ITV will show adverts during play in its Six Nations coverage, in a landmark moment for television broadcasts of sport in the UK.
The “picture-in-picture” promotions will take up half the screen in an L-shape so viewers will see both the advertising and what is happening on the field of play at the same time, however the audio will be devoted to the advert rather than the commentary. ITV said there are no confirmed plans to have a similar strategy for its football World Cup coverage this summer, when there will be drinks breaks in each half.
The ads will be shown twice per game, once in each half, during the ten Six Nations matches that ITV is broadcasting, starting with France against Ireland on Thursday night. Samsung Galaxy and Virgin Atlantic will be the first brands to use the new advertising tool.
ITV said the adverts would be timed for when there is a break in play just before a scrum, with the timing overseen by the ITV Sport production team. It is understood the broadcaster has secured permission from the Six Nations to use the in-play ads for the first time.
The impact of the in-play ads and the reaction of viewers — and the interest of other brands in the opportunities — will be closely monitored by ITV. It would not be able to use them during coverage of the football World Cup without Fifa’s permission.
Mark Trinder, ITV’s director of commercial sales and partnerships, said: “At ITV throughout 2026 we’re bringing the most exciting advertising opportunities of the year to brands — live, free-to-air sport on a scale we have never seen before.
“I’m delighted to welcome Samsung and Virgin Atlantic as our first partners for the new picture-in-picture offering which is sure to be a high-attention format.”
ITV and the BBC agreed a four-year deal to keep the Six Nations on terrestrial TV last year, though there were fears that the BBC would lose its share. ITV will have ten matches and the BBC will show five.