THE Six Nations may no longer be shown live on free-to-air television once the current broadcast rights deal comes to an end.

The tournament’s board has revealed that they are prepared to listen to offers from subscription TV companies when the BBC’s arrangement comes to an end in 2017.

The competition is viewed as one of the jewels in the crown of the corporation’s winter sports coverage, but BT Sport and Sky Sports will be on alert after Six Nations chief executive John Feehan announced he was prepared to consider all options for the next deal.

“The championship has never been healthier, it is in great shape and our terrestrial broadcasters have been fantastic partners. But that being said, they, like anybody else, have to be kept honest.” Feehan to The Telegraph.

“We have developed the greatest championship in world rugby and the reality is we need to ensure that we continue to generate revenues that can fund and develop the game within the northern hemisphere. The Six Nations is fundamental to that. Without the revenues that the Six Nations brings in, most of the home unions probably couldn’t survive.

“So the reality is that this is an extremely important revenue stream and broadcasting is an extremely important element of that revenue. So I don’t think it is good enough just to say we wouldn’t consider every option.

“Clearly it has worked extremely well on free-to-air terrestrial and clearly they continue to be interested in going forward and we will engage very strongly with them.

“But it is an open market place and we need to keep that in mind.”

The Six Nations is considered a Category B event under the Listed Events code, meaning it can be shown on pay-TV as long as there is sufficient secondary coverage, such as delayed broadcast and highlights.

“As it is B-listed, even though it might be live on a pay operator, it would also be shown very shortly after the final whistle on delayed coverage on terrestrial, free-to-air anyway,” Feehan said. “So it is not like it would be off the screen or anything like that.

“There are still three years left on this existing contract but there is an ebb and flow. We talk to all the broadcasters all the time so it is not a case of just pitching up one day and saying: ‘Hey boys, we are ready for sale.’ It doesn’t work like that.

“It is an ongoing negotiation and discussion and sometimes that is brought to a head and sometimes it is not. We will pick the right time when we believe it is the best time to go to market.”

The risk in opting to jump into bed with pay-TV would be that it would restrict the Six Nations’ reach, with many still not subscribing to either BT Sport or Sky.