Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU)

Online retail giant Amazon has doubled down on its commitment to broadcasting rugby union in the UK in a deal to show the ‘Autumn Nations Series’.

UK commercial broadcaster Channel 4 has further grown its rugby union portfolio with the acquisition of rights to Ireland’s autumn internationals.

The Irish Rugby Football Union roughly doubled the value of domestic rights to Ireland autumn internationals in a deal with public-service broadcaster RTÉ, and is still to sell rights in the UK.

The Irish government has today (Friday) stepped up its plans to ring-fence Ireland’s games in the Six Nations rugby union championship for free-to-air television.

Irish Rugby Football Union chief executive Philip Browne has warned against any move to change the listing of Six Nations matches in the country, stating such a decision could have a “significant impact” on the sport.

The Pitch International agency agreed international rights deals for the Irish, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions earlier this month. The deals will help the agency shore up an international rugby rights portfolio which has come under pressure this year.