ITV has beaten BBC interest to exclusive free-to-air rights to the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia, adding all 52 matches of the expanded 24-team tournament to a rugby portfolio that now runs through 2029
ITV has secured exclusive UK broadcast rights to the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia, its 10th successive edition of the tournament since 1991.
All 52 matches will be shown live, alongside highlights, analysis and digital content across ITV1, ITVX and ITV Sport’s YouTube channel. The tournament runs from 1 October to 13 November 2027 across seven Australian host cities, opening with the hosts facing Hong Kong, and expands to 24 teams with a new round-of-16 knockout stage, making it the largest men’s Rugby World Cup staged.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “This is a monumental deal for audiences across the UK.” He added that the agreement extends a partnership with World Rugby dating back to 1991 across ITV1, ITVX and ITV Sport YouTube.
Alan Gilpin, World Rugby Chief Executive, said the deal is “much more than a new agreement with a trusted partner”, describing it in World Rugby’s announcement as a commitment to ensure everyone in the UK can access the tournament free-to-air.
BBC beaten to exclusive rights
The BBC had explored a bid for the rights, according to reporting by The Guardian, after strong viewing figures for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which it broadcast. The final of that tournament drew a peak audience of 5.8 million, the most-watched women’s rugby union match on UK television, and broadcasting formed a central part of the tournament’s commercial performance.
The corporation sought a shared arrangement of the kind it operates with ITV for FIFA World Cups. ITV pushed for exclusive rather than split rights and prevailed. The agreement covers the 2027 edition only, according to Sportcal, a departure from ITV’s past practice of acquiring rights to two tournaments at a time. The 2031 men’s tournament in the United States will be sold separately.
ITV’s rugby portfolio to 2029
The deal consolidates ITV’s hold on international rugby union in the UK through the end of the decade. The broadcaster secured rights to the first two editions of the Nations Championship, in 2026 and 2028, in December 2025, in a deal worth a reported £80-90m (USD 106m-120m), and holds 10 of 15 men’s Six Nations fixtures per year up to and including the 2029 championship under a £63m shared-rights deal with the BBC.
ITV has also taken the rights to England’s warm-up fixtures ahead of the 2027 tournament, meaning every scheduled England men’s international through summer 2029 will air on the channel. Scotland, Wales and Ireland fixtures will also be free-to-air in the UK over the same period.
Commercial backdrop
ITV trialled side-screen advertising during the 2026 Six Nations, a format that drew criticism from some viewers despite higher reported engagement. ITV has confirmed it will not use in-play advertising during the Nations Championship this year, with advertiser spend concentrated on its FIFA World Cup coverage, but expects to reintroduce the format during the November internationals and the 2027 Six Nations.
The agreement lands weeks after Sky agreed a £1.6bn (USD 2.1bn) takeover of ITV’s Media & Entertainment division, covering its channels and the ITVX streaming service, subject to approval from shareholders, Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority. ITV Studios is excluded from the sale.
CBS holds US rights to the 2027 tournament, Nine Network holds Australian rights and TF1 will broadcast in France. South Africa enter as defending champions after beating New Zealand 12-11 in the 2023 final, which ITV broadcast exclusively.
