Organisers of the Six Nations have struck a deal with YouTube that will allow the video-sharing website to show coverage of the annual rugby union national team competition.
Under the deal, which runs for three years, from 2013 to 2015, YouTube can show match highlights within minutes of games finishing to viewers worldwide via a dedicated Six Nations channel.
Viewers in the UK, Ireland and Italy will also be able to access longer highlights of games 24 hours after the matches. The channel will also show other exclusive content plus archived footage from previous tournaments.
“We intend to build on this to establish YouTube as the online destination for rugby worldwide,” Stephen Nuttall, senior director of sports for YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said.
“This is a fantastic development for the sport,” Six Nations chief executive John Feehan added. “The channel will be the place to watch online coverage of the tournament and will provide our viewers with excellent footage from this year’s games as well as some of the glorious moments from the past.”
The national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales compete in the Six Nations, and the 2013 edition kicked off on Saturday.