Before the new football season kicks off Eir customers will lose out on free access to the popular sports channels.
This football season was fascinating to say the least. From the Champions League to the race for the Premiership, to whatever is going on with United! We bet after the summer break football fans will be champing at the bit for the new season to kick off.
However, if you have recently signed a contract with Eir in the hopes you'll be able to watch live football across the Champions League, Europa League, and the Premiership on BT Sport, we have some bad news for you.
As of 1st August BT Sport 1, 2 and 3 will no longer be included in the Eir Sport pack for free.
And if you are a boxing fan, Box Nation is no longer going to be free, which is a shame considering all of the excitement building in the boxing world, especially in the heavyweight division. American sports fans will also lose free access to ESPN, which will be a bane for those who enjoy NFL, NHL, and NBA coverage.
Eir says that it anticipates that you'll be able to purchase the channels as an add-on for an additional fee, similar to the add-on for Sky Sports, with pricing details to be announced later in the summer. However, there is no guarantee this will be the case.
What will be on BT Sport next year?
Next year BT Sport promises to bring football fans 351 games across the Champions League, Europa League, Premiership, and FA Cup. And if next season is anything like the last one you'll want to catch all that action live.
Rugby fans will be treated to live coverage of Gallagher Premiership Rugby from the UK. Martial arts fanatics will be able to catch some of the biggest action from the UFC, with motorsport heads being treated to programming from MotoGP. And if you're a tennis fan you'll get coverage of all the top action from the WTA tour.
What will be on Eir next year?
If you're still in a contract with Eir you'll continue to get access to Eir Sport 1 and 2 for free and you can still expect some great action next season.
Rugby fans can expect to see all 48 of the games from the Rugby World Cup in Japan as well as all 152 games from the Guinness Pro 14.
In terms of soccer, there will also be live coverage of the SSE Airtricity League as well as coverage of the Uefa U21 European Championship home qualifiers.
Golf enthusiasts can expect live coverage from all four days of the Masters at Augusta, with tennis fans being able to enjoy over 100 hours of tennis including action from Wimbledon and Roland Garros.
And for the GAA buffs out there you'll be able to catch some Hurling and Gaelic football from next year's Allianz Leagues.
New channel FreeSports
It's not all bad news as a new sports channel FreeSports will now be included in the Eir Sport pack.
Those interested in schools rugby can expect some coverage of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, while the channel will also feature some MLS soccer and coverage from the CONCACAF tournaments as well as some ice hockey and horse racing.
I just signed up to Eir. Can I cancel?
In a word. No.
According to a spokesperson its terms and conditions clearly state that the Eir sports pack channel mix is subject to change as this is the nature of the constantly changing landscape in the sports rights market.
However they added: "We are in constant dialogue with major rights holders and we will continue to invest in bringing the best content to sports fans. We expect to make some exciting announcements in the months ahead."
What do you think?
Are you an Eir customer? Is this a deal-breaker for you? Get in touch and let us know!
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And remember if you're unhappy with your current broadband and/or TV package you can compare all deals across all providers on bonkers.ie right now.
