Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including the Six Nations as part of the listed events regime.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring access to sporting events, including the Six Nations, so that they can be enjoyed by a wide audience. However, this must also be balanced with the ability of sports national governing bodies to generate essential broadcast revenue to invest in their sports at all levels.The Six Nations is listed under the Broadcasting Act 1996 Act as a “Group B” protected event, meaning secondary coverage must be offered to free-to-air broadcasters.The Government believes that the current list of events works well and that it strikes an appropriate balance between access to sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue.I am pleased that Six Nations Rugby have recently agreed a deal to broadcast the Six Nations on free-to-air broadcasters until 2029.