Pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport has today (Thursday) become the new home of the Pro14 in Ireland, with the cross-border rugby union league stating the three-season deal represents a “quantum leap” for the competition.
Eir Sport’s rights deal will run across the 2018-19 to 2020-21 seasons, with Irish-language free-to-air broadcaster TG4 retaining rights to a select number of games through a sublicensing agreement.
The partnership means that for the first time in Ireland, rugby fans can watch all 152 games per season from the Pro14. This will include every Munster and Leinster game live, with the derby games between the two provinces to be broadcast exclusively live in Ireland on the Eir Sport channels.
Over 30 hours of Pro14-related programming will be provided every week including up to six live games with pre and post-match analysis. A weekly highlights show to review and preview each round of games will also form part of the Eir Sport schedule.
The Pro14 said Eir Sport will use new faces and new technology to engage with Irish rugby supporters in fresh and innovative ways.
Today’s agreement comes after the league on Monday concluded rights deals across the same three season window in the UK and Northern Ireland with pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports and free-to-air digital television channel FreeSports, with the former set to launch a new channel to showcase its coverage.
Martin Anayi, chief executive of Pro14 Rugby, said: “The arrival of Eir Sport alongside Premier Sports in the UK will be a game-changer for the Guinness Pro14. It is another bold step in raising our Championship to new levels and unlocking its vast potential.
“The bidding for broadcast rights in the Irish market showed us just how much interest there is in the Guinness Pro14 since our expansion into South Africa. Eir Sport’s bid was impossible to turn down due to the unprecedented support they will provide across every area of the Guinness Pro14 – on and off the pitch.”
Eir Sport currently broadcasts highlights of the Pro14, but fellow pay-television broadcaster Sky has been the main rights-holder since the 2014-15 season. Eir has been building its presence in the rugby market in Ireland, notably landing the rights to the 2019 World Cup in July 2016.
Susan Brady, managing director of consumer and small business for Eir, said: “Sports content is a central pillar of our strategy to become Ireland’s best mobile and broadband provider. We are delighted to be able to add the Guinness Pro14 to our roster and look forward to working closely with the competition organisers to provide innovative, informative and interesting coverage.”
Dermot Rigley, commercial and marketing director for Pro14 Rugby, added: “The vision Eir Sport has for the Guinness Pro14 is going to smash all previous expectations for our teams and their supporters.
“The production standards will be like nothing ever seen before in the Guinness Pro14 with up to 10 High Definition cameras capturing the action at every game. With pitchside presentations and on-field interviews, it’s all part of Eir Sport’s and our goal of bringing fans closer to the game.”