Commercial broadcaster TV3 has won the Irish rights to the 2015 Rugby World Cup national team tournament, according to the Irish Times.
The newspaper said TV3 has defeated competition from public-service broadcaster RTE to secure the contract with the International Rugby Board, with an official announcement expected this week.
RTE has a long-held position as the primary broadcaster of rugby in Ireland, but the Irish Times said TV3’s bidding position is likely to have been strengthened by its recent failure to secure rights under the Gaelic Athletic Association’s new broadcast deal.
RTE, pay-television broadcasters Sky Sports and Setanta Sports, and Irish-language free-to-air broadcaster TG4 were this month awarded rights to the GAA in Ireland under four-year deals running from 2014 to 2017.