THE leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has said it is "absolutely vital" that the Six Nations stays on free-to-view TV.

Her comments comes in the wake of news that the tournament could be aired on pay-per-view TV when the current broadcast deal runs out.

Kirsty Williams said: "Rugby is already quite an expensive sport to follow, with ticket prices for big games out of reach for many supporters. If we take away their opportunity to watch some of the biggest rugby matches of the year for free, interest in rugby could wane and a generation of new players could never be inspired to join in the sport.

“Pride in our national rugby team extends far wider than die-hard rugby fans; people across Wales join in at Six Nations time and dream of another Grand Slam. If the tournament moves to pay-only TV, that magic could well be lost.”

The AM is writing to John Feehan, Chief Executive of the Six Nations tournament, imploring on him to choose a rights deal with a free-to-air channel.

hE revealed yesterday he had had offers from alternative broadcasters will be considered when the existing deal with the BBC expires in 2017.

Sky Sports and BT Sport are among those interested in the rights to the northern hemisphere's most prized rugby tournament and Feehan refused to discount it being televised on pay channels.

"There is interest from every broadcaster in the UK for live rights," Feehan said.

"The incumbent are the BBC and we are very happy with that arrangement, but obviously we have to keep everybody honest.

"If you are going to be fair to any of the other broadcasters you can't just rule them out.

"Whether it is on a pay operator or whether it is free-to-air, there will always be a situation where everyone on free-to-air will get to see it, perhaps on a delayed live basis."