Amazon live rugby TV deal bad for Wales says S4C boss

An Amazon Prime deal ensuring no free-to-air live coverage of the autumn rugby internationals is a "retrograde step", S4C's chief executive has said.

Last year, Wales' fixtures were shown live on both Amazon Prime and S4C - this year fans must pay Amazon to watch live, with highlights later on S4C.

"S4C isn't welcoming what has happened," Owen Evans told the Senedd's Culture Committee.

"This is a retrograde step for us in Wales."

Amazon has been asked to comment.

S4C had been in discussions with the main rights holders Amazon Prime to show the matches, in October and November, in Welsh, as it did in autumn 2020.

However, it will only show highlights of the games against New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Australia an hour after the final whistle.

"We in Wales could argue that this is one of the crown jewels, now people will have to pay to watch Wales playing international games over the autumn," Mr Evans told Senedd members.

"Sport brings in a great deal of viewers for the channel - it's an opportunity for us to cross-advertise the content of S4C for an audience that often doesn't come into contact with that content.

"We do plug programmes for children and for learners for those people who come to channel through sport."

He added: "S4C isn't welcoming what has happened, we are welcoming the fact that we are having some highlights, an hour long perhaps, but we would rather have live sport."

Wales will welcome back Southern Hemisphere teams to the Principality Stadium for autumn internationals for the first time since 2018, following the World Cup in 2019 and the Covid-hit 2020 series.

This year, Amazon Prime's live coverage will include an option for Welsh language commentary.

Six Nations

In May it was announced that Six Nations rugby is set to stay on free-to-air television after organisers reached an agreement in principle with the BBC and ITV to continue sharing coverage of the men's and women's tournaments.

The four-year deal will run from 2022 to the end of the 2025 edition of the tournament, which has been free-to-air since 2003.

Addressing Thursday's Culture Committee, BBC Cymru Wales Director of Programmes and Services Rhuanedd Richards emphasised the importance of "having that free-to-air rugby for people in Wales, in terms of the Six Nations".

"Of people watching television on that day, three quarters of them in Wales are watching rugby games - that's why it's important," she said.

"We have had to focus on the Six Nations games, and it looks promising, and I'm very pleased to ensure that that continues to be available for free on BBC and S4C in the future."