Seems the proposed ITV/BBC deal is convoluted. Share out of live matches, with near instant highlights available to both later in the evening of match play. Hope a national will publish more detail soon.
(PA Sport - Syndicated to regional and local press)
You can be pretty certain that if there is a joint BBC/ITV deal that the BBC will have come out of this worse. They may get to show the majority of matches but I can't see ITV getting involved unless they were certain of getting the majority of high profile matches i.e. the England matches. I'm sure the BBC will end up with the more 'uncommercial' matches like France vs. Italy.
That wouldn't be a bad deal for the BBC. The Six Nations is always so unpredictable anyway that a Wales v Scotland match on the last day could be a championship decider.
England home games aren't the be-all-and-end-all. And remember every other year there are only two of them anyway.
Sounds like a decent arrangement for both sides. Keeping it free to air is the most important aspect.
From a presentation perspective, I'd say there's a fair chance Invers will do the ITV stuff. Without the Six Nations, he probably does more for ITV than he does for the Beeb these days anyway.
I predicted on another forum ITV would probably get an England game at least every other round so I guess their other weeks will be filled by 1 France, Italy or Ireland home game. ITV will have made sure they'll get at least 3 England games every competition out of this I imagine.
The easiest way to do it would have been to give ITV the first picks of three rounds. With the BBC getting picks 2 and 3 on these rounds. And the other two rounds ITV get second pick and the BBC get third and first.
You'd have to argue ITV are the senior partners here since they have the games that are commercially more lucrative. Of course the Six Nations is more about politics in the nations for the BBC.