BBC set to secure Six Nations as BSkyB pull out

The Six Nations tournament seems destined to return exclusively to the BBC from next season, signalling a significant change in the television rights market that could see a downturn in revenue for several sports, including rugby.

BSkyB has confirmed that it will not be bidding for any Six Nations coverage after its current five-year deal, which started in 1997, expires at the end of this year's tournament.

The company paid £65m for the deal, which gave it the rights to England's Six Nations' matches at Twickenham as well as a raft of other domestic and international games. The only element missing from Sky's next rugby deal, which will run to 2005, will be the two or three Six Nations games at Twickenham each year.

The BBC, which paid £36m over three years from 1999 to 2002 to show Wales, Scotland and Ireland Six Nations home matches live, is understood to be the sole bidder for the next three-year contract for all the tournament's 15 matches.

BSkyB's decision not to bid will come as a blow to the Six Nations committee, which had hoped to sell the next set of rights for £90m or more, but is likely to have to settle for less. Rumours within the game had suggested that Channel 4 and Channel 5 had shown interest in bidding although it is thought that neither station did.

ITV is not thought to be in the running either, not least because of the collapse of ITV Digital and the uncertainty over the future of the ITV Sport channel. The lack of interest could signal the end of the brief, heady era when multiple bidders pushed up sports rights values to create a lucrative sellers' market.

"It's no secret we have tendered a bid for the Six Nations rights," Pat Younge, the BBC Sport's head of programmes said. "We are now in a period of negotiations and do not feel it is appropriate to comment further at this time."

A spokeswoman for Roger Pickering, the chief executive of the Six Nations organising committee, said the rights negotiations were confidential and that no details of their sale could be given yet.