Virgin Media the only show for LOI after FAI turn off RTÉ

ONLY SHOW: Virgin Media will be the one-stop shop for all League of Ireland live broadcast this year after the FAI board rubberstamped a switch from traditional rights holder RTÉ. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Virgin Media will be the one-stop shop for all League of Ireland live broadcast this year after the FAI board rubberstamped a switch from traditional rights holder RTÉ.

The decision was ratified at a meeting of the 14-person FAI board on Wednesday – the same forum that endorsed the appointment of Carla Ward as new manager of the Ireland women’s team.

While RTÉ dithered and delayed in submitting a formal proposal to the FAI, eventually pitching a small increase from 17 to 20 matches Virgin stole a march by offering a package with 16 extra live games.

That rockets their offering over the season to 36 matches, effectively one live match for every series of Premier Division fixtures – starting with the opening weekend of February 14.

The commercial station concentrated their resources in attaining exclusive rugby and international football early in its lifespan but eventually brought live domestic action to its platform through seven televised fixtures in 2023.

That suite doubled last year, prioritising Monday matches such as the September cracker at Tolka that saw St Patrick’s Athletic edge out eventual champions Shelbourne 3-2.

By operating a system of using the FAI LOITV feed from venues into studio analysis, rather than the state station’s outside broadcast unit, Virgin are at a financial advantage.

That has framed this ambitious pitch, along with sharing their panel of pundits from Uefa club competitions, such as Brian Kerr, Damien Delaney and Richard Dunne, into the national league market.

It’s understood RTÉ’s head of sport Declan McBennett informed staff at a morning meeting of the likely imminent decision by the FAI board. Pundits were subsequently notified.

By that stage, the association’s National Leagues Committee (NLC), chaired by former government minister Dermot Ahern, comprised of FAI board members and club representatives, had opted for the enhanced Virgin alternative.

RTÉ can still apply for FAI Cup rights and the European matches of Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Drogheda in the summer but their discontinuation as the frontline TV source is rippling through Montrose.