UEFA Champions League 21-24: FTA on RTE&VMTV, LiveScore other matches

Dodge · 01-03-2021 1:43pm #1

Virgin has lost the champions league rights. Hard to see the sports brand continuing without them

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/virgin-media-loses-out-in-champions-league-tv-bidding-1.4497952

The speculation is that DAZN or Amazon would take them. With RTE talking the Tuesday package, the only other ‘local’ option would be Eir...

icdg · 01-03-2021 2:02pm

That is very interesting news. That has to be it for VM Sport, presumably the remaining year or so of the internationals contract can move to the terrestrial outlets, given their nature is sporadic.

I wonder who the new entrant is. DAZN is likely to raise heckles about it being yet another subscription to add on top of Sky/BT & Premier/eir. Amazon hasn’t done any deals for just Ireland in sport yet.

icdg · 01-03-2021 2:20pm

Dodge wrote: »

Virgin has lost the champions league rights. Hard to see the sports brand continuing without them

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/virgin-media-loses-out-in-champions-league-tv-bidding-1.4497952

The speculation is that DAZN or Amazon would take them. With RTE talking the Tuesday package, the only other ‘local’ option would be Eir...

And Premier Sports. Easy to forget them, but they are “local”.

Dodge · 01-03-2021 3:30pm

icdg wrote: »

And Premier Sports. Easy to forget them, but they are “local”.

Indeed. Completely forgot about them!

DAZN have gone huge on rights in Germany and is big enough player in countries like Spain etc. They have the UCL rights for Canada so already have an English language broadcast. It just seems so odd that they’d enter the Irish market (currently we have the same boxing package as the UK for example)

As for VM, they’d hardly for Europa League rights now so it’ll be down to real bare bones stuff

iseegirls · 01-03-2021 3:31pm

..will soon receive free-to-air rights to several sports including cycling and tennis through a deal with Eurosport owner Discovery

God, if that's what they're relying on now - then Virgin Media Sport is definitely gone. Also taking no interest in the GAA All Ireland matches? Quite startling really.

lertsnim · 01-03-2021 3:36pm

Their only interest is ITV programming. Cheap ****e repeated over and over.

iseegirls · 01-03-2021 3:59pm

Their handling of the Champions League in terms of broadcasting it has been a mess anyway. They started off just showing the 5:55pm games on VM1, until they realized those games were not quite good in terms of competitiveness. Emmerdale and Corrie would get better ratings at the end of the day.

Then showing a game up against RTE2 on a Tuesday night on VM1, while being cheeky to not show anything on Wednesday night.

Their 90minute highlights package on a Wednesday at 10pm, was dropped.

Pundits and presenters fully analyzing a game on VMSports for a 5:55pm kickoff, watching the first half, analyzing that, then at 7pm switch to previewing a different match for 8pm, and leaving no analysis of the second half of the first match.

I'd even go as far as saying their rights to the international games - Nations league and Qualifiers have been odd. What's the point of getting rights if it doesn't include live Rep Of Ireland rights. They had live rights of Northern Ireland's play off game, showed it all, and then spent the preceding hour after it discussing ROI's exit in the play-off, with no mention of the NI game.

icdg · 01-03-2021 4:12pm

iseegirls wrote: »

God, if that's what they're relying on now - then Virgin Media Sport is definitely gone. Also taking no interest in the GAA All Ireland matches? Quite startling really.

I’m surprised at that too, the GAA rights for 2023+ are up for tender later this year but maybe it reflects a sense that the main rights package will never leave RTÉ (can you imagine, “The Sunday Game to end” headlines) and the smaller rights package (that they had before) involves mainly Saturday evening fixtures which don’t suit VMTV as they interfere with ITV’s Saturday prime time lineup. Mooted changes to the football championship format may affect what happens there though.

roadmaster · 01-03-2021 4:29pm

When TV3 had GAA they where brutal but maybe there could be a further package for virgin for division 3 & 4 similar to EFL on Quest as rte. dont recognize anything under division 1 or even the new Tailtaen cup if it ever starts. A few weeks ago peter McKenna was taking about online broadcasters could it maybe not amazon but DAZN?

