TNT Sports has played down speculation that it could make a move for the broadcasting rights to the Six Nations in the near future.
The annual tournament - contested annually between England, Wales, Ireland, France, Scotland and Italy - is one of the biggest events in the rugby union calendar and is currently shown jointly by the BBC and ITV.
Their deal expires this year, however, and a recent report on RugbyPass suggested that TNT could look to take over the rights from 2026 with a bid of £100m - £10m more than currently paid by its terrestrial counterparts.
Such an agreement would be possible as TV regulator Ofcom classifies the Six Nations in the second tier of protected broadcasting rights, meaning that a pay TV provider can hold the rights as long as a free-to-air broadcaster shows highlights.
Responding, a TNT Sports spokesperson told Broadcast: "While we think the Six Nations is the best international rugby competition in the world, its important partnership with free-to-air television across the UK and Ireland, but particularly in markets like Wales and Ireland, would make our involvement very challenging."
TNT is already the UK home to the annual Autumn internationals series and broadcasts every game from the top-flight Premiership Rugby division live.
Neil Wilkes
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