Wales rugby games could go on free TV if Senedd asks

The 2023 Rugby World Cup was shown on ITV.

Welsh rugby could be included in the list of sports that have to be shown live on free-to-air TV if the Senedd called for it, a UK minister has said.

Sir John Whittingdale's comments in the Welsh Parliament come amid concerns more rugby matches could go behind paywalls.

Autumn internationals have been shown on Amazon Prime since 2020.

Plaid Cymru's Llyr Gruffydd feared that the same could happen with the Rugby World Cup.

Tory MP Sir John appeared before the Senedd's culture committee on Thursday.

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Under the so-called "crown jewels" list of sporting events the Rugby World Cup final, the football world cups, the Olympic Games and Wimbledon finals have to be shown on terrestrial television channels such as the BBC, ITV or Channel Four.

At the committee Mr Gruffydd asked if the UK media minister whether he had looked at the "relative importance of rugby to us here in Wales, and how that could be better reflected in broadcasting rights".

"We've seen the autumn internationals last year go behind a paywall [Amazon Prime], there's even been the mention of potentially the next Rugby World Cup going the same way," the Plaid Senedd member said.

"You look at the viewing figures in Wales, rugby is right up there."

The former culture secretary said it was a "very difficult balance" because the sports authorities were "keen to maximise the income for their sport" and he was "reluctant" to tell them "who they can sell their rights to or not".

The committee discussed how rugby and Welsh identity go together

Pressed further, Sir John said it was "quite difficult to say" that "rugby matches involving Wales should have a difference level of protection to rugby matches involving England".

"I think rugby is attracting a lot of attention at the moment in England, and I'm not sure it would be right to try and distinguish between the important of a sport in one part of the United Kingdom against another part of the United Kingdom," he told the committee.

But, stressing the importance of rugby to Wales' identity, Labour MS Alun Davies warned of the danger that "technological possibilities and profit margins define who we are and, all of a sudden, we've lost who we are as a country and as different nations".

Sir John replied: "I would say that while broadcasting is reserved [a UK government responsibility] sport is not.

"We've always said that if the Welsh Parliament argued very strongly that for the good of sport in Wales that we needed to look again at the listed events, we would look at it."

"So it's not closed."

The hearing session took place as part of the Senedd culture committee's inquiry into public service broadcasting in Wales.

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