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Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Sports TV subscriptions: What's the best value among the dizzying options?
There was a time when sport on Irish television was a simple affair. There was the Six Nations – or Five Nations as it was then and the odd Irish soccer match which would as often as not end in a moral victory but an actual loss. We had the Aga Khan Cup, and Wimbledon , big race meetings from Ireland and the UK, the FA Cup Final and the occasional snooker tournament. On Saturday afternoons there was an omnibus called Sports Stadium which carried a pretty eclectic mix of random sports and a whole lot of horse racing. It always climaxed with the results from the English and Scottish leagues. Then there was the Olympics , the World Cup and the European Championships. And that was pretty much that at least for those in one and two channel land. READ MORE People with access to the British channels could add Match of the Day on Saturday nights and the Big Match on Sunday afternoons, snooker in the form of Pot Black and some pretty unattractive wrestling to the mix while as the 1980s drew to a close American Football started appearing on Channel Four of all places. That was around the time ITV started showing real life top flight games from England live on Sunday afternoons. Then Sky came along and everything changed. And the world of sport on the telly has kept changing with the speed of Manchester United back line moving forward. Ah no, only joking, the changes have been much faster than that. The changes have, in fact, been dizzying and sometimes incomprehensible and often very, very expensive. Early this week we got a mail from a reader that highlights just some of the challenges facing Irish sports lovers these days. 'Ireland is playing the West Indies today at Clontarf in a three-game ODI cricket series,' said Damien. 'The first two games were on TNT Sports 1 and 2, but today's game is hidden from Irish viewers on Sky and NOW TV. It is available in the UK on Discovery+. You expect a broadcaster to show a full series of games. I've to pay a NOW subscription for this.' It wasn't the first time in recent weeks the same correspondent – a self-described 'middle-aged disgruntled multi-sports fan' – was in touch. 'Last year, Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) had Eurosport broadcasts and streams available on its streaming and on-demand service, Discovery+. Since last summer, WBD has removed sports content from Irish subscribers of the service, while continuing to provide such content elsewhere in the EU (either on Discovery+ or Max) '. He pointed out that a 'notable impact this year is that the French Open is not available to stream in Ireland, because WBD is currently restricting their broadcasts of the tournament to subscribers of its linear TNT Sports channels.' Damien subscribes to TNT Sports via NOW TV but 'won't be able to choose a match of my choice like I used to. WBD have the rights to show the tournament from Roland Garros across the EU (except France), and streams all courts and content via Discovery+ or Max.' He also bemoaned the absence of cycling and winter sports such as downhill skiing 'which are freely available to other EU citizens'. Sport dominates TV watching So, where do we stand when it comes to sport on the telly. The first thing to say is it is pretty popular. Last year it dominated the list of most-watched programmes in Ireland with 10 rugby matches in the top 50 including all of Ireland's Six Nations games featuring in the top 10 The All-Ireland Hurling final was in third place while the football final was in sixth. All told 10 Euro 2024 soccer matches made the top 50, along with two Nations League marches, while the Olympics also did well. RTÉ remains the go to station for free-to-air sport although Virgin Media has been nipping at its heels for quite some time and is a serious rival in that space. It is the home of rugby and Gaelic games as well as fair amount of soccer and some of the biggest sporting showpieces on the planet from the Olympics to the World Athletics Championships and a whole lot more besides. But Virgin Media hasn't been found wanting when it comes to live sport and its made a real declaration of intent earlier this year when it announced a four-year deal with the League of Ireland to show dozens of live premier league games on Friday nights throughout the summer and into the autumn. Football joins Rugby with Virgin sharing the Six Nations with RTÉ for the next four years at least. GAA+ formerly known as GAA-Go is a somewhat controversial package having taken ownership of some of the most high profile hurling and football matches that would otherwise have been free to view on terrestrial TV. The cost of a single match comes in at a fairly eye watering €12 while a season ticket to all the matches on the platform costs €79 while a