The Welsh Liberal Democrats have renewed their calls for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ensure the Six Nations rugby tournament remains available on free to view television.
Fresh reports have emerged following the completion of a £365m deal by CVC for a 14% stake in the tournament fuelling speculation that all games will move behind a paywall meaning fans will either have to take out an expensive sports package or miss out.
Currently all games are broadcast on BBC or ITV with all Wales games also shown on Welsh language S4C meaning everyone in Wales is able to enjoy the tournament at no additional cost.
Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said:
“The Six Nations and their predecessors have been a staple of Welsh life for generations.
“Any move to remove these games from free to view TV will come as a bitter blow to hundreds of thousands of loyal fans.
“The Six Nations have previously been classed as a ‘Group A’ sporting event, along with the Olympics and FIFA World Cup Finals meaning they need to be shown on free to air channels. I’m today renewing by calls to the DCMS and the UK Government to urgently confirm that no fans in Wales will be penalised this deal.”
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