FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 21st, 2019
SHOWDOWN BETWEEN WALES AND ENGLAND HIGHLIGHTS NBC SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF 2019 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEKEND
All Matches Presented Live on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s Direct-to-Consumer Live Streaming Product
Coverage on NBCSN Begins with Saturday Doubleheader – France v. Scotland at 12:30 p.m. ET, Followed by Wales v. England at 2:30 p.m. ET
Italy Face Ireland on Sunday on NBCSN at 12 p.m. ET
2019 Six Nations Rugby Viewership on NBCSN Up 31% vs. 2018; Up 59% in P18-49 Demo
STAMFORD, Conn. – February 21, 2019 – NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship continues this weekend with Round Three of the world’s oldest rugby championship, highlighted by a matchup of the competition’s two table leaders when Wales face England on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The first half of Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when France face Scotland.
NBCSN’s Round Three coverage continues on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET, when defending Six Nations champions Ireland travel to Stadio Olimpico in Rome to face Italy.
Exclusive live coverage on NBC Sports Gold begins Saturday at 9:15 a.m. ET with France v. Scotland, followed by Wales v. England at 11:45 a.m. ET, and Italy v. Ireland on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. All matches will stream live, commercial-free and on-demand on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product. Click here to purchase NBC Sports Gold’s Rugby Pass.
The annual tournament, which has roots that date back more than a century, consists of 15 matches played in a round-robin format between six teams – England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.
Derek Rae (host) and Alex Corbisiero (analyst), who played for England in the Six Nations Championship, will anchor NBCSN’s studio coverage for this weekend’s matches.
2019 SIX NATIONS RUGBY VIEWERSHIP ON NBCSN UP 31% VS. 2018; UP 59% IN P-18-49 DEMO
Viewership of NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Six Nations Rugby Championship on NBCSN is up 31% vs. 2018, averaging 140,000 viewers through six telecasts. The six matches have also delivered significant gains in the P18-49 demo, up 59% vs. the average for the demo for 2018 Six Nations matches on NBCSN.
Round Two featured NBCSN’s two most-watched Six Nations telecasts to date. Scotland-Ireland on Saturday, Feb, 9 (2:30-4:24 p.m. ET) averaged 183,000 viewers, while England-France on Sunday, Feb. 10 (1:30-3:30 p.m. ET) averaged 173,000 viewers.
FRANCE V. SCOTLAND – SATURDAY AT 9:15 A.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS GOLD; 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
France will look to get their Six Nations campaign back on track after a 44-8 defeat at the hands of England in Round Two. Scotland lost 22-13 at home to Ireland and will play away from home for the first time in the competition when they travel to Stade de France in Paris. France have defeated Scotland 10 straight times at home, since their last defeat in 1999. Scotland defeated France 32-26 in last year’s Six Nations meeting.
WALES V. ENGLAND – SATURDAY AT 11:45 A.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS GOLD; 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Wales and England are the last two remaining unbeaten teams in this year’s competition and the two most decorated teams in Six Nations history, with 38 titles each. In Round Two of the competition, Wales defeated Italy 26-15 and England routed France 44-8. Last year, England defeated Wales in a tightly contested match by a score of 12-6.
ITALY V. IRELAND – SUNDAY AT 10 A.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS GOLD; 12 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Defending champions Ireland look to continue their resurgence at Italy following their hard fought 22-13 victory at Scotland in Round Two. Italy will look to earn their first points of the competition and avoid losing their 20th straight Six Nations match. Last year, Ireland soundly defeated Italy, 56-19.
Following is this weekend’s slate of Guinness Six Nations Championship matches on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN. Click here for more information.
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Network |
| Sat., Feb. 23 | France v. Scotland | 9:15 a.m. | NBC Sports Gold |
| France v. Scotland* | 12:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Wales v. England | 11:45 a.m. | NBC Sports Gold | |
| Wales v. England* | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., Feb. 24 | Italy v. Ireland | 10 a.m. | NBC Sports Gold |
| Italy v. Ireland* | 12 p.m. | NBCSN |
*Same-day delay
2019 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS TABLE
| Position | Team | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points |
| 1 | England | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | Wales | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | France | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | Italy | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
ABOUT SIX NATIONS RUGBY
The Six Nations Championship is held annually in February and March in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy. Since 2003, Average TV viewing of the Six Nations has increased by over 30% across the core six territories (now over 125 million TV viewers annually). The Six Nations Championship is broadcast in over 180 countries globally, and over 1 million people attend the 15 games of the Championship annually.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS GOLD
NBC Sports Gold is NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product that provides sports fans with access to exclusive premium sports events and content, live and on-demand, at an affordable price. Launched in 2016 with a single cycling product, NBC Sports Gold currently offers 13 individual sports “passes” – eight domestic (PGA TOUR LIVE, Premier League, Cycling, Track & Field, Speed Skating, Rugby, Supercross, and Snow, consisting of seven Winter Olympic sports); two regional (Blazers and Philly); one international (Notre Dame Football); and two domestic and international (Figure Skating and Pro Motocross). In 2019, NBC Sports Gold will add INDYCAR and lacrosse. Among the premium events and content offered by NBC Sports Gold are 28 PGA TOUR events, including THE PLAYERS and FedExCup Playoffs; 150 Premier League matches; the Tour de France and many more prominent cycling races; USA Track & Field and IAAF Diamond League events; domestic and international figure skating competitions; every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match; the entire 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season; 700+ hours of seven Winter Olympic sports; and all Notre Dame Football home games for international fans.
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