State Of The Game: The Free-to-Air Revolution

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby

Folding Pocket

Sports News, Sports, Rugby, News

4.5 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Alex Payne and Mike Tindall dive into the seismic news of ITV securing the rights to the New Nations Series from 2026-2028, making them the undisputed home of English international rugby. Next year will be the first time in 30 years that all England games will be free to air. We ask… Is this the best thing to happen to the English game since 2003? Is rugby finally ready to grasp the opportunity of free-to-air coverage to widen the sport's appeal. We're joined by Ben Rumsby, Sports Investigations Reporter for The Daily Telegraph, for a deep dive into the state of the sports broadcasting landscape. Plus, England Sevens legend Ollie Phillips dials in to share the truly bonkers challenge he's about to undertake: rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic for three incredible causes (Cure Parkinson's, My Name's Dottie, and the Matt Hampson Foundation). Good luck, Ollie! 00:00 🛞 Proudly Sponsored by Continental Tyres 01:09 📺 ITV Secures England Rugby Rights 16:49 🏉 The Role of Players Promoting Rugby 28:46 🤝 The Significance of ITV's Deal for Rugby 31:39 📡 Club Rugby and TNT's Future 37:58 💶 Comparing Financials: Prem Rugby vs. Top 14 42:46 📉 Prem Rugby's Current State and Future Prospects 49:05 💼 CVC's Investment in Rugby 55:24 🚣‍♂️ Ollie Phillips' Atlantic Row Challenge 🪽Castore Code: GBR30 www.castore.com 🚣‍♂️Ollie’s Row https://www.seaslife.co.uk/donate 📗The Good, The Bad & The Rugby: Unloaded are now available: https://lnk.to/GBRUnlocked/waterstones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	ITV have signed the new nation series for 2026 through to 28, making the undisputed home now of English rugby.
0:07.0	How can you take a bit of bravery and maybe for ITV do a spin-off about some of the players?
0:12.0	Will rugby give them access?
0:13.0	If you throw in Rugby World Cup 2027, that hasn't been confirmed yet, is that right?
0:17.0	This is the story I've been chasing for probably about three years.
0:20.0	If rugby can't grasp this opportunity, how it can widen the appeal of the sport, then it never
0:27.8	will.
0:28.8	Alex Payne trying to keep the site going forward.
0:31.3	Haskell takes it on now with just relentless chat.
0:34.2	And there's Tyndall to add the finishing touch of glamour and World Cup winning
0:37.7	stories, a dominant display by the good, the bad and the rugby.
0:42.5	Hello, Dream Team, welcome along to this week's episode of the Good, the Bad and the Rugby,
0:46.4	proudly sponsored as always by our fantastic partners at Continental Tires.
0:50.5	Continental Tires are the official tire partner of England Rugby engineered for victory.
0:55.4	Their award-winning tyres are built to perform no matter what the conditions. A very quick get-well
1:00.8	to our third wheel on our car. Hask is recovering for an op. He tells us that it's a rugby injury
1:05.7	rather than cosmetic adjustments this time out. We are not entirely sure. We're not entirely sure,
1:10.0	but get well to the big man.
1:11.6	Sour of milk, table for two for us this week. We've got a very special guest who are going
1:15.6	introduced in just a moment or two because on this week's show, we are doing a bit of a deep dive
1:20.8	into the news that I'm sure you'll have seen last week. It is a big old headline as far as
1:25.4	broadcast deals are concerned because ITV have picked up
	...

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