20 January 2016

S4C will broadcast all five of Wales' RBS 6 Nations matches live on the channel in the Welsh language.

The channel made the announcement today (Wednesday, 20 January) after sealing a deal with both RBS 6 Nations host broadcasters, BBC and ITV.

S4C will be the only broadcaster in the UK to show all five of Wales' matches live in the competition.

Wales' matches will be produced by the highly acclaimed BBC Wales production team who produce the long-running Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol programme.

It will kick off with Wales' away fixture against Ireland on Sunday 7 February, with the live coverage continuing until Wales' final match against Italy on Super Saturday, 19 March.

Viewers will be able to watch the matches on S4C on a wide range of platforms and online throughout the UK.

The Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol team will boast an impressive presentation team who will provide comprehensive coverage, live interviews and expert analysis.

Anchored by presenter Gareth Roberts, the Clwb Rygbi presentation team will include internationals Dwayne Peel, Dafydd Jones, Deiniol Jones, Andrew Coombs, with Gareth Charles and former Wales captain Gwyn Jones in the commentary box.

S4C Director of Content, Dafydd Rhys said, "The RBS 6 Nations is one of the major sporting competitions in the annual calendar and we are proud that we can provide coverage of Wales' matches in Welsh. We thank both broadcasters BBC and ITV for helping to make it possible and can ensure our viewers that the free-to-air coverage will be of the quality deserving of such an important national event."

Siân Gwynedd, BBC Wales Head of Welsh Language Programmes and Services, "We are extremely pleased that BBC Wales can continue to provide live coverage of all of Wales' matches for S4C with this new deal, and our experienced production teams are looking forward to offering high-quality Welsh language coverage for audiences across Wales."

Six Nations Chief Executive John Feehan, "We are delighted that rugby's greatest championship will be available live in the Welsh language and are looking forward to working with BBC, ITV and S4C in bringing our competition to the widest possible audience."

WRU chairman Gareth Davies said, "We are very fortunate with the level of coverage shown by all our broadcast partners for rugby in Wales. S4C are particularly supportive of every level of rugby in Wales, from schools and colleges to the Principality Premiership and international rugby. It is fantastic that Wales' whole Six Nations campaign can be followed through the medium of the Welsh language."

S4C will also broadcast two of Wales Under 20s' Six Nations matches exclusively live from Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay the during the international season. The two matches are Wales Under 20s v Scotland Under 20s on 12 February and Wales Under 202 v France Under 20s on 27 February. BBC Wales will produce these live broadcasts.

S4C is available on Sky 104, Freeview 4, Virgin TV 166 and Freesat 104 in Wales.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, S4C is available on Sky 134, Freesat 120 and Virgin TV 166.

Also, online and on demand on s4c.cymru, and viewers across the UK can also watch S4C on tvcatchup.com, TVPlayer.com, YouView and BBC iPlayer.

Ends

The full schedule – The RBS 6 Nations on S4C

7/2/2016 Sunday

Ireland v Wales

Coverage starts 14:15, KO 15:00

Available online live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only

12/2/2016 Friday *Exclusive*

Wales U20 v Scotland U20

Coverage starts 18:20, KO 18:30

Red Button English language commentary available

Available online live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only

13/2/2016 Saturday

Wales v Scotland

Coverage starts 16:00, KO 16:50

Available online live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only

26/2/2016 Friday

Wales v France

Coverage starts 19:15, KO 20:05

Available online live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only

27/2/2016 Saturday *Exclusive*

Wales U20 v France U20

Coverage starts 19:30, KO 19:45

Red Button English language commentary available

Available online live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only

12/3/2016 Saturday

England v Wales

Coverage starts 15:15, KO 16:00

Available on line live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only

19/3/2016 Saturday

Wales v Italy

Coverage starts 13:45, KO 14:30

Available online live and on demand for 30 days on iPlayer and s4c.cymru, UK only