Premier League tv threat to League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is facing a formidable threat to its future attendances after the English Premier League confirmed it will screen live Friday night games from 2016.

Up to 10 Premier League games will be shown live on Friday evenings under the terms of the new broadcasting rights agreement, which was confirmed yesterday.

The Premier League has issued invitations to tender (ITT) for the broadcast rights for three seasons starting in August 2016 with 168 live matches available in total — 14 more than are currently shown and which means that 44% of all Premier League games will be available live. The auction is expected to herald another bumper pay-day for top-flight clubs.