Sky Sports will be the only place to watch the Saturday 3 o'clock Premier League games in Ireland from next season.
The British broadcaster has secured the rights to the coveted slot. They will broadcast the matches exclusively for their Irish audience.
Sky are not permitted to show 3pm Saturday matches in the UK, that is a result of a long standing broadcasting law which was originally brought about to protect attendances during the early days of live televised football.
They'll also have exclusive rights to the Friday night matches. They’ve taken over a package previously held by Setanta Sports.
They announced their acquisition of the TV rights on twitter on Thursday afternoon.
.@SkySports will show a record 159 Premier League matches a season exclusively live to Republic of Ireland customers from next season
— Sky Ireland (@SkyIreland) November 12, 2015
And for the first time ever, @SkySports will show 3pm Saturday and Friday evening live PL matches to viewers in Republic of Ireland
— Sky Ireland (@SkyIreland) November 12, 2015
Setanta Sports had been broadcasting 33 matches on the Saturday afternoon slot for a number of years. The Irish broadcaster will continue to show Premier League matches as part of their association with BT Sport.
The new deal begins next season and runs until the end of the 2018/19 Premier League season, it will see Sky screen a 159 games per season in Ireland.
They will continue to show Monday night Premier League matches, and games played on Sunday.
Under the new deal, Sky Sports' Irish customers can enjoy:
- More live matches than ever before, with up to 159 fixtures a season versus 116 under the existing contract.
- Live coverage on more days of the week, with matches on Friday evenings for the first time as well as Saturday lunchtime and 3pm, Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings.
- The best match picks, including 26 first picks and 31 second picks.
- Live coverage of every Premier League club up to 26 times a season.
- Rights to offer live coverage across a range of platforms, including online and mobile.
Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: "These rights mean that Sky Sports remains the home of sport in Ireland.
"From the 2016-17 season, our viewers in Ireland will be able to enjoy even more of the best Premier League matches across more days of the week than ever before. By securing rights to live matches on Friday evenings for the first time, Sky Sports will bring Premier League fans an entirely new way to start the weekend."
JD Buckley, Managing Director of Sky Ireland, added: "This is great news for our customers. The popularity of the Premier League combined with our unrivalled coverage of golf, rugby and GAA means that Sky Sports customers will continue to enjoy the best coverage of their favourite sports."
Setanta Sports confirmed today that they have extended their partnership with BT Sport. Irish audiences can watch 28 Saturday evening Premier League games on the Setanta Sports pack from August 2016.
