FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 2nd, 2018

NBC SPORTS GROUP BEGINS INAUGURAL SEASON OF NATWEST 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP RUGBY COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND

Coverage of the Annual NatWest 6 Nations Championship Begins Saturday on NBCSN

Saturday Doubleheader – Wales v. Scotland at 12:30 p.m., Followed by France v. Ireland at 2:30 p.m. ET

Defending Champion England Faces Italy on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBCSN, NBC and CNBC Combine to Televise 9 Matches in 2018 as Part of Multi-Year Agreement

All Matches Live on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s Direct-to-Consumer Live Streaming Product

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 2, 2018 – NBC Sports Group begins its inaugural season of Six Nations Rugby coverage this Saturday with three Round One matches of the annual NatWest 6 Nations Championship, the world’s oldest and most prestigious rugby championship, beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. As part of a multi-year agreement with Six Nations Rugby, NBC Sports Group will present comprehensive live coverage of every championship match across its digital and linear platforms.

Coverage of the NatWest 6 Nations Championship this weekend on NBCSN begins Saturday with a doubleheader, as Wales and Scotland face off at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by France-Ireland at 2:30 p.m. ET. Round One coverage concludes Sunday when defending champion England takes on Italy at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

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. All matches will stream live, commercial-free and on-demand on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product. NBC, NBCSN, and CNBC will combine to present linear coverage. Click here for more information on Six Nations coverage on NBC Sports Gold.

Derek Rae (play-by-play) and Alex Corbisiero (analyst), who played for England in the Six Nations Championship, will anchor NBCSN’s studio coverage for this weekend’s matches.

NBC Sports Group’s multi-year agreement with Six Nations Rugby adds to its already robust slate of rugby properties, which includes exclusive Olympic rugby coverage through 2032, the Rugby World Cup (both 7’s & 15’s) through 2023, and Premiership Rugby.

WALES V. SCOTLAND – SATURDAY 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Welsh – winners of four Six Nations Championships since 2000 – look to rebound from a fifth-place finish in 2017, while Scotland aims to secure its first championship since 1999.

FRANCE V. IRELAND – SATURDAY 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Under newly-appointed head coach Jacques Brunel, France is in search of its 18th outright title and sixth Six Nations Championship since 2000. Ireland, runner-up in the 2017 Six Nations Championship, looks to earn its third title in five years after winning back-to-back championships from 2014-15.

ITALY V. ENGLAND – SUNDAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Italy will make its 19th Six Nations tournament appearance and has yet to finish better than fourth overall in the standings. England has won consecutive Six Nations Championships and is aiming to become the first team to win three consecutive outright titles.

Following is this weekend’s slate of NatWest 6 Nations Championship matches on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN. Click here for more information.

Date Match Time (ET) Network
Sat., Feb. 3 Wales v. Scotland 9:15 a.m. NBC Sports Gold
  Wales v. Scotland* 12:30 p.m. NBCSN
  France v. Ireland 11:45 a.m. NBC Sports Gold
  France v. Ireland* 2:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., Feb. 4 Italy v. England 10 a.m. NBC Sports Gold
  Italy v. England* 2 p.m. NBCSN

*Same-day delay

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 — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product launched in 2016 with a “Cycling Pass,” which included the 2016 Tour de France, Vuelta a España, Monument Classics such as the Paris Roubaix, and more. In addition to its “Cycling Pass,” which this season includes more than 25 races, NBC Sports Gold  includes “Track and Field Pass,” offering access to more than 25 major events; “Rugby Pass,” including every Aviva Premiership Rugby match, select Women’s Rugby World Cup matches, the entire NatWest 6 Nations Championship and the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens; “Pro Motocross Pass,” featuring the entire 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season; “Premier League Pass” giving fans in the U.S. exclusive access to 130 live Premier League matches plus the most robust offering of Premier League shoulder programming ever available in the U.S.; “Blazers Pass” live streaming select Portland Trail Blazers matchups throughout the season; and an international “Notre Dame Football Season Pass,” giving fans in 13 international countries access to every home game during the 2017 season. NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and online at NBCSportsGold.comNBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media.  Click here for more information.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, , IndyCar and many more.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-