ITV will introduce in-play advertising to its Six Nations Championship coverage, using picture-in-picture inserts during breaks in play before a scrum is set.
The format is due to launch in Thursday’s opener between France and Ireland at Stade de France.
Under the terms of ITV’s new rights deal, the broadcaster can run two in-game ad spots per match (one in each half). The Times reports the promotion will take an L-shaped layout and occupy around half the screen, while live pictures continue.
It is not clear whether the ads will just be visual or also include audio – as opposed to remaining during the commentary itself.
The first advertisers will be Samsung (Samsung Galaxy) and Virgin Atlantic, with timing overseen by ITV Sport’s production team and permission understood to have been agreed with Six Nations organisers.
The in-play ad format has been on ITV’s commercial roadmap for the tournament since at least late 2025, when it flagged “picture-in-picture” opportunities around its Six Nations coverage to advertisers.
The combination of advertising and editorial is uncommon within UK broadcasters, though Sky has used to L-Shaped format to continue to deliver football updates during commercial breaks within its Soccer Saturday programme.
ITV is also said to be weighing whether the split-screen ad format could be repeated around this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026, where mandatory hydration breaks would create additional in-game windows, although any such move would require tournament approval.