midseason pass is currently available for €49. Sky Sports subscriptions Sky Sports is the big kahuna of subscription sports and its eight channels covers all manner of sports including top flight football from England, the best of golf, racing; tennis, Formula 1, cricket and more besides with prices starting from €20 for new customers. Sky also has the exclusive rights to the British and Irish Lions 9 match tour of Australia this summer. If you get your TV package from Virgin Media you can get a Sky Sports sub for €20 a month with rising to €40 after the first year. Access to Sky Sports, TNT and Premier sports on the same platform meanwhile costs €30 for the first 12 months rising to €79 after that. Premier sports and TNT on their own cost €35 a month. Racing TV is €26 a month while access to MUTV – if that is something you'd fancy – is €9 a month. A less committed way to watch what Sky has through a Now TV pass. A 12 month contract costs €27 for the first month while the sports bundle offering 18 channels including all the Sky options as well as TNT and Premier Sports is €30 a month – more expensive for sure but you can cancel whenever you fancy it. It also has day passes for €14.99. Eurosport as Damien mentioned – is gone – or at least free Eurosport is gone – but much of the sports it specialised in including cycling, tennis, snooker, the Olympic Winter Games in Milan and lots of football, rugby boxing, Moto and more are on TNT. Then there is Danz which streams a dizzying array of sports with the new look Football Club World Cup tournament likely to be a big(ish) draw this summer. Flexible monthly access is €19.99 while a year long contract costs €9.99 per month or one up front payment of €83.99. And finally, there is The Clubber which streams Club GAA at an annual cost of €149.99 or a weekly fee of €29.99. Access to an individual game is around €12.99. What about dodgy boxes? It would be remiss to not at least refer to the tens of thousands of dodgy boxes in homes all over the country. They are in a legally grey area. The boxes themselves are not illegal – and can be bought online for no more than €50 – streaming sport and knowingly circumventing properly applied restrictions to access copyrighted content could technically leave people exposed. It is worth noting, however, that those targeting illegal streaming, including the Garda, are focused on people who are suspected of being involved in providing illegal access to premium TV content and not – as yet – the end users. Garda sources have even expressed doubt that the force would have any jurisdiction when it comes to the use of such boxes, suggesting it would be a civil rather than a criminal matter. Access to a legally dubious streaming service is around €150 a year but we would caution against such a step and it is worth bearing in mind that once the money is paid there is no guarantee the service won't be shut down and if it does you have no comeback as consumer rights don't tend to protect legally questionable activity. You can contact us at OnTheMoney@ with personal finance questions you would like to see us address. If you missed last week's newsletter by Dominic Coyle on the options for releasing wealth tied up in your home, you can read it here .
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Jack Crowley he's coming for you' jokes Peter O'Mahony's wife Jess as son practices his rugby skills
JESSICA O'Mahony joked "Jack Crowley, he's coming for you" as her youngest son refined his clearance kicks. Ralph, the youngest of 3 Ralph wore his brother Theo's boots while playing in the garden Credit: @jeskaomahony 3 Peter, 35, is heading into his last-ever game unless Munster can spring a surprise Credit: @jeskaomahony 3 Jack Crowley will need to be at his best in their play-off battle on Saturday And despite them looking a bit large for him, the four-year-old still got plenty of distance in his kicks across Thankfully for Peter and everyone else connected with Munster, their first choice fly-half The 25-year-old had soldiered on through a rib injury during the The pain was such that he was withdrawn on 74 minutes once the critical victory was secured. Read More On Irish Sport But the ten days of rest since then seem to have brightened his outlook for this weekend's challenge as he was yesterday named in their 32-player squad to face Sharks. In an Instagram post the 2023 URC champs stated: "Jack Crowley, Diarmuid Barron and Niall Scannell have all been passed fit and are available for selection." The squad in full is as follows: Forwards : Tom Ahern, Stephen Archer, Diarmuid Barron, Lee Barron, Tadhg Beirne, Gavin Coombes, Ronan Foxe, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen, Jean Kleyn, Jeremy Loughman, Michael Milne, Jack O'Donoghue, Peter O'Mahony, John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Fineen Wycherley, Josh Wycherley. Most read in Rugby Union Backs : Thaakir Abrahams, Tony Butler, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Tom Farrell, Mike Haley, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Conor Murray, Alex Nankivell, Calvin Nash, Seán O'Brien, Paddy Patterson, Rory Scannell, Andrew Smith. Thankfully the time difference between Ireland and South Africa is surprisingly minimal with them a mere hour ahead so it's akin to continental Europe. 