RTÉ Sport is set to lose the television rights to the League of Ireland, with Virgin Media poised to broadcast games from the Airtricity League Men's Premier Division in 2025.
Virgin Media has outbid RTÉ Sport for the television rights, securing a deal to show 36 Airtricity League Men's Premier Division matches in 2025, covering one game per round.
RTÉ, which has faced criticism for its limited coverage over the years, had proposed increasing its number of broadcasts from 17 games per season to 20. However, Virgin's offer has surpassed the state broadcaster’s bid, and League of Ireland clubs have voted in favour of Virgin's package. The decision is pending ratification by the FAI Board next week.
Update....
FAI board ratify new three-year TV deal for League of Ireland with Virgin Media.
RTÉ announced plans for 2025 coverage before they had even submitted bid.
Sky Sports also held talks over rights last summer.https://t.co/2hSJItWYs7
— David Sneyd (@DavidSneyd) January 16, 2025
Virgin Media began broadcasting live League of Ireland matches in 2023, gradually expanding their coverage to 14 games in 2024 by utilising LOITV match feeds.
This new deal excludes the FAI Cup and European matches, which remain under RTÉ's purview for now. It is understood that the FAI Cup rights are yet to be finalised.
