The BBC and ITV have been jointly awarded the rights to broadcast the Six Nations, beating off rival bids from Sky and BT Sport.
The six-year contract begins in 2016 and will see the BBC air all of the home matches involving Scotland, Wales and France, while ITV will show the home matches of England, Ireland and Italy.
Bill Beaumont, chairman of the Six Nations Council, said of the deal: "Both the BBC and ITV are committed partners of rugby, ITV with their coverage of the Rugby World Cup and the BBC with their long history of covering the RBS Six Nations. We are excited to be working with them both to continue to develop the interest in the Championship."
The broadcasters' joint deal - thought to be worth £50m a year - came about after the BBC's initial £40m-a-year offer to retain the rights to the competition fell short of a bid from Sky.
The corporation had been under pressure to keep hold of the Six Nations after losing the Olympics to Eurosport, the British Open to Sky and the Football League to Channel 5.
Neil Wilkes