Elmo · 01-03-2021 4:45pm

icdg wrote: »

I’m surprised at that too, the GAA rights for 2023+ are up for tender later this year but maybe it reflects a sense that the main rights package will never leave RTÉ (can you imagine, “The Sunday Game to end” headlines) and the smaller rights package (that they had before) involves mainly Saturday evening fixtures which don’t suit VMTV as they interfere with ITV’s Saturday prime time lineup. Mooted changes to the football championship format may affect what happens there though.

When are the All Ireland Championship right up for grabs, even the League rights?

Doodah7 · 01-03-2021 4:47pm

It is symptomatic of VM. While busy on Saturday and flicked on the rugby on Saorview to be faced with an appalling SD picture. Straight over to ITV on Freesat for a proper HD picture.

It's 2021 and showing sport on SD is simply unacceptable. Now I know that there is a whole separate saga of TV3/VM and Saorview but I don't care. I voted with my remote. My eyes saw ITV adverts rather than VM adverts. I wonder do Irish advertising agencies take note of such issues?

icdg · 01-03-2021 4:48pm

I doubt any of the broadcasters with no presence in Ireland will target GAA to be honest. Most people outside Ireland (and maybe at a very long stretch Victoria because of the AFL association) don’t even know it exists. Amazon are suggested as potential bidders by every sporting body looking to sell rights and while I don’t doubt that they might pick up Champions League given an opportunity I think it a stretch to see them involved in GAA where they’d be a host broadcaster and have to put actual production resources in.

roadmaster · 01-03-2021 4:54pm

icdg wrote: »

I doubt any of the broadcasters with no presence in Ireland will target GAA to be honest. Most people outside Ireland (and maybe at a very long stretch Victoria because of the AFL association) don’t even know it exists. Amazon are suggested as potential bidders by every sporting body looking to sell rights and while I don’t doubt that they might pick up Champions League given an opportunity I think it a stretch to see them involved in GAA where they’d be a host broadcaster and have to put actual production resources in.

would they need to put resources in, is that all outsourced to company's like NEP, Could someone not use them services like that in and just put a commentary team in the way F1 is done?

Acosta · 01-03-2021 5:03pm

As I don't pay for HD with Sky I'd be hoping it goes to Premier or Eir who are HD as standard. I can't see Eir bothering. I'd be happy enough with Amazon too.

Virgin Media have a good anchor and decent pundits, especially compared to BT(which wouldn't be hard really), but the quality of the picture on Sky SD is disgraceful to be honest. You couldn't even call it SD. I tend to watch the pundits on VM and then turn over to BT to watch the match, which is also in SD, but still a lot better.

icdg · 01-03-2021 5:19pm

roadmaster wrote: »

would they need to put resources in, is that all outsourced to company's like NEP, Could someone not use them services like that in and just put a commentary team in the way F1 is done?

Absolutely, but they still have to pay for it, and need staff on the ground to manage it, ensure compliance etc, even if the actual production is outsourced, it is their name on the broadcast and if something goes wrong they take the blame.

However the biggest obstacle to international players coming for GAA isn’t that. It’s that they don’t know what the GAA is. It has zero international reputation outside of Irish ex pats, except maybe in Australia

Delta2113 · 01-03-2021 5:41pm

Might be Sky Sports that got it. I actually see Virgin Media Sports continuing even if it's showing Danish swimming games that it gets from Discovery or whatever.

bennyl10 · 01-03-2021 5:42pm

Delta2113 wrote: »

Might be Sky Sports that got it. I actually see Virgin Media Sports continuing even if it's showing Danish swimming games that it gets from Discovery or whatever.

sky wouldnt bid for just the irish rights, would be shocked if its them

icdg · 01-03-2021 6:11pm

The Discovery deal seems to be specifically for free to air coverage. It’s an odd one and Id like to see more detail. Could it be a precursor to VMTV taking the FTA rights to the 2024 Olympics, I wonder? At any rate if it’s FTA that would rule out the use of VM Sport for the acquired content.

