I reckon ITV will make a bid, but the contract doesn't expire until 2017 and the earliest they can show the 6 Nations is 2018. Also if the price is right, I can see them trying to get the ECL back as this is a bigger contract.

I used to have trouble finding Last of the Summer Wine ratings.

With what ? Magic beans? The 6 nations currently costs close to 3m a game. It'll go to at least 4/4.5m a game next time. The BBC are already paying a premium to keep them from SKY/BT. Even as a loss leader it would make zero financial sense for a free to air commercial broadcaster.

I think they'd lose money hand over fist.

ITV could only possibly make it work by cherry-picking certain matches, which doesn't appear to be an option after the England (at home and in Paris) balls up of the late 1990s.

That's far too much public money to spend on two hours of TV with no shelf life.

Who were the BBC bidding against to have to pay that amount?

I think you just want it to be on Sky Sports, Derek. Then you watch it on some obscure device or catch-up service three weeks later, and complain about BARB not measuring your viewing.

The final of Big Brother may get a good Channel 5+24 audience tonight then.

The DS Jack Donnelly Atlantis interview is interesting. He is understandably "gutted" at the shows ending and it looks like there will be much unresolved-he was contracted for 5 years(on the basis it lasted that long) so it is very much a bail out that we only get two series. Although at the suggested 1.4 million an episode it was going to do so much better critically as well was ratingswise.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s230/...eries-axe.html

Sad that the whole project has foundered like this.

What!? Craig Charles is Robot Wars. No point bringing it back if he isn't presenting it.

Being up against the 6Nations won't have helped Big Brother, but I think the series went on one week too long and that has meant it has lost momentum. A month is too long.

also while the series has been highly controversial, it has lacked the key reality show ingredient of someone going 'on a journey' such as Chantelle going from non-Celeb to Z-list Celeb all those years ago, or Jim Davidson being a highly unlikely winner last year.

Katie Price is a divisive winner who has in my eyes won due to her previous fame and not based on what she did in the house.

Bit harsh. If market forces send it to pay, fine. Just don't believe TVL payers should be paying silly money for sports events.

A lot of impecunious rugby fans will no doubt disagree with you. I think the BBC value this tournament particularly highly because of the UK nations aspect.

Exactly this. Not to mention that the vast majority of Six Nations games are played in the afternoon and the general feeling from ITV the past few years is that they want their live sport in primetime.

Not as divisive as Hopkins would have been.

I was so relieved when Price's name was announced. The other potential outcome could have been damaging to the show long term IMO.

Having said that I think the only way is down from here anyway. Hopefully it's a gradual decline as opposed to one that is brutally fast.

I can see the more likely option next time of Sky showing England home games and the BBC showing the away games . Auntie won't want to lose the whole contract, but would settle for a compromise.

Channel 5 tried it, and it was dreadful, best leave it alone, not sure who presented in on C5.

Well it's as much my TVL as it is yours. And I'm more than happy for the BBC to be spending money on sporting events, including the Six Nations. Not everyone can pay Sky's extortionate fees.

Didn't we have this arrangement some years ago?

ive always said the sets look good, its more the character CGI im worried about, going to hard to call this series in advance until we see a full trailer, truth be told, alot of the shots in that video are a work of art.

I am no friend of sports, but the BBC will not have any sporting events left soon, so wishing any of them to ITV or Sky is counter productive.

Here we go ITV! Lets see again how low you can go!

Zero anyone?

Also ITV's coverage of events like the FA Cup was widely criticised and their sports department in the past, and to a lesser extent now, was notorious for poor camerawork, wooden presentation and poor commentary. I think rugger, being full of traditionalists, would probably opt for the BBC at least covering half the 6 Nations. Also rather like boxing and cricket moving the rugger to satellite would greatly diminish it, which for all I don't bother with, is a healthy sport in ratings terms now.

im sure its been discussed on this thread, and in other forums, but when it comes to sport there is a BBC effect, in that the BBC machine can promote a sport till it looks like it matters.

As a non sports fan, if the event does not get the full BBC treatment, chance are ive probably not heard of it.

Cant really see ITV being able to afford 6 Nations. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time before live sport completely disappeared from terrestrial and the time is coming.