ITV to trial in-game ads during Six Nations
February 4, 2026
By Nik Roseveare
ITV is set to trial in-game ‘picture-in-picture ads’ for the first time during the opening fixture of the Six Nations Championship on February 5th when France takes on Ireland at Stade de France.
The UK commercial broadcaster’s new rights deal includes the option to air two split-screen adverts before a scrum is set (one in each half ) of every match of the Six Nations.
ITV has already agreed in-game advertising deals with Samsung Galaxy and Virgin Atlantic which will see the screen divided in half so viewers do not miss any live action. The commercials will fill the right half of TV screens and last around 20 seconds, with live pictures continuing on the left.
ITV is kicking off a new four-year deal for the Six Nations in partnership with the BBC, which gives them 10 of the competition’s 15 matches each year, including every England game.
Mark Trinder, ITV Director of Commercial Sales & Partnerships, commented: “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’ve 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.”
Similar ad formats are already common in US TV sports coverage. The new ad format could be come a template for UK sport in the future and, if successful, could be deployed during ITV’s coverage of this summer’s FIFA World Cup – during water breaks, for example, in hot weather games.
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