'That time of year again' - Peter O'Mahony's captivating garden update includes hilarious tip for parents That means it'll be a favourable kick-off time from an Irish television standpoint with the action at Kings Park AKA The Shark Tank to get going at 5.30pm Irish time. The Reds snuck in as sixth seeds with a patchy record of nine wins against nine losses. Sharks meanwhile, wound up in third spot having won 13 to only five defeats. They boast a bunch of the Springboks' World Cup winners including Eben Etzebeth and JP Pietersen. SHARKS SELL-OUT? According to Sharks' Instagram account, the game is trending towards being a 52,000 sell-out which will only add to the already formidable challenge awaiting Ian Costello's outfit. They have at least caught one break in that Durban is a coastal city so an exhausting altitude won't be a factor the way it would be in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Speaking after "We've got a healthy squad and a competitive squad and we said it throughout the whole season: when we're close to full strength, we feel we can go toe to toe with any team, whether it's at home or on the road. "We're going to enjoy a few days…I won't lie, we need to take a breather and come down after it. And then we'll have 10 to 12 days to build up to a quarter-final wherever it might be."
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Ehmmm' – Sharlene Mawdsley encounters unexpected problem on first trip abroad since GAA boyfriend reveal
SHARLENE Mawdsley has flown to Italy to compete in an athletics meet - but found that this May Italian job isn't as sunny as you may expect. The 26-year-old charted her journey to Savona on Advertisement 6 'Me and my tatted passport against the world, and how is it already time for racing season?' Credit: @sharlenem1 6 The view looked pretty warm as her plane prepared to land Credit: @sharlenem1 6 At one stage in the day the conditions looked to be decent Credit: @sharlenem1 6 However, the weather forecast for the week indicates it'll be an up and down spell for the northern city which is close to Italy's border with France Credit: @sharlenem1 The sprinter will be competing in the 14th International Savona Meeting today as it is only a one-day competition. It will be her first competitive action She did so by posting a pic of them on the pitch after the Premier's Munster Championship But that wasn't the first time she'd been in attendance to cheer on Liam Cahill's side this year. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport In the wake of the her relationship update, She So it's no wonder why a few more in the know people who commented on her post felt a relationship announcement was overdue. Stephanie wrote: "Awwwww Shar about time (love heart emoji)." Advertisement Most read in Athletics Meanwhile fellow Olympian Cathal Doyle added: "Loving the hard launch Sharlene." Elsewhere, Mike hailed: "Two of Tipp's finest athletes. Magic." 'My hardest goodbye' - Sharlene Mawdsley jets off after 'hectic two days' saw passport drama nearly cancel China trip And lastly, Tipp had not beaten the Déise in the Championship since 2019. Advertisement They also failed to win back-to-back Championship matches since 2019 and had not won a SHC match at home since then either. All of those items were crossed off the bucket list in front of 28,758 fans at Semple Stadium. 6 On Sunday she revealed she's in a relationship with fellow Tipperary native Michael Breen Credit: @sharlenem1 6 She'll be competing in the 400metres today at the International Savona Meeting Advertisement And boss Cahill expressed delight at his side banishing the ghosts of past campaigns with yesterday's 1-30 to 1-21 win. He declared: 'We, and I say management, coaches, everybody involved, didn't represent that jersey correctly last year. It weighed very hard on us over the winter. 'We took unbelievable inspiration from our minors last year with the way they grounded out the All-Ireland. 'Leaving Nowlan Park, I was so happy to be a Tipperary man but I was also so embarrassed that our flagship team didn't follow that and set that trend. Advertisement 'We had to rely on a group of younger players in Tipperary to show us the Tipperary way. 'My players acknowledge that. We've made the necessary adjustments to the personnel in the dressing room and they've gone after everything they've been asked. 'They've backed me to the hilt in what I had to do. Everybody has worked extremely hard and I'm just happy now that we're one of the three out of Munster."
