Leinster Rugby and Wiistream have announced a new partnership that sees the Cork-based company become the new streaming partner of Leinster.
The new partnership begins this week with Round 1 of the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Boys Schools Senior Cup between St Gerard’s and St Michael’s in Energia Park, and will include a further six first round games as well as other games and finals across the domestic calendar in the weeks and months ahead.
Wiistream will also provide a standalone platform – Leinster Rugby Plus – where Leinster Rugby content and other live events and games will be hosted.
Access to Leinster Rugby Plus will be free upon signing-up, but games and events within the platform will be charged on a game-by-game basis and there will be bundles for some competitions.
Starting this week, games streamed by Leinster Rugby Plus will be charged at €10 per game, or €42 for the seven-game Senior Cup bundle.
“This is by no means a first for us as we have been regularly streaming games from Energia Park since 2021, but it’s been on an ad hoc basis,” said Head of Communications and Media with Leinster, Marcus Ó Buachalla.
“What this new partnership with Wiistream gives us is a consistent platform to showcase the best of the domestic game to those who might not be able to attend the games. ”
“We will be working very closely with Patrick, Fionn and the team in Wiistream over the coming months and indeed the domestic rugby team in Leinster, to identify additional opportunities to showcase the best of the action from around the 12 counties.”
“It’s a brilliant start to the partnership being able to broadcast seven games in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Schools Senior Cup and we look forward to kicking-off next Monday and then announcing further games after that.”
Wiistream, founded in 2020, is a Cork-based company providing custom white-label streaming solutions for sports organisations. It first came to prominence and kicked off it’s presence in the US when appearing at the One Zero Conference in Dublin and in surrounding round table meetings of which Sport for Business was an enabler.
With offices in both the US and Ireland, Wiistream enables sporting associations to deliver seamless live and on-demand content to fans, while offering flexible monetisation options through subscriptions, pay-per-view, and ad sales.
As well as partnerships in the US and the UK, Wiistream works with the IRFU, Down GAA, Carlow GAA, and Galway GAA, delivering tailored streaming solutions to meet their needs.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Leinster Rugby, a powerhouse in Irish rugby, to provide an end-to-end streaming solution,” said Patrick Magee, CEO and co-founder with Wiistream.
“Through Leinster Rugby Plus, we are creating a centralised home for all Leinster Rugby content, serving the domestic game and with opportunities to grow into the professional game.”
“Wiistream is committed to empowering sports organisations, like Leinster Rugby, with the tools and platform they need to not only share their content but also to grow their brand and engage their audience in meaningful ways.”
“This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting journey, and we look forward to working closely with Leinster Rugby to showcase the very best of their game across the country and beyond.”
Last week, Leinster Rugby confirmed that Premier Sports would be broadcasting eight Senior Cup fixtures for the 2025 campaign, which means that for the first time ever, every game in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Boys Schools Senior Cup will be available to view from home.
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Visibility and Revenue are the two winning strands of more and more sporting bodies taking control of their own live content with good technical partners. Not all will be revenue positive in the early days but they will increasingly be seen as essential to remain relevant.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Keep up to speed with all the games being streamed on the Leinster Rugby + Platform in our Daily lookat at Sport on TV and Streaming
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