Major boost for club championships as eir Sport announce rights

There will be an additional 30 club games broadcast live on television this year, with eir Sport beginning their coverage of the AIB Club Championships from May 2017.

The Irish pay per view channel announced on Thursday that they have secured rights to broadcast live hurling and football club championship games for the next five years. This will be the first time eir Sport, formerly Setanta Sports, will broadcast club games.

The first game to be covered is due some time in May, with a press release containing further details of the games being covered to be released in advance of that.

The deal will not affect TG4’s long-standing coverage of the club championships, with eir Sport offering an alternative fixture during the county championships, and the early rounds of the provincial championships, in particular.

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Therefore the 30 matches will largely be made up of the best of the games that TG4 do not cover on whatever given weekend. Increasing the number of county finals and other big club games to be aired live on television. An exciting boost for the club player and championships.

Glen Killane, marketing director of eir TV and Sport said that the annoucnemnt will significantly expand the number of games fans can watch on TV and mobile.

“These are matches that haven’t previously been shown, and we are delighted to open them up to a wider audience.

“We will show some big clashes within the AIB GAA Club Championships while broadcasting from parts of the country that the cameras don’t often visit.

“This will bring eir Sport into the heart of communities all over the country, bringing local stories to life.”