RTÉ and Virgin Media to share future Six Nations games as new broadcast deal announced
Women’s Six Nations and Men’s Under 20s Championships will also be shown on Virgin Media. By Paul Fennessy Monday 10 May 2021, 10:21 AM Mon 10:21 AM 28,547 Views 50 Comments
File pic.
Image: Giuseppe Fama/INPHO
RTÉ AND VIRGIN Media are set to share future Six Nations broadcasting duties, it has been announced.
The deal, which has been agreed “in principle,” means the Six Nations will remain on free-to-air TV, despite some media speculation that would cease to be the case.
It also means RTÉ will show fixtures from the event for the first time since 2018, with Virgin Media having exclusive rights to show the tournament in Ireland for the past three years.
Irelandâs Six Nations games are to remain on free-to-air television for the foreseeable future after the Six Nations confirmed it had reached an agreement âin principleâ with Virgin Media and RTÃ for coverage of the tournament.
The new television deal will ensure all three Six Nations Championships (Menâs Six Nations, Womenâs Six Nations and Menâs Under 20âs tournaments) are shared between the two broadcasters.
This dispels fears that some of Irelandâs games may have been shown on pay-per-view television after the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners secured a 14 per cent share in the Six Nations in a five-year deal thought to be worth in excess of â¬350million.
IN HOUSE ROW
Housing Minister slammed by Ireland AM host for not including vulture funds legislation in new affordable housing bill
Updated: 6 May 2021, 17:42
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HOUSING Minister Darragh O Brien has been slammed for not including legislation to tackle vulture funds in the latest affordable housing bill.
Ireland AM host Alan Hughes asked the Minister how he did not foresee it and move to stop investment funds from buying Irish properties in bulk.
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The new Affordable Housing BillCredit: Alamy
The Virgin Media One interview came after it emerged last weekend that Round Hill Capital and its partner SFO Capital, bought 135 of 170 houses at the Mullen Park estate in Maynooth in Co Kildare, leaving many Irish potential buyers out in the cold.
Mike Davidson and Alan Hughes on Ireland AM. (Virgin Media Television)
Conversion therapy advocate Mike Davidson was grilled by gay host Alan Hughes about his stance on queer people’s rights and freedoms on live TV.
Davidson runs Core Issues Trust, a Northern Irish charity that claims to support “men and women with homosexual issues who voluntarily seek change in sexual preference”.
Ireland AM on Thursday morning (6 May), where in a wide-ranging interview he vehemently denied that he practices conversion therapy, claiming he instead offers “conversation therapy” to LGBT+ people who want to change their identity.
He claimed that Core Issues Trust helps people understand “whether they want to proceed into a gay identity and continue with those behaviours or go in a different direction”.
About Virgin Media:
Virgin Media is the leading connected entertainment cable and broadcast business in Ireland. Every day we deliver connections that really matter for Irish Consumers and Businesses with multi award-winning services including broadband, TV, mobile and home phone. Our Virgin Media Business division provides the fastest broadband speeds and connectivity solutions for entrepreneurs, businesses and the public sector.
Virgin Media Television, our broadcast division, is Ireland’s number one commercial broadcaster offering three free-to-air channels: Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two, Virgin Media Three, as well as the Virgin Media Player. We are a significant investor in home produced content, including news, current affairs and drama, as well as offering the best in international programming. Virgin Media Sport and our 6 Extra Sport channels offer extensive sports coverage across the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. Our advertising sales agency, Vir