TG4 has confirmed that it is to continue its free to air broadcast partnership with the Guinness PRO14 Championship for the next three years.
It was announced on Thursday of last week that all 152 games in the tournament next year will be shown on eir Sport in the Republic of Ireland and Premier Sports across Britain and Northern Ireland.
TG4 will show 21 of those games live throughout next season and for each of the two years after that, continuing a relationship which goes back to its initial roots as the Celtic League.
“TG4 are very much looking forward to working with eir sport and PRO14 Rugby across the new broadcast cycle which begins at the start of the new season,” said TG4 Head of Sport Rónán Ó Coisdealbha.
“We have had a long and proud history of working with this tournament since it began as the Celtic League many years ago and we are excited to be involved for the coming seasons.”
The deal is part of a sub-licensing agreement with eir Sport.
“Free-To-Air coverage on TG4 is a vital component of these broadcast agreements to ensure all fans have access to every round of action in the Guinness PRO14,” added PRO14 CEO Martin Anayi.
“TG4 are long-standing broadcast partners of the Championship and have contributed greatly to its popularity and we are delighted that this relationship has been maintained.”
“Most major rugby properties now have a subscription model with broadcasters valuing the Guinness PRO14 as one of the premier club competitions in world rugby,” said PRO14 Commercial and Marketing Director Dermot Rigley.
“We believe that eir sport and TG4 will offer us a perfect combination – incredible quality and value for supporters and reach for our Championship.”
It also seems likely that the number of matches and the size of the tournament will expand in the lifetime of this broadcast rights deal with unconfirmed reports over the weekend that additional teams from South Africa will be joining the PRO14 and turning it into a PRO16 from the start of the 2019/20 season.
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Image Credit: Billy Stickland, Inpho Photography
