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ITV announces major change to Six Nations coverage

The Six Nations trophy is up for grabs, and matches on ITV will have ad breaks during play — The Six Nations trophy is up for grabs, and matches on ITV will have ad breaks during play (Getty)

ITV will introduce in-play adverts for the first time during its coverage of the 2026 Six Nations rugby tournament.
These 20-second adverts will be shown once per half during scrums, utilising a split screen to keep match action visible.
The decision follows similar advertising methods previously used in some of ITV's racing coverage and on Irish channel RTE.
As part of a renewed joint agreement, ITV will broadcast ten games from the 2026 men's tournament, with the BBC showing five.
This change comes as ITV also secures rights for the new Nations Championship and all England men's internationals until the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

ITV’s Six Nations coverage to feature in-play ad breaks for first time — In full