TV3 Sport (Ireland)
TV3 Sport is the production name used by sports programming which the TV3 Group airs on TV3 and 3e. Broadcasts exclusive for Irish viewers include: UEFA Champions League Live, UEFA Europa League Live, UEFA Champions League Magazine and The GAA Show. Past programming includes Sports Tonight, GAA on 3 and The Offside Show.
From its infancy TV3 aired a live sporting programme called Sports Tonight (1998–2009) hosted by Trevor Welsh. The show would air weeknights from 23:30, until its controversial cancellation on 23 March 2009.[1]
In 1999, TV3 Sport also produced the short-lived sports quiz show A Game of Two Halves, also hosted by Trevor Welsh, which ran for 13 episodes. Another short-lived sports show was 2005's The Offside Show, which ran for 12 episodes.[2]
TV3 aired coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.[3] The channel had coverage of 13 games with all Ireland matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals, the final and the opening match shown live along with Setanta Ireland who broadcast all matches. TV3 coverage in 2007 was hosted by Matt Cooper with analysis by Paul Wallace, Trevor Brennan, Jim Glennon, Michael Cheika, Jim Williams and Victor Costello. The commentators were Conor McNamara and Phillip Matthews.
Days after the loss of Gaelic games Championship rights in 2014, the station secured live free to air coverage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup: it is expected that 20 of the top games will air on TV3, while the rest will air on sister channel 3e.[4][5] In February 2015 TV3 announced its team which would front the tournament for the channel, coverage will be hosted by Matt Cooper or Sinead Kissane with pundits including Keith Wood, Peter Stringer, Shane Jennings, Stuart Barnes, Neil Back, Hugo McNeill, Matt Williams, Liam Toland & Murray Kinsella. Commentary will be provided by Conor McNamara.[6] TV3 shocked RTE Sport in November 2015 by winning the rights to broadcast all matches in the 6 Nations from 2018-2021 with RTE covering the tournament in 2016-2017.[7]
TV3 currently holds the Irish broadcasting rights to UEFA Champions League on Tuesday nights and UEFA Europa League matches on Thursday nights, while RTÉ 2 covers Wednesday nights and the final exclusively live.[8] which includes in-vision sporting commentary and analysis by TV3 Sport presenters and crew. TV3 previously held exclusive Irish rights from 2001-2004 they then lost these to RTÉ but since 2009 have shared rights with RTÉ and will continue to have these right until 2018.
The current presenter for TV3 Football coverage is Tommy Martin while analysis comes from Neil Lennon, Kevin Kilbane, Tony Cascarino, Martin Keown with Commentary by Trevor Welsh/Dave McIntyre and Mark Lawrenson. Mark Lawrenson is the only broadcaster to be a part of TV3 Champions League coverage from it started in 2001 to the present day. Other pundits such as Kevin Kilbane, Michael O'Neill and Brian Kerr are used for Europa League and when pundits are unavailable. Former presenters/pundits/commentators for TV3 include Kirsteen O'Sullivan, John Toshack, Matt Cooper, Packie Bonner, Conor McNamara, Aidan Cooney and Ronnie Whelan.
A milestone in TV3 broadcasting history came with coverage of the 2011 UEFA Europa League Final, held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Forty cameras were used to broadcast to an audience in the tens of millions across the world.[9]
At its launch TV3 secured rights to number of Republic of Ireland exhibition matches. It joined forces with Sky to provide deferred coverage of World Cup Qualifying games along with a programme dedicated to League Of Ireland games, The Soccer Show and live coverage of League of Ireland games. Later those games moved to RTÉ after the government chose to put those games on a live free-to-air footing.
From 2008 to 2013 TV3 secured broadcasting rights for a selection of GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship matches as part of Championship Live. In 2008, the station began broadcasting a selection of live matches, as well as a weekly preview show called Championship Throw In.[10] TV3 lost these rights in 2014 to Sky Sports.[11]
TV3 has the rights to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. TV3 broadcast the 2015 FA Cup Final, where Aston Villa (with Shay Given in goal) made their TV3 debut against Arsenal (whose Champions League games had often been shown previously).
References
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- ↑ "Europa final gives us chance to impress". Sunday Independent. 15 May 2011.
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