It would be amazing if both VM Sport and eir Sport were to disappear later this year. eir Sport, if it is not they who are in the running for the Champions League (which they had before for a long time, incidentally) need the Pro14 rights to survive.

dublinman1990 · 01-03-2021 7:47pm

At least everything from the CL here is not completely behind a pay-wall like in the UK. But still it is disappointing that Virgin losing the rights to these games. Last week VM that they have increased their customer base here during the pandemic. If any of those numbers influenced with their CL coverage?

I don't know if RTE have got back the rights to show the CL final under their new re-signed deal for Tuesday nights or will it be stuck to a pay tv provider when this is a new sub licensed deal. I will be delighted if they show some games in the Europa League for Thursday nights. I will hope that it may become a possibility because I was interested in watching both competitions on VM.

Will Eir be interested to start up a new bid for these matches? Are they able to afford it for the price rise in the new rights deal for the Republic of Ireland?

channelsurfer2 · 01-03-2021 10:43pm

Eir perhaps?? If not then premier sports.

mikeym · 01-03-2021 10:47pm

I cant see Eir getting the rights, they dont seem to have an appetite to get new sporting content or mightn't have the money.

I cant see Amazon Prime or Dazn getting the rights, Irish subscribers will want to see the matches on Tv not online.

I think Premier Sports will get the rights. They have the 3pm Premier League Matches and have the Red button option to watch the other matches.

channelsurfer2 · 01-03-2021 10:49pm

mikeym wrote: »

I cant see Eir getting the rights, they dont seem to have an appetite to get new sporting content or mightn't have the money.

I cant see Amazon Prime or Dazn getting the rights, Irish subscribers will want to see the matches on Tv not online.

I think Premier Sports will get the rights. They have the 3pm Premier League Matches and have the Red button option to watch the other matches.

It says a new player so yeah it could be premier who throw money at things and realise they can't make a profit on th later..

mikeym · 02-03-2021 12:01am

At the moment Premier Sports and Bt are bundled together on the One Sport pack.

Could this change if Premier get the Champions League rights because it could be a waste of money to acquire the same content as Bt Sport.

icdg · 02-03-2021 12:31am

That won’t change for the duration of this Premier League contract, and indeed as a result of the Premier League deciding to show all games in the U.K., all of Premier Sports games are also being shown on U.K. TV, including BT Sport in some cases (though Premier got extra games, mainly ones being shown in the U.K. on Amazon and the BBC, as a sort of bad trade off).

Delta2113 · 02-03-2021 12:39am

So we may have two Pay Tv choices in Ireland for Champions League football - Bt Sport and whoever else - very strange for such a small Country.

icdg · 02-03-2021 7:38am

That’s been the case for a very long time now. Even in the days when the Europa League was blocked when it was on ESPN, Sky’s Champions League coverage was never subject to the same requirement

Delta2113 · 02-03-2021 9:07am

Sky's Champions League coverage which you had to subscribe for was not available to subscribe via another Pay Tv channel so this will be a different scenario.

icdg · 02-03-2021 11:16am

You don’t even need to go back that far though. Setanta and BT both often had the same coverage (part of the same pack in Ireland at the time, granted, but still separate rights holders) and latterly VM and BT, which have never been part of the same pack.

iseegirls · 02-03-2021 11:22am

Could we see a scenario where Eir will take the CL and EL rights, and then Virgin Media do a deal with BT Sports to show their Sports Channels (for free {unlikely} or a cheaper sports deal package)

Or is the BT package exclusive for Sky?

channelsurfer2 · 02-03-2021 11:35am

iseegirls wrote: »

Could we see a scenario where Eir will take the CL and EL rights, and then Virgin Media do a deal with BT Sports to show their Sports Channels (for free {unlikely} or a cheaper sports deal package)

Or is the BT package exclusive for Sky?

It's exclusive to sky in Ireland for a few more years.

icdg · 02-03-2021 11:47am

Sky have the wholesale rights in Ireland until the end of current Premier League TV rights contact (31st July 2022).

Note though that when you say “exclusive”, the channels are available on Now TV and Sky have also sub licensed the channels to Vodafone and to eir for legacy eir Vision customers (eir TV doesn’t do premium tv - customers are referred to Now TV). VM is the only major platform that doesn’t carry them.

UEFA Champions League 21-24: FTA on RTE&VMTV, LiveScore other matches

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