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Previous hint Sharlene Mawdsley dropped after sprinter goes Instagram official with Tipperary GAA ace
SHARLENE Mawdsley seemingly revealed she's in a relationship with Tipperary hurler Michael Breen on Sunday evening. She did so by 3 Mawdsley went from sprinter to spectator on Sunday Credit: @sharlenem1 3 It's not the first time she's been present at the home of hurling this year Credit: @sharlenem1 3 Her own sporting calendar for 2025 will revolve around September's World Championships in Tokyo But that wasn't the first time she'd been in attendance to cheer on Liam Cahill's side this year. In the wake of the sprinter's relationship update, her previous matchday experience makes even more sense even leaving aside that she is a Tipperary native herself. She So it's no wonder why a few more in the know people who commented on her post felt a relationship announcement was overdue. Read More On Irish Sport Stephanie wrote: "Awwwww Shar about time (love heart emoji)." Meanwhile fellow Olympian Cathal Doyle added: "Loving the hard launch Sharlene." Elsewhere, Mike hailed: "Two of Tipp's finest athletes. Magic." And lastly, Most read in Athletics Tipp had not beaten the Déise in the Championship since 2019. They also failed to win back-to-back Championship matches since 2019 and had not won a SHC match at home since then either. Limerick GAA fans troll RTE pundit Donal Og Cusack after win over Cork All of those items were crossed off the bucket list in front of 28,758 fans at Semple Stadium. And boss Cahill expressed delight at his side banishing the ghosts of past campaigns with yesterday's 1-30 to 1-21 win. He declared: 'We, and I say management, coaches, everybody involved, didn't represent that jersey correctly last year. It weighed very hard on us over the winter. 'We took unbelievable inspiration from our minors last year with the way they grounded out the All-Ireland. 'Leaving Nowlan Park, I was so happy to be a Tipperary man but I was also so embarrassed that our flagship team didn't follow that and set that trend. 'We had to rely on a group of younger players in Tipperary to show us the Tipperary way. 'My players acknowledge that. We've made the necessary adjustments to the personnel in the dressing room and they've gone after everything they've been asked. 'They've backed me to the hilt in what I had to do. "Everybody has worked extremely hard and I'm just happy now that we're one of the three out of Munster.'
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Eve McMahon makes Irish sailing history by snagging bronze medal at ILCA World Championships in China
EVE McMAHON won bronze at the ILCA World Championships in China yesterday. McMahon finished third in the women's ILCA 6 event behind Poland's Agata Barwinska, while Louise Cervera of France took gold. It is the first time an Irish female sailor has medalled at senior world championships. And Irish Sailing coach Vasilij Zbogar said: 'It was a difficult day with strong winds but Eve made three solid races. 'She is sailing really well and we're looking forward to the days and months of competition ahead.' Irish Sailing high performance director James O'Callaghan added: 'This is another historic moment for Irish sailing. Read More On Irish Sport "Eve is the first female sailor to win a senior world championship medal.' Sienna Wright was further back in the field but was able to secure an impressive mid-fleet position in 44th. Meanwhile, Finn Lynch finished 15th in the ILCA 7 men's event. The Carlow man bounced back from a poor start on Friday with three top-six results including second in the final race. Most read in Other Sports Those results moved him to 15th. Ewan McMahon — who is Eve's brother — finished just four spots behind Lynch in 19th in the large 138- boat event. 1 She posted an excellent third-place finish at Saturday's event Sharlene Mawdsley's exotic training camp doesn't go to plan at all
