TV3 has won the Irish rights to broadcast next year’s Rugby World Cup.
Under the terms of the deal, TV3 will manage the broadcast of live coverage of all 48 matches and will also deliver a TV, digital and mobile highlights offering.
The tournament takes place in England and Wales from September 18th to October 31st 2015. All of the Ireland matches and final stages of the tournament will be broadcast free to air.
“TV3 is honoured to have been awarded these prestigious rights by the International Rugby Board,” said TV3 Group CEO David McRedmond.
“The Rugby World Cup will be the stand out sporting event in 2015, which will anchor our 2015 Autumn Schedule. Rugby following in Ireland is at an all-time high following successes in the Heineken Cup and most recently the success of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team in the six nations.”
Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset said:“Ireland has traditionally been a strong and passionate Rugby market and we are delighted to be appointing a broadcaster that shares our passion for sport and our showcase event.
“TV3 has played a leading role in the promotion of sport in Ireland and we are excited by their innovative plans to broadcast Rugby World Cup 2015. We look forward to working in partnership to deliver an exciting experience for sports fans in Ireland.”
TV3 Group Director of Broadcasting, Niall Cogley said “If Ireland can beat Canada, Romania and Italy in the opening games, we’ll play France in Cardiff on October 11th for the privilege of avoiding New Zealand in the quarter-final. With Joe Schmidt’s now legendary attention to detail, we like to imagine that Ireland’s first ever involvement in a Rugby World Cup semi-final is a real possibility next year.”
“TV3’s recent investment in one of the most advanced HD Studios in these islands and the replacement of core technology will allow TV3 to show the World Cup at its best. Over the coming year we will build the best rugby broadcast team to delight our viewers.”
It is expected that the broadcaster will broadcast about 20 matches on TV3 and the remainder on 3e although TV3 has not ruled out some sub-licenses to other Irish broadcasters. TV3 also confirmed it is in discussions with respective platforms regarding the launch of TV3 HD in the first half of 2015.
