The FAI and RTÉ Sport, in association with GAAGo, have unveiled WATCHLOI this morning as the streaming platform for the remainder of the SSE Airtricity League season.
It will be the league’s first-ever streaming service which will deliver SSE Airtricity League Premier Division football to all supporters in Ireland and around the world.
Each Premier Division fixture, as well as selected Extra.ie FAI Cup matches will be live-streamed with RTE Sport’s cameras and commentary team delivering the sound and pictures.
Season passes went on sale this morning on the watchloi.ie platform at a cost of €55 for supporters in Ireland and €69 for the rest of the world.
The technology behind the platform is that which was developed as a joint venture between the GAA and RTÉ and which has delivered GAA matches and programming outside of Ireland for the past six years.
It is a working platform and it is wholly Irish owned and operated which are two big wins for the FAI in choosing it as a partner for this pathway that may yet develop into more of a long term offering over time.
“Working with RTE Sport and GAAGO will guarantee that we will have a best-in-class product which SSE Airtricity League supporters will be able to enjoy around the world,” said FAI Commercial and Marketing Director Mark Russell.
“Especially with COVID-19 restrictions, this is the ideal time to launch this service but with the revenue it will generate for the clubs, this is also a major moment for the league and a fantastic opportunity to promote and enhance the domestic game in Ireland.”
“In these uncertain times, when dedicated fans are unable to attend games in large numbers, we are delighted to bring the games directly to them via WatchLOI,” added RTÉ Group Head of Sport Declan McBennett.
“This is a chance for the whole of the Irish footballing family to get behind the SSE Airtricity League and lend their support in every way to the clubs as the heartbeat of the association.”
The SSE Airtricity League is set to restart on Friday, July 31 with Derry City v Sligo Rovers to be the first match streamed on the platform, kick-off at 5.45 pm.
Here is the promotional video which has been used to launch the service.
We will have more analysis of this major announcement on Sport for Business to follow.
