The 2019 Six Nations Championship ran from 1 February to 16 March 2019 and opened with a new title partner. Guinness replaced NatWest as the competition's headline commercial backer under a six-year deal announced in late 2018. A beer brand sat at the top of the sponsorship hierarchy for the first time in the modern era. Wales claimed the Grand Slam when the contest concluded on 16 March 2019.
NatWest held the title rights in 2018 but did not renew. Guinness, a Diageo brand, had been a long-standing official beer partner before stepping into the lead role. The financial value of the Guinness title deal was not publicly disclosed. Multi-year title arrangements for major rugby competitions typically run into tens of millions of pounds, but the specific figure remains unconfirmed. The contract covered six editions of the championship.
This breakdown maps the full commercial structure of the 2019 Six Nations: the title partner, the other major commercial backers that held official status, the broadcasters that carried the matches, and how the revenue from these deals was divided among the six participating unions: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Six Nations Rugby Ltd organized the competition.
Title Partner: Guinness
Guinness became the title partner of the Six Nations Championship starting with the 2019 contest. The deal, announced in late 2018, ran for six years and replaced NatWest, whose title backing ended after the 2018 edition. Guinness had been an official beer partner for many years before stepping up to the top tier.
The shift from a financial-services brand to a beer brand as the primary backer reflected a broader commercial strategy by Six Nations Rugby Ltd. Diageo, Guinness's parent company, already had a deep relationship with rugby through its backing of the Guinness Premiership in England (the domestic league now known as the Gallagher Premiership) and other rugby properties worldwide. The Six Nations title deal consolidated that presence across the sport's premier international contest.
No public figure for the annual value of the Guinness title arrangement was released. Comparable title deals for the Six Nations in earlier years were reported at around GBP 10 million to GBP 15 million per year, but those numbers were not confirmed for the 2019 agreement. The six-year length of the contract signaled a long-term commitment from Diageo to rugby union's northern hemisphere showpiece.
Other Official Partners and Suppliers
Beyond the title backer, the 2019 Six Nations carried a roster of official partners and suppliers. The tournament did not publish a complete list of every minor official supplier for the 2019 edition, so this section covers the major partners that were publicly known at the time.
Known Commercial Tiers for the 2019 Six Nations
| Partner Type | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title backer | Guinness (Diageo) | Six-year deal from 2019, replaced NatWest |
| Official beer | Guinness | Same brand as title backer |
| Official ball | Not confirmed for 2019 | Gilbert has been supplier in other years |
| Official automotive | Not confirmed for 2019 | No public record for this edition |
| Official technology | Not confirmed for 2019 | No public record for this edition |
| Broadcaster (UK) | BBC, ITV | Shared coverage of all matches |
Sponsorship Revenue Distribution Among the Unions
The specific revenue distribution model used by Six Nations Rugby Ltd in 2019 was not publicly disclosed in detail. The general principle is that the six participating unions share the commercial revenue from the competition, including backing and broadcast income, according to a negotiated formula.
Changes and Context for the 2019 Edition
The 2019 Six Nations represented a clean break from the previous backing era. NatWest ended its title deal after the 2018 contest. The bank had been the title backer for several years, but the relationship did not continue into 2019. No reason for the non-renewal was publicly stated by either party. The transition to Guinness as title partner had been announced before the 2018 competition even ended.
The 2019 Tournament Outcome
The 2019 Six Nations Championship concluded on 16 March 2019. Wales won the Grand Slam, meaning they won all five of their matches, against France, Italy, England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was Wales's 12th Grand Slam and their first since 2012. England finished second, Scotland third, France fourth, Italy fifth, and Ireland sixth. Ireland, the defending champions from 2018, had a disappointing contest, losing to England, Wales, and Scotland.
