RBS 6 Nations 2017

So ITV have already hyping up the 6 Nations with a trailer shown just before Ninja Warrior UK.

Wonder what lineup for both teams will be this year? Can see the BBC mostly staying the same but I have some doubt for ITV as Mark Pougatch has a regular spot on BT Sport Score at the moment.

This is the second year of the contract with BBC showing Wales, France & Scotland home matches and ITV showing England, Ireland & Italy home matches. A full schedule is below:

Week 1: (4th/5th February)
Scotland v Ireland (BBC, Saturday 2:25pm)
England v France (ITV, Saturday 4:50pm)
Italy v Wales (ITV, Sunday 2:00pm)

Weekend Highlights: BBC

Week 2: (11th/12th February)
Italy v Ireland (ITV, Saturday 2:25pm)
Wales v England (BBC, Saturday 4:50pm)
France v Scotland (BBC, Sunday 3:00pm)

Weekend Highlights: ITV

Week 3: (25th/26th Febraury)
Scotland v Wales (BBC, Saturday 2:25pm)
Ireland V France (ITV, Saturday 4:50pm)
England V Italy (ITV, Sunday 3:00pm)

Weekend Highlights: BBC

Week 4: (10th/11th March)
Wales v Ireland (BBC, Friday 8:05pm)
Italy v France (ITV, Saturday 1:30pm)
England v Scotland (ITV, Saturday 4:00pm)

Weekend Highlights: BBC

Week 5: (18th March)
Scotland v Italy (BBC, 12:30pm)
France v Wales (BBC, 2:45pm)
Ireland v England (ITV, 5:00pm)

Weekend Highlights: BBC

Hopeful we will see the return of this ident. which only seems to have gotten one airing. Im sure there was a BBC promo for this on this evening.

The splits not quite as neat this year with a channel hop required most weeks rather than having the two Saturday games on one channel.

Agree Mark Pougatch's role with BT does put some doubt on whether he'll front ITV's coverage, but I suspect that deal with ITV was in place first so I'd be surprised if he didn't, and I thought he was much better on the Six Nations than is on ITV's football to be honest.

(P.S. France v Wales in Week 5 should be on the BBC, not ITV.)

Have corrected

If Mark Pougatch isn't available, there could be other options. Steve Rider, who has presented Rugby Union on both BBC and ITV before, or perhaps a freelancer, such as Matt Smith or Jim Rosenthal.

Mark Durden-Smith seems like another contender if he could work around his Aviva Premiership commitments, Martin Bayfield is also another person that should be considered as he did a reporting role last year.

BBC trailer also debuted tonight on Match of the Day



Agree unlucky the way it worked out this year as it was great last year that most Saturdays the matches were double headers for the one channel but at the same time millions are used to switching between the BBC & ITV for World Cups & European Championships



I doubt Jim or Matt as they have basically cut ties to ITV, Jim hasn't appeared on ITV in 7 years and Matt for 2 years. In my opinion if Pougatch is unavailable it would be Mark Durden-Smith, Craig Doyle or Martin Bayfield as they all presented matches for them at the last RWC and a good number of the ITV team seem to be on loan from BT Sport or Sky Sports. I think it's more likely that Pougatch will probably take time off BT Sport Score and was probably agreed with BT when he signed up to host the show and could easily see someone like Matt Smith hosting in his absence.

Does Pougatch still work for 5 Live?

Yes.

No live England game from Headquarters on the BBC. Nice divvy up of the games, right there.

Guess the BBC get one in 2017 when England have 3 home'ers at Twickenham?

No. ITV get England, Ireland and Italy home games and the BBC get Wales, France and Scotland home games.

That means over a two year cycle they get 5 home games and 2 away for the teams they're effectively host broadcaster for.

Another way of looking at it, over a two year period, each broadcaster gets 15 live games. In even numbered years, the BBC gets eight, ITV seven. In odd numbered years, it's reversed, ITV gets eight, BBC seven.