Virgin Media presenter Tommy Martin (right) with Richie Towell, Dayle Rooney, Maurice Rooney and Paddy Barrett ahead of last season (file photo). Nick Elliott/INPHO
Fallout
How RTÉ jumped the gun and lost its League of Ireland rights to Virgin Media
Virgin Media will show one game a week for the next three seasons under terms of the new TV deal.
TO GET AN idea of just how certain RTÉ were about continuing their coverage of the League of Ireland in 2025, they released a statement on 2 January detailing their plans for the 12 months ahead.
“The new year will also feature a jam-packed new and live sports schedule as Champions League returns earlier than usual with the new season commencing on Wednesday nights in early January,” it began.
“URC, Investec Champions Cup and Six Nations will capture the attention of all rugby fans with prominent fixtures that promise to have you on the edge of your seat, while the Allianz GAA league with all the new GAA rules will also be up and running. Racing will be live from Leopardstown and the League of Ireland will be in full action on Friday nights, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.”
There it was, tagged on at the end of the last line like a bit of any other business that was taken care of.
There was just one problem. RTÉ had not even made their bid to the FAI for the League of Ireland package and no deal was close to being made.
When this premature and presumptuous announcement came to the attention of some of those involved at FAI HQ, they were furious. This apparent solo-run from the national broadcaster caused chaos as decision-makers scrambled.
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There was also more than a little bit of concern elsewhere as, by this point in the new year, Virgin Media were upping their own offering and felt they were putting forward the exact kind of deal which the FAI and its clubs were after.
Two weeks on from RTÉ’s blunder, they have been left out in the cold – unless they decide to bid for coverage of the FAI Cup or the European games involving Irish clubs later this summer.
Since the previous summer, broadcasters were aware of what the League of Ireland wanted from a new TV deal. Sky Sports and Premier Sports had also been included in earlier talks before the focus narrowed to ensuring a consistent schedule with one guaranteed game every week throughout the 36-game Premier Division series.
Virgin met those expectations with 36 games and the financial package is also understood to be a further benefit to clubs and the league as a whole.
Worse still for RTÉ, the deal that Virgin has struck with the League of Ireland is for the next three seasons and not just a one-off. So while RTÉ eventually did submit a bid for 20 games for this upcoming season, it still fell well below the commitment put forward by their rival.
Games will continued to be broadcast by Virgin on Friday nights with coverage a blend of live commentary and reporting from grounds as well as increased coverage from pundits in their Dublin studio.
The FAI also stressed the need during its tendering process to ensure nationwide coverage of clubs and Virgin’s ability to utilise the LOITV infrastructure already in place was another standout in their plan.
That online platform – a subscription model – was already boosted further last October when the League of Ireland linked with Premier Sports for what it described as “an innovative new partnership which will see Premier Sports launch a bespoke platform for LOITV bringing League of Ireland fans access to the service through a range of apps on mobile, tablet and Smart TV.”
It comes at a time when the TV audience for the men’s Premier Division rose by 42% last season compared to 2023.
RTÉ and Virgin shared coverage of 29 games in 2024 with 4.2 million viewers for League of Ireland games.
Declan McBennett, the head of RTÉ Sport, began informing staff and contributors to their live production that they lost the rights yesterday. Some of those dedicated operators were understandably left devastated by the news, while sources have indicated McBennett was left aghast at what’s happened.
Key FAI figures did attempt to see if a compromise could be found for RTÉ to supplement Virgin’s primary coverage, to no avail, and even though the contracts with Virgin are yet to be signed it has been ratified by the FAI board after the National League Committee, the LOI’s governing body, put forward their unanimous preference for the new deal.
A formal announcement is likely over the weekend or on Monday.
The fact Virgin have also committed to a three-year contract also provides clubs and the FAI with a level of security as they aim to properly establish a foothold every Friday night. After jumping the gun, RTÉ are now left out in the cold.
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How RTÉ jumped the gun and lost its League of Ireland rights to Virgin Media
TO GET AN idea of just how certain RTÉ were about continuing their coverage of the League of Ireland in 2025, they released a statement on 2 January detailing their plans for the 12 months ahead.
“The new year will also feature a jam-packed new and live sports schedule as Champions League returns earlier than usual with the new season commencing on Wednesday nights in early January,” it began.
“URC, Investec Champions Cup and Six Nations will capture the attention of all rugby fans with prominent fixtures that promise to have you on the edge of your seat, while the Allianz GAA league with all the new GAA rules will also be up and running. Racing will be live from Leopardstown and the League of Ireland will be in full action on Friday nights, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.”
There it was, tagged on at the end of the last line like a bit of any other business that was taken care of.
There was just one problem. RTÉ had not even made their bid to the FAI for the League of Ireland package and no deal was close to being made.
When this premature and presumptuous announcement came to the attention of some of those involved at FAI HQ, they were furious. This apparent solo-run from the national broadcaster caused chaos as decision-makers scrambled.
There was also more than a little bit of concern elsewhere as, by this point in the new year, Virgin Media were upping their own offering and felt they were putting forward the exact kind of deal which the FAI and its clubs were after.
Two weeks on from RTÉ’s blunder, they have been left out in the cold – unless they decide to bid for coverage of the FAI Cup or the European games involving Irish clubs later this summer.
Since the previous summer, broadcasters were aware of what the League of Ireland wanted from a new TV deal. Sky Sports and Premier Sports had also been included in earlier talks before the focus narrowed to ensuring a consistent schedule with one guaranteed game every week throughout the 36-game Premier Division series.
Virgin met those expectations with 36 games and the financial package is also understood to be a further benefit to clubs and the league as a whole.
Worse still for RTÉ, the deal that Virgin has struck with the League of Ireland is for the next three seasons and not just a one-off. So while RTÉ eventually did submit a bid for 20 games for this upcoming season, it still fell well below the commitment put forward by their rival.
Games will continued to be broadcast by Virgin on Friday nights with coverage a blend of live commentary and reporting from grounds as well as increased coverage from pundits in their Dublin studio.
The FAI also stressed the need during its tendering process to ensure nationwide coverage of clubs and Virgin’s ability to utilise the LOITV infrastructure already in place was another standout in their plan.
That online platform – a subscription model – was already boosted further last October when the League of Ireland linked with Premier Sports for what it described as “an innovative new partnership which will see Premier Sports launch a bespoke platform for LOITV bringing League of Ireland fans access to the service through a range of apps on mobile, tablet and Smart TV.”
It comes at a time when the TV audience for the men’s Premier Division rose by 42% last season compared to 2023.
RTÉ and Virgin shared coverage of 29 games in 2024 with 4.2 million viewers for League of Ireland games.
Declan McBennett, the head of RTÉ Sport, began informing staff and contributors to their live production that they lost the rights yesterday. Some of those dedicated operators were understandably left devastated by the news, while sources have indicated McBennett was left aghast at what’s happened.
Key FAI figures did attempt to see if a compromise could be found for RTÉ to supplement Virgin’s primary coverage, to no avail, and even though the contracts with Virgin are yet to be signed it has been ratified by the FAI board after the National League Committee, the LOI’s governing body, put forward their unanimous preference for the new deal.
A formal announcement is likely over the weekend or on Monday.
The fact Virgin have also committed to a three-year contract also provides clubs and the FAI with a level of security as they aim to properly establish a foothold every Friday night. After jumping the gun, RTÉ are now left out in the cold.
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