 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." 

Commenting on the renewed partnership between RTÉ and Virgin Media, CEO of Six Nations Rugby Tom Harrison 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 over the next four years".

The 2026 Men's Six Nations kicks off on Thursday, February 5 when Ireland take on France at the Stade de France in Paris.