Irish pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport is set to oust rival Sky Sports as the domestic rights-holder of club rugby union competition the Pro14, according to The42 website.
The42 said Eir Sport is close to finalising a deal with the league which will commence from the 2018-19 season having outbid Sky for the rights.
Eir Sport currently broadcasts highlights of the Pro14, but Sky has been the main rights-holder since the 2014-15 season. The42 added that Eir’s deal with the Pro14 could involve a sublicensing agreement, meaning that Irish-language free-to-air broadcaster TG4 may be able to continue covering the league.
A consortium led by French billionaire Xavier Niel last month agreed a deal to acquire a majority stake in Eir Sports’ parent company, telco Eir. The consortium led by NJJ Telecom Europe, part of NJJ Group, the private investment firm of Niel, agreed, alongside French telco Iliad to acquire a majority of Eir at an enterprise value of approximately €3.5bn ($4.1bn).
The Pro14 deal would represent Eir Sports’ biggest rights acquisition to date and a record agreement for the league in Ireland. Eir has been building its presence in the rugby market, notably landing the rights to the 2019 World Cup in July 2016.