Six Nations TV Sell-Out Brings Rage On Twitter

The Rugby Paper’s front page revelation about the Six Nations’ imminent danger of disappearing from free-to-air television prompted a volcanic reaction. The eruptions went on for days on end.

Until the teams were announced on Thursday, the build-up towards England-Wales had been overwhelmed by fans from all corners of Britain and Ireland protesting at the prospect of Sky outbidding BBC-ITV with effect from this time next year.

Outrage poured forth like molten lava as soon as our front page appeared on social media late last Saturday night. The agenda having been set for the nationals, it kept on pouring as the great and the good queued up behind ex-England captain Martin Johnson to voice their objection.

So many took to Twitter that it would be impossible to find space for every concern over several recurring issues. They ranged from shrinking audiences and dwindling interest from limited to questions over the organisers’ refusal to accept joint bids and renewed calls for the Six Nations to be upgraded to Category A on the Government’s listed events thereby guaranteeing live terrestrial coverage.

Responses ran into the hundreds. Here is a small sample of what our readers and followers think of their tournament vanishing from BBC and ITV screens after next year.

Rev Phil McGee: “What a terrible shame. This will kill the 6 nations as we know it. Just get a look at what happened with Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere. The game is on life-support.”

Paul Younge: “This will ruin the game and less exposure means fewer new young people. A sad day for what is the greatest sport on the planet.”

The Irrelevants: “If BBC and ITV want to join together what’s wrong with that? Absolute joke.”

June White: “How to kill rugby.” Diarmuid Cahalane: “I notice that many tweets are using F1 as an example of why this would be a bad thing. I must say as an F1 fan I think Sky’s coverage of it is fantastic.”