TV3 claims Irish rights for the Champions League.getty images
TV3 secured the exclusive Irish rights to the Champions League and the Europa League finals "and many of the competition matches for the next three years," according to Taylor & Hamilton of the IRISH TIMES. The broadcaster, which was acquired by Virgin Media in '15, won the rights to all Wednesday UEFA Champions League matches, all Thursday UEFA Europa League matches and the finals of both competitions as of next season. Virgin Media said that it has Irish-exclusive rights to 327 matches across both competitions per season and will also share rights for 16 Tuesday night Champions League matches. The deal "will be considered a big win for the broadcaster, which also outbid RTÉ for the rights to broadcast rugby’s Six Nations Championship for four years" in Nov. '15. While it is "unclear how Virgin will deliver this volume of matches, it is believed that there will be no pay-per-view element." The company "may opt to provide some coverage via a red button or online streaming." Virgin is expected to provide an update in the coming weeks (IRISH TIMES, 5/15).
