Ireland is likely to be treated separately in a new TV deal for European Rugby when negotiations on a new broadcast deal open in 2017.
This could herald a return to terrestrial television for the first time since 2006.
TV3 and RTE Sport would both be eager to explore this possibility. TV3 won the right to broadcast the 2015 Rugby World Cup and will also take over the Six Nations from 2018. They lost out to eir Sport in bidding for the 2019 Rugby World Cup but the attraction of showing marquee Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster games would be attractive to all broadcasters.
Speaking at the Irish launch of this year’s Champions’ Cup in Dublin yesterday Vincent Gaillard, Director general of European Professional Club Rugby suggested that the split between two pay tv broadcasters in Sky Sports and BT Sport was ‘unsatisfactory’ and that ‘more free to air coverage in Ireland would be an objective of the negotiations.
The new arrangement would come into place in time for the 2019 season.
He also suggested a new third official partner was likely to be announced soon, adding to Heineken and Turkish Airlines but still short of the planned five when the tournament was launched as a successor to the Heineken Cup over two years ago.
