LOI TV Coverage 2024

[Another Bohemia]

Flicking through the channels there and see that Coleraine vs Crusaders is live on Sky Sports + at the moment. Sparse crowd, next to no atmosphere at all, poor standard on the pitch. It really makes you think how short the FAI have sold the LOI by not getting games on Sky Sports, specially considering there is usually no other live football on a Friday night on Sky bar the odd sporadic Championship game. And no football at all on Sky through the summer.

Premier league have Friday night games now. This week is Brighton v Southampton. It's not every week as far as I know but it's regular enough. Championship is a bigger draw than LOI as well. I think the FAI should have be doing more but I don't know what they can do if sky don't want to show the games? Our own broadcasters don't even want to show the games

[2 Year Contract]

Premier league have Friday night games now. This week is Brighton v Southampton. It's not every week as far as I know but it's regular enough. Championship is a bigger draw than LOI as well. I think the FAI should have be doing more but I don't know what they can do if sky don't want to show the games? Our own broadcasters don't even want to show the games

I know there are some Premier League and Championship games, but very few clash with the LOI’s summer season. If they can be convinced to show the NIFL during the winter then they can be convinced to show a better product in the LOI during their summer months of showing no football, when there would be a market and appetite in the UK to watch a live televised game on a Friday night as opposed to re-runs of programmes. I’m not talking about a game every week here, even X amount of games a year (as RTE/Virgin do at the moment) as a starting point would be something

[EatYerGreens]

To play devil's advocado here for a minute, does it relly matter that the LOI isn't on Sky ?

Attendances at, and interest in, our league is higher now than it has been in years - and shows signs of continuing to grow. That's all happened without Sky.

The IL has had games on Sky over the last few years. Can anyone genuinely say it's done much for them? Their attendances so far this season are down at 10 out of 12 clubs, for example. The crowd at that Coleraine-Crusafders game would undoubtedly have been higher if Sky didn't move it into an early Sunday afternoon slot.

That's one of the problems with Sky coverage. They shift fixtures around to suit themselves, even if it makes them less attractive for the supporters. And do the IL clubs get any money for the pleasure of being on Sky?

Has any disinterested 'neutral' watched an IL game on Sky and thought to themselves - 'I really must get along to watch my local club now'? Is that how the brain of the average barstooler works? Or is the spectacle just as likely to reinforce whatever prejudices they already have about the league?

Are we ascribing too much power to Sky as a vehicle for positively promoting our league? What have they done to promote the IL over the last few years? Sky show games and events that attract millions of viewers. They don't give a rat's arse about the sort of piddly subscription and viewing numbers that Irish clubs would bring in.

[2 Year Contract]

Fair point, I assumed the clubs are making money off it which was the main reason I’d like to see it here seen as clubs still get nothing for any tv games here as it stands. If it turns out that clubs in the north aren’t getting money for it then it’s another story obviously. On the numbers point, the UK viewing numbers for Friday night LOI games would beat the viewing numbers for afternoon NIFL games in my opinion. Regardless it’s obvious they didn’t take on the NIFL games for viewing numbers, as DCSIL mentioned, it was a bargaining chip as part of the tv deal for the national team and as a result the clubs benefit financially (again, I’m assuming they do). What I’m saying is, the FAI could’ve done similar when sorting the contract as national team sponsor. I recall Dan McDonnell saying within the last year that a deal was close with Sky for LOI football to be shown and it fell through but could happen again in the future. This was at a time when Sky were women’s team sponsor, before they later also became sponsor of the men’s team. Haven’t heard anything else on it since

[A N Mouse]

To play devil's advocado here for a minute, does it relly matter that the LOI isn't on Sky ?

Attendances at, and interest in, our league is higher now than it has been in years - and shows signs of continuing to grow. That's all happened without Sky.

The IL has had games on Sky over the last few years. Can anyone genuinely say it's done much for them? Their attendances so far this season are down at 10 out of 12 clubs, for example. The crowd at that Coleraine-Crusafders game would undoubtedly have been higher if Sky didn't move it into an early Sunday afternoon slot.

That's one of the problems with Sky coverage. They shift fixtures around to suit themselves, even if it makes them less attractive for the supporters. And do the IL clubs get any money for the pleasure of being on Sky?

Has any disinterested 'neutral' watched an IL game on Sky and thought to themselves - 'I really must get along to watch my local club now'? Is that how the brain of the average barstooler works? Or is the spectacle just as likely to reinforce whatever prejudices they already have about the league?

Are we ascribing too much power to Sky as a vehicle for positively promoting our league? What have they done to promote the IL over the last few years? Sky show games and events that attract millions of viewers. They don't give a rat's arse about the sort of piddly subscription and viewing numbers that Irish clubs would bring in.

I tend to agree on sky as a promotion vehicle, but my take away is it's more a criticism of the fai. The ifa were proactive in securing a handful of games to be broadcast (four?) each season, it's been going on for about 15 years. They also have an agreement with the BBC to broadcast regular games, David Healy thinks they're being done in that one presumably cos they're not getting sky/any money just 'exposure'.

The nifl womens also recently announced a broadcast deal. The English national league has had a deal for nearly twenty years. The last one with BT was worth about 10k a game, they said viewership was too low to pay proposed extras.

But the fai has seemingly been unwilling to strike a deal to benefit the clubs if it costs the organisation a single cent.

[CamacTerrace202]

Any further news on the app that LOI and Premier sports announced?
Know plenty of time before new season but could be a good Christmas present to get/give

[nr637]

Is this the first time that two of our main National TV channels are covering domestic LOI games at peak viewing time!

FAI Cup Quarter-Final, Drogheda United v Shamrock Rovers will be on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, coverage begins at 7pm, with kick-off in Drogheda at 7.30pm.

Premier Division, Bohemians v Derry will be on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Player, coverage begins at 7.30pm, with kick-off in Dalymount at 7.45pm.

It will also be interesting to see both channels average TV viewership figures for these games.

[RealJohn91]

Bohs vs Derry isn't on Virgin Media tonight

[Martinho II]

Bohs vs Derry isn't on Virgin Media tonight

yes it is on. Ireland AM this morn they said that the Bohs Derry game is on VM tonight. Its also on the Sky listings also!

[Buckett]

Is this the first time that two of our main National TV channels are covering domestic LOI games at peak viewing time!

I'd say you're right. It seems a bit mad, they're just halving their audience really. I had planned on watching the Drogheda match but I think I'll watch Bohs v Derry just to spite RTÉ

[RealJohn91]

Strange, none of the club or league social media are advertising it. It's not on the virgin media website either.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Or mentioned in the tv listings on the paper. If they are showing it they’ve gone the RTE route of advertising it.

[WoodquayBoy]

Just watching Virgin Media 5.30 news and in sports bulletin they mentioned the league game but never said anything about broadcasting it

[wonder88]

Well the Bohs v Derry game (2nd half anyway, that I watched) was a brilliant advert for the Loi.

[Martinho II]

So strange as earlier in the week Virgin Media 2 said they were showing the game?? Wonder what happened as watched Linfield Glentoran game instead on my phone instead of Bohs match?