New Deal.

The Six Nations and Rugby Championship are set for a major shake-up after rugby’s leading northern and southern hemisphere unions agreed a landmark commercial deal.

In an unprecedented agreement, the Six Nations unions and SANZAAR nations will pool their media and commercial rights under a new revenue-sharing model, bringing some of international rugby’s biggest competitions together for the first time.

According to The Guardian, the arrangement means southern hemisphere unions will receive a share of profits generated by the Six Nations and British & Irish Lions tours, while northern hemisphere unions will benefit from revenue generated by the Rugby Championship and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series between New Zealand and South Africa.

The agreement involves the 10 founding members of the Nations Championship, with a new commercial rights agency established to oversee the process.

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney believes the deal will significantly strengthen international rugby’s commercial position.

“In effect, we are creating a commercial rights agency which sits underneath the 10 Nations Championship founding unions,” Sweeney said.

“We think that will result in a much better and more efficient approach to the market, obviously with the intention of increasing overall valuations and growing the commercial side of the game.”

The new arrangements are expected to affect sponsorship and commercial deals from 2028, although existing television agreements will remain in place until the end of 2029.

From 2030, broadcasters will have the opportunity to purchase rights to the Six Nations, Rugby Championship and Nations Championship collectively, although individual packages will also be available.

The move is designed to increase competition among broadcasters and maximise revenue for the participating unions.