Strong reaction to TV3 Six Nations news; RTÉ say ‘every possible effort was made’ to keep rights

There has been a shocked reaction online to the news that TV3 has secured the exclusive rights to broadcast the Six Nations Championship from 2018.

The station announced this afternoon it would be showing the tournament for a period of at least four years from 2018 until 2021.

The news is a body blow to RTÉ’s rugby coverage, particularly in the wake of TV3 airing the recent Rugby World Cup.

Rugby fans were stunned that the national broadcaster had been outbid for the rights to such an important tournament.

@RTEsport will ye just pay wat they wnt for the Six nations rights? Have to suffer through @TV3Ireland coverage again. #torture #SixNations

— David Whelan (@DavidWhelan1) November 11, 2015

RTE say they did everything they could to retain coverage of the Six Nations with Group Head of Sport Ryle Nugent admitting it was “extremely disappointing news for RTÉ”.

"We have a long and proud tradition of showcasing the Six Nations and putting our heart and soul into our coverage,” Nugent said in a statement.

RTÉ Group Head of Sport Ryle Nugent responds to TV3 Six Nations rights agreements. More: https://t.co/xgarG5muil pic.twitter.com/ScUdmWWIyw

— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) November 11, 2015

"We want to assure the Irish public that every possible effort was made by RTÉ to retain these rights.

"We put forward the best possible bid within our means, while always mindful of the significant responsibilities attached to spending public funds.

"We have a phenomenal year ahead in 2016, with the GAA Championships, the Olympic Games and Euro 2016. We also look forward to delivering the Six Nations Championship in 2016 and 2017.

"We will look to other opportunities in Irish and international sports and remain committed to delivering a comprehensive portfolio of sport to the Irish public."

I am really sad for my former colleagues in RTE Sport who strove might and main to deliver #SixNations coverage of high quality

— George Hook (@ghook) November 11, 2015

The initial reaction to the news has not been kind, with many viewers commenting negatively on the amount of ads shown during TV3’s World Cup coverage.

Breaking news: TV3 to show continuous stream of ads between now and start of Six Nations 2018.

— Richie Oakley #andacyclist (@roakleyIRL) November 11, 2015

TV3 are so delighted to have secured the rights for the #SixNations in 2018 they are going to start taking Ads breaks for it straight away.

— Dustin The Turkey (@DustinOfficial) November 11, 2015

TV3 has won coverage of 6N for 2018-21. I'll be watching as long as they stop going for ads between the anthems & k.o, otherwise ITV it is.

— Oonagh Kerr (@Rrek_Oonagh) November 11, 2015

Looks like the rugby team at TV3 have a long way to go to get fans excited about the news.

If you haven't heard @TV3Ireland will be broadcasting Six Nations Rugby from 2018. To say I'm happy about it is an understatement.

— Matt Cooper (@cooper_m) November 11, 2015