France secured their third Six Nations Championship in five years with a last-gasp 48-46 victory over England on Saturday, March 14, delivering record-breaking viewership figures for domestic broadcasters.
The thriller in Paris not only dashed Scotland’s hopes of claiming their first title in 27 years—after a 43-21 defeat to Ireland—but also captured the attention of millions of fans across Europe.
ITV Sees Strong UK Viewership
In the UK, commercial broadcaster ITV reported an average of 3.9 million viewers across its linear ITV1 channel and ITVX streaming service, peaking at 5 million. This was slightly below the tournament’s highest peak of 5.3 million, which occurred during the Calcutta Cup clash between Scotland and England.
Digital engagement was robust as well, with the tournament streamed just under 15 million times across 10 matches on ITVX, surpassing last year’s online figures. This year, ITV introduced in-game commercials for the first time, airing split-screen adverts before scrums in both halves of each match.
ITV’s rights package, secured in March 2025, extends through 2029, ensuring continued coverage of the Six Nations.
France Télévisions Dominates Domestic Ratings
Across the Channel, public broadcaster France Télévisions recorded an average of 8.02 million viewers on France 2 for France’s dramatic win, with a peak audience of 9.5 million, representing a 42.5% audience share.
This surpassed France Télévisions’ previous highest-rated match of the 2026 tournament, the 33-8 victory over Italy, which drew 7.5 million viewers. Earlier in the tournament, the opening Thursday night game between France and Ireland attracted 7.24 million viewers, a record for a Six Nations opener.
France Télévisions holds domestic Six Nations rights through 2029. This year, it also reached a sub-licensing deal with TF1, which provided live coverage of nine games, including two involving France.
Looking Ahead: 2027 Men’s Six Nations
The 2027 Men’s Six Nations Championship is scheduled to run from February 5 to March 13, kicking off with a Friday night match between Ireland and England, and concluding with Ireland versus France.
France’s victory over England highlights not only the growing competitiveness of the Six Nations but also the tournament’s enduring appeal to TV audiences across Europe.