For the first time, every game in the Guinness PRO14 will be shown in one place for Irish viewers and that place is what was styled yesterday as ‘The new home of Rugby in Ireland’ on eir sport.

The deal for Irish rights follows hot on the heels of a similar announcement with Premier Sports covering Britain and Northern Ireland and will see a significant investment from the broadcasters not only in the rights but also in the quality of the broadcast.

eir Sport will show every game as part of the eir Sport pack which is free to eir Broadband subscribers and available to pay for on a subscription basis through the Sky TV platform.

It will show more than 30 hours a week of PRO 14 rugby related coverage as well as action from the European Champions’ Cup, via its tie-up with BT Sport.

The coverage will be broadcast from a state-of-the-art studio which has recently been redeveloped.

eir sport will use new faces and new technology to engage with Irish rugby supporters in fresh and innovative ways.  This will include far more use of HD cameras and new camera positions within the grounds.  In terms of a commentary team, who knows we may yet see and hear familiar voices from the recent past in Irish rugby.

Agreement

The broadcaster has entered into a sub-licensing agreement with TG4 which will allow the Irish language broadcaster access to a select number of games, those to be determined in time and also to run for the same period of this initial contract of three years.

In terms of its own rugby coverage, the boast of being the home of rugby is no idle one. From September, it will be the only place to watch all of the European Champions Cup The Guinness PRO14, the U-20 World Championships, the Leinster Senior School Cups and the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

“Sports content is a central pillar of our strategy to become Ireland’s best mobile and broadband provider,” said Susan Brady, Managing Director of Consumer and Small Business at eir.

“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.

“eir sport is the new home of rugby in Ireland with our PRO14 coverage at the heart of this along with our European Rugby Champions Cup action through BT Sport. In addition, we maintain our ongoing commitment to schools rugby in Ireland alongside women’s rugby, having broadcast every game from last summer’s Women’s Rugby World Cup.”

“As we build towards our coverage of the Rugby World Cup in Japan next year, rugby fans can rest assured that eir sport will continue to deliver the very best content and the ultimate viewing experience.”

Success

In terms of the PRO14, the deal is the latest in a string of successes that have made it arguably the biggest success story in rugby.

While other competitions have struggled to maintain revenue from broadcast sources, the PRO14 has doubled theirs.  Greater consistency in the product being offered will lead to greater recognition of the quality on show.  295 international players appeared in the tournament this year, with 26 representing the British and Irish Lions.

The expansion to South Africa has proven to be a winner in terms of worldwide engagement and that may well increase in the coming years with the US still very much in mind.

“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,” said PRO14 Rugby CEO Martin Anayi.

“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.”

“They will champion the tournament at every turn and help spread the gospel of the Guinness PRO14 which continues to go from strength to strength with each passing season. We’re thrilled to welcome eir sport into the fold because we know they will be a partner in the truest sense of the word.”

Partners

A good broadcast partner leads to other opportunities and the tournament has signed up six new partners ahead of this month’s Final Series culminating at the Aviva Stadium on May 26th.

In the run-up to that big day in Dublin Sport for Business will talk in depth with Commercial and Marketing Director Dermot Rigley about the reality of what has been achieved to date and the potential of where the tournament is going.

“The vision eir sport has for the Guinness PRO14 is going to smash all previous expectations for our teams and their supporters,” said Rigley yesterday.

“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 pitch-side presentations and on-field interviews, it’s all part of eir sport’s and our goal of bringing fans closer to the game.”


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Image Credit: Billy Stickland, Inpho Photography