TNT Sports acquires rights to Autumn Nations Series

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and BT’s joint pay TV operator TNT Sports has picked up the rights to rugby tournament Autumn Nations Series in the UK and Ireland.

Source: TNT Sports

The 2024 season of the Six Nations-owned competition kicks off on the first weekend in November, with England to face 2023 World Cup finalists New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Coverage across TNT Sports and its streaming destination discovery+ includes all 21 fixtures, with prime-time games to close out three of the Saturdays.

TNT Sports takes over the programming of the Autumn Nations Series from streaming rival Amazon Prime Video. The streaming giant previously held the exclusive rights to the rugby contest in the UK since first partnering with Six Nations in 2020.

Plans for free-to-air broadcast distribution of the global sports event will be announced at a later date, according to TNT Sports.

Autumn Nations Series is the latest addition to TNT Sports’ sports portfolio which includes the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE.

Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, said: “This year’s Autumn Nations Series stands to be an unbelievable experience on and off the pitch, by bringing together fans from all over the world, to enjoy the best that international rugby has to offer. It is a significant moment to welcome TNT Sports into our broadcast family of international rugby for the first time given our commitment to deliver the best possible experience for fans.”

Andrew Georgiou, President and MD, UK & Ireland and WBD Sports Europe said: “To bring the best of international rugby to our TNT Sports subscribers is hugely exciting and another important moment which demonstrates our premium sports rights offering in the UK and Ireland.

“The Autumn Nations Series gives rugby fans access to world-class battles between the northern and southern hemispheres and is one of the highlights in the rugby calendar,” he added. “We are delighted to further extend our TNT Sports rugby portfolio for fans who already have plenty to look forward to for the rest of this season with Gallagher Premiership Rugby, European club rugby, Premiership Women’s Rugby and the HSBC SVNS Series.”