A number of reasons "have been put forward" as to why the Six Nations sponsorship remains unsold, according to Anna Semens of CAMPAIGN LIVE. For three months every spring, the Six Nations Championship puts int'l rugby "on the sporting calendar." Average attendance across the matches is around 67,000 people and the int'l TV footprint of the tournament "is growing, although still dominated by the home nations and France." Since '03, the tournament has been sponsored by RBS, "but last year the bank announced it was not going to renew" its £11M ($14.8M)-a-year title deal. Since then, CAA Sports "has been aggressively marketing the property on behalf of the rights holder, the Six Nations Committee." So, why do the rights remain unsold? Early media analysis "jumped on Brexit as a reason for sponsor reticence." While the "political and economic uncertainty" created by the U.K.'s exit from Europe "may be a factor, it’s unlikely to be the only one." Perhaps "the delay in finding a title sponsor at the desired price talks to more than rugby and the Six Nations specifically" and instead "reflects the strategic choices available to brands today" compared to '03, when RBS first became title sponsor. The initial asking price of £17M ($22.9M) a year puts the Six Nations "in a market between an elite domestic title sponsorship and a small group of truly global properties." There are "other issues." Product categories "usually associated with rugby, such as banks and financial services, are in a different place than they were" in '03, when RBS was "seeking to use sport to build brand awareness" following a period of "rapid merger and acquisition" under former CEO Fred Goodwin. Since the financial crisis, "bankers in Twickenham’s hospitality suites has not been a good look" and they have "less appetite for headine-grabbing sports rights deals" (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 9/27).
