During the opening rounds of the Six Nations, eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a collaboration featuring Scopely’s Monopoly Go! – the widely popular mobile game. While partnerships are nothing new in sports, this one marks a fresh commercial strategy from the tournament and a significant step toward engaging more fans globally.
Former England captain and rugby pundit Matt Dawson tells Insider Sport that this is a major opportunity – not just for Six Nations, but for rugby union as a whole. “The potential is absolutely enormous,” Dawson says. “If I put my rugby hat on, the need to get into the grassroots of rugby, the whole community idea around rugby is front and centre.”
Announced before the competition last month, the partnership places Monopoly Go!’s branding across Six Nations matchday advertising, including LED perimeter boards and digital activations.
Additionally, special in-game events and promotions within Monopoly Go! aim to provide fans with rugby-themed experiences, reinforcing the connection between the sport and the game.
A particularly notable aspect of this deal is that it marks the first time Six Nations has partnered with a mobile game. While sports leagues like the Premier League, the NFL and the NBA have long leveraged gaming to engage and attract younger audiences, Six Nations has yet to reap the benefits of these deals.
What stands out most to Dawson, however, is the sheer scale of the game. As he points out, players of that game have gone past Go 150 billion times. “Now, rugby doesn’t usually use those types of numbers – you’re going into a different stratosphere,” he states. “And so that in itself is progress.”
Dawson describes the deal as the start of a “new commercial journey” for rugby – a sport that, for years, has faced criticism for not embracing digital engagement as effectively as other major sports. A similar challenge has been seen in horse racing, a traditional sport struggling to modernise and facing the threat of declining relevance in an evolving sports landscape.
Embracing digital innovation
However, rugby appears to be adapting, as evidenced by recent partnerships, including a deal with TikTok that ran until last year’s tournament. Dawson believes such collaborations are enhancing the sport’s appeal, explaining: “The game is a better spectacle live, it’s better to watch on platforms, on TV, it’s more accessible, we’ve got bigger and better partners, all the signs are really, really good”.
Despite past hesitations, the Six Nations’ latest viewing figures and its collaboration with Monopoly Go! highlight rugby’s growing value to commercial partners. Dawson sees this as a sign that brands are increasingly recognising the sport’s potential.
He says: “Someone like Monopoly Go! and other partners are probably looking at the game and thinking, ‘right, how can we connect with all the different platforms and enable the game to be more?’ Because I think rugby fundamentally is a really culturally well-driven sport that hits a lot of demographics.”
Media-rights dilemma
One reason why sponsors may view the Six Nations as an attractive commercial partner is its accessibility. As a free-to-air tournament broadcast across the UK on ITV’s channels, it reaches a broad audience, ensuring high visibility for brands.
England’s opening clash against Ireland peaked at 5.2 million viewers across all devices, marking ITV1’s biggest overnight audience of the year so far.
However, this level of accessibility may not last. Reports suggest that TNT Sports is emerging as the frontrunner to secure the tournament’s media rights for the next cycle – a move that could significantly impact viewership.
While shifting to a subscription-based broadcaster could drive up media rights revenue, it presents a dilemma that has become increasingly common in sports. Many leagues and competitions have opted for lucrative deals in recent years, even if it means limiting the reach of their product to a mass audience.
Dawson acknowledges the uncertainty around the tournament’s future broadcast rights but sees the bigger picture as rugby’s commercial growth.
“I’m not too sure,” he admits. “For starters, I think that was just a story. There wasn’t any official announcement. I read something online that Sky was involved, TNT was involved. There were potential collaborations where some of the games would still be on terrestrial.”
For Dawson, the key isn’t just where the Six Nations is shown but how sponsors, media companies, and partnerships align to grow the sport.
“The reality is that all of this is going to be connected. Sponsors will be talking to media broadcasters. Everybody can now come together collaboratively to make the sport work.”
He also points to behind-the-scenes negotiations shaping rugby’s future. “Whether it be with the unions or the likes of CVC, there’s so much going on that we don’t necessarily know about,” he explains. “But partnerships like this [Monopoly Go!] show a tactical, strategic shift that will move the game forward.”
Breaking into North America
The Six Nations is a premier international rugby competition, and rugby union is best known for its global tournaments like the Rugby World Cup. While the sport boasts a strong presence across various nations, one key market remains largely untapped – North America.
Dawson believes there is significant untapped potential across the Atlantic. While rugby faces competition from dominant American sports, Dawson sees a growing appetite for the game.
He remarks: “There is a huge slice of the sports pie in America that lends itself to being keen into rugby. Maybe previously we’ve just tried to throw the game out there and hold matches, but this is looking at it from a different perspective.”
Monopoly Go! choosing the Six Nations as its first European sports partnership over other leagues suggests rugby’s commercial appeal is growing. Digital partnerships like this can introduce the sport to new audiences in a way that traditional methods haven’t, with Dawson highlighting mobile games’ portability and social features as key advantages.
“You can do that remotely when you’re working on something like a gaming app,” Dawson adds. “It doesn’t matter where you are in the world – you can connect with sponsors, mates, work colleagues and family. You can do it from everywhere in the world. So therefore it’s very appealing.”
While the success of this deal is yet to be seen, this partnership could signal the start of a broader commercial shift for the Six Nations – one that other rugby stakeholders may look to replicate. However, Dawson believes it’s up to the sport’s key figures to ensure that more deals like this follow.
Speaking as a Monopoly Go! ambassador, he sees himself contributing to rugby’s growth by welcoming new partners like Scopely and reinforcing that choosing rugby union is a smart investment – the Six Nations and Scopely partnership was negotiated by PlayFly Europe and The 10 Group as well as negotiating the deal between Monopoly Go! and their collaboration with Dawson. But while this deal is a step forward, Dawson urges the rugby community to build on this momentum and secure similar partnerships in the future.
Dawson concludes: “If we’re seeing growth in the game, why on earth would Monopoly Go! want to go anywhere else? We’ve got a responsibility as the rugby community, rugby players, past rugby players, to maintain that.”
