The announcement marks the end of Eir’s venture into sports television after launching Eir Sport in 2016, following the company’s purchase and rebrand of Setanta Sports.
In news that will be sure to disappoint TV customers and sports fans in general, Eir has officially confirmed that its Eir Sports channels will cease operating by the end of the year.
However, the announcement won’t come as much of a shock as it was only back in March that the telecommunications company announced that it wasn’t entering the latest round of sports rights bidding.
The decision to discontinue Eir Sport by the end of 2021 was made “following an in-depth review” undertaken by the company.
In a statement Eir mentioned the adverse effect the pandemic has had on its business model with Eir Sport no longer financially viable as a direct result.
The challenges of the last year have fundamentally changed the commercial model for sports broadcasters, with more sporting events moving to free-to-air and premium broadcasting rights becoming increasingly expensive.
In the meantime Eir said it's ‘refocusing its resources on its core business of providing the best mobile and broadband networks and services for customers.’
I’m an Eir customer, what do I need to know?
Eir hasn’t given a specific date for when its sports channels will go off the air, however, it did say that it will update customers more in the coming weeks.
So if you are signed up with Eir you’ll be sure to receive communication from it soon regarding your subscription and from what date Eir Sport will be discontinued.
In between now and then Eir Sport will continue to show the Allianz Football Leagues, the Rainbow Cup, as well as coverage from the SSE Airtricity League and more.
You can also keep an eye out on this blog for all the latest updates!
Where can I get my sporting fix?
If you’re an Eir customer and are thinking of switching to a new provider, rest assured there are plenty of great options out there to maintain your fix of great live sport.
By signing up for a TV bundle from Virgin Media for example, sports fans can watch live coverage of the Champions League and Guinness Six Nations on Virgin Media Sport as well as having free access to the Virgin Media Sports app.
Virgin Media however no longer holds the rights to broadcast Champions League games from next season after losing out to a higher (and for now still unknown) bidder in March of this year. The loss of the rights to show these games, which were a key part of the channel's offering, has also cast doubt on the future of Virgin Media Sport.
A better bet might be Sky. Sports fans though can sign up to any one of Sky's TV packages that includes Sky Sports. At the moment there are deals on offer from as little as €50 per month that include the sports channels. Eir customers and Virgin Media customers can also choose to add a Sky Sports package to their plans too of course.
If however you're not looking to commit to a contract, it's also possible to catch all the best sporting action with a NOW TV pass. Customers can purchase daily, weekly or monthly passes to all of the Sky Sports channels including BT Sport and Premier Sports without having to sign up to a yearly contract.
If you’re considering switching or simply want to find out more about what deals are available you can conduct a quick comparison on bonkers.ie today!
Compare and switch today
If you’re considering switching from Eir or simply want to find out more about what deals are available, you can use bonkers.ie to run a full comparison across all providers and find the best deal for you.
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Let’s hear from you!
What do you make of the latest news from Eir? Are you sad to see Eir Sport go? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
If you want to know more about Eir’s offerings, you can explore available bundles here, or check out all broadband and TV providers here yourself.
If you do have any questions about your current subscription or anything else in relation to the news from Eir you can reach out to us on social media. We're on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
