The BBC and ITV have paid a record £460million to keep the Six Nations on free TV amid stiff opposition from Amazon, BT Sport and Sky.

ITV will hold the rights to show England, Ireland, France and Italy home games, while the BBC will show Wales and Scotland home matches.

The BBC and ITV will reportedly pay around

£115million per year for the right to show the next four tournaments. It marks a huge leap from the reported £90million per year they were paying for the rights from 2016 and falls far short of the £150million per year Six Nations bosses wanted.

ITV will act as the ‘senior partner’ for the tournaments, which is why they hold the rights to more games.

Meanwhile the BBC will show fewer men’s games but will cover the Under-20s and women’s Six Nations.

Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater said: ‘For the millions of Six Nations fans across the UK, the Championships remaining free-to-air is wonderful news.

‘We look forward to delivering live action from both the Men’s and Women’s as well as the Men’s Under-20’s Championships to the widest possible audience over the next four seasons.

‘BBC Sport has led the way in increasing the profile of Women’s sports, so we are thrilled to now include the Women’s Six Nations as a permanent fixture on our broadcast calendar.’

ITV Director of Sport Niall Sloane added: ‘ITV is delighted to have reached this agreement, which extends free-to-air coverage of such an important tournament and will ensure it remains centre stage each spring.

‘With the addition of France home games to those of England, Ireland and Italy, we look forward to bringing ITV viewers a wealth of superb rugby from the Six Nations in the coming years.’