RWC 2023 Broadcast rights

phil · 06-02-2023 09:28PM #1

Can't seem to find who has the broadcast rights here in Ireland.

Losty Dublin · 06-02-2023 10:40PM

While there is no mention on World Rugby on a lead broadcaster, some sites suggest that Eir have the exclusive rights 🤓😂

Larbre34 · 06-02-2023 11:55PM

Eir do have the exclusive rights. They purchased them while Eir Sport was still on-air, but they don't lose them just because Eir Sport is gone, they still hold them corporately, if you like, and they are a tradable commodity.

The Free-To-Air guaranteed games are all Ireland's pool games and all tournament knock-out fixtures. RTÉ will have those.

That adds up to 16 games. Which leaves 32 games Eir can sub-licence to anyone they please. Thats not to say some or all of them won't go to RTÉ or TG4 or VM, but they could just as easily go to a streamer for Irish availability only, like England's recent games on Amazon Prime.

Losty Dublin · 07-02-2023 01:01AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120209754#Comment_120209754

Are you sure that they still hold onto them? I only ask as there isn't any mention either on World Rugby or a reputable page that they hold rights for 2023. I don't doubt the plausible concept that they would; it's just confirmation of the fact that they actually do.

icdg · 07-02-2023 12:47PM

I hadn’t heard anything either, the press release for the 2019 rights made reference to eir having picked up the rights to a number of other World Rugby tournaments, but not the 2023 RWC.

https://www.eir.ie/opencms/export/sites/default/.content/pdf/IR/news/introducing_eir_sport.pdf

https://www.irishrugby.ie/2016/07/05/eir-sport-named-rwc-2019-rights-holder-in-ireland/amp/

Thats not to say they didn’t secure the rights at a later date mind you, but I cannot find and don’t recall that announcement ever have been made. It would be odd for the rights not have been sold at this stage, mind you, but Covid turned a lot of these things on their heads (and may well have been a direct contributing factor in the demise of eir Sport itself).

Former Former Former · 07-02-2023 01:20PM

Yeah, seems very unlikely that they'd have got the rights but never announced it...

With ITV holding the UK rights (and thus limited value for anyone like Sky or BT), it's hard to see who else can come in apart from RTE/Virgin.

icdg · 07-02-2023 02:02PM

I meant to mention, this article (written after the demise of eir Sport) mentions in passing an RTE/VMTV joint bid for the rights, which obviously couldn’t have been the case if eir had already acquired them.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/08/27/world-cup-in-winter-is-nightmare-for-broadcasters-says-rte-content-boss/

icdg · 17-03-2023 10:26AM

Deal done, RTE/VMTV successful joint bid.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2023/0316/1363681-rte-and-virgin-media-to-broadcast-rugby-world-cup/

Melodeon · 17-03-2023 10:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120368802#Comment_120368802

Unless Virgin Media sort out their horrendously sub-par Saorview offering, I'll be watching all 'their' matches on BBC/ITV/wherever, in proper High Definition and correctly formatted to properly fit my TV screen.