Ireland

The Pitch International agency agreed international rights deals for the Irish, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions earlier this month. The deals will help the agency shore up an international rugby rights portfolio which has come under pressure this year.

The Pitch International agency has extended a deal with the Irish Rugby Football Union for the global distribution of media rights to the Ireland national team’s home fixtures.

UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB has acquired rights for top cricket properties operated by the International Cricket Council, the sport’s global governing body.

Irish commercial broadcaster TV3 has acquired rights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ has struck a rights deal with the Football Association of Ireland for domestic tournaments operated by football’s governing body in the Republic of Ireland.

Irish pay-television broadcaster Setanta Sports has agreed a four-year rights deal with the Football Association of Ireland which includes exclusive live rights to the national team’s home friendly games.

Irish commercial broadcaster TV3 has agreed a rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport has acquired rights for the Portuguese Primeira Liga, the top division of football in the country.

Commercial broadcaster TV3 has acquired the Irish media rights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night Dublin mixed martial arts event.

The Nigerian Olympic Committee is seeking sponsors to fund a television rights deal that will allow Nigerians to watch the 2014 Commonwealth Games live on terrestrial television.

The Irish government is set to undertake a review of the showpiece sporting events that are protected for free-to-air broadcasting in the country.

The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association will today (Friday) broadcast a 30-minute programme on free-to-air satellite channel Showcase 2 in a move that some observers believe could be a precursor to the GAA forming its own television channel.

The Gaelic Athletic Association has entered into a partnership with News UK that will allow the newspaper publishing group to show clips of Gaelic football and hurling competitions governed by the GAA.

Turf TV, the horseracing channel for betting shops in the UK and Ireland, is to add a third US fixture to its existing broadcast package.

Gaelic Athletic Association commercial director Peter McKenna has said a new online streaming platform developed in partnership with Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ has greater long-term value than the association’s rights deal with pay-television broadcaster BSkyB.

Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ is to promote its new subscription-based online streaming service GAAGO through a sponsorship deal with the Gaelic Athletic Association.