The British and Irish Lions’ tour to Australia will be available to watch free-to-air on TV this summer – but for now only in Welsh. The Guardian has learned that the Lions have agreed a deal for a highlights package with Welsh language channel S4C, which will be available throughout the UK via S4C’s iPlayer service and YouTube channel.
S4C is understood to have bought highlights rights for all three Test matches and the Lions’ six tour games, which will be broadcast in Welsh. S4C will also broadcast full live coverage of the Lions’ send-off Test against Argentina in Dublin on 20 June, available in English and Welsh.
The bespoke Welsh TV offering may raise eyebrows as there are just two Welshmen in Andy Farrell’s 38-man squad – the flanker Jac Morgan and the scrum-half Tomos Williams – but illustrates S4C’s commitment to rugby at a level that is not matched by other terrestrial broadcasters. The Welsh contingent of two is their lowest ever, meaning they join Ireland in 1993, and Scotland in 2009 and 2017, as the least represented countries on a Lions tour.
Sky Sports has the exclusive live rights for its eighth successive Lions tour and will also offer its own highlights show.
The Lions remain hopeful of securing a free-to-air highlights deal in England, but have yet to do so three weeks before their first official tour game in Dublin. Channel 4 bought UK highlights rights for the Lions’ last tour, to South Africa four years ago, but has not made an offer on this occasion, while ITV, BBC Sport and Channel 5 have also yet to bid.
The BBC has also failed to secure live radio rights this year, with the Lions partnering with TalkSport for the fourth successive tour. The BBC’s priority this summer is the women’s European Championship, as well as saving resources for next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which will be an expensive undertaking.
ITV also has live rights for the European Championship, Channel 4 is covering the men’s Under-21 European Championship and Channel 5 has agreed to sublicense 23 Club World Cup matches from Dazn, so the terrestrial channels are committed elsewhere.
The BBC has reduced its rugby coverage in recent years, with ITV securing the rights to all of England’s Six Nations matches until 2030 in a joint deal signed earlier this year. As part of the new contract ITV will show 10 matches from each year’s Six Nations to the BBC’s five, which will feature Wales and Scotland’s home fixtures, provided England are not involved.
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The Lions and S4C declined to comment.
