Amazon secures rights to new UK rugby tournament

Amazon has secured rights to international Rugby Union in the UK in the form of new tournament the Autumn Nations Cup, with matches exclusively available.

Live rugby will be available on Prime Video at no extra cost to Prime members, alongside existing sports offerings including US Open Tennis and Premier League football.

The Autumn Nations Cup will be the first competitive Autumn international tournament and the first full tournament after a COVID-19-provoked six month break for international rugby.

The tournament will be played across four weekends of games featuring the Six Nations of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy and two guest teams: Georgia and Fiji.

Every game, apart from Ireland’s three pool matches which will be shown live on terrestrial broadcaster Channel 4, will be available exclusively on Prime Video in the UK. Prime Video will also co-broadcast the England v Ireland fixture, played at Twickenham alongside Channel 4.

“We are excited and privileged to work with Six Nations Rugby and the eight participating unions in to bring this new tournament to viewers across the UK on Prime Video. It is a unique event bringing a new level of competitiveness to Autumn international rugby and will offer something back to all the fans who have missed top-level rugby.  We will be offering mouth-watering clashes featuring the top international teams in the Northern Hemisphere exclusively to UK Prime members at no additional charge to their membership,” said Alex Green, MD, Prime Video Sport Europe.

Ben Morel, CEO Six Nations Rugby said:  “We are delighted to welcome Amazon Prime Video on board as a broadcast partner for the Autumn Nations Cup, and to have such a major global player demonstrate their commitment to rugby is a tremendous endorsement for our game. Amazon Prime Video has already established a reputation for delivering high level production in live sport which we have seen through their coverage of the Premier League, ATP and WTA Tennis, and NFL. We are hugely excited by their initial plans for the Autumn Nations Cup and are confident rugby lovers will thoroughly enjoy the coverage.”