Sky snap up the rights to RaboDirect PRO12

The RaboDirect Pro12 received a financial boost today with the news that Sky will start showing games from 2014-15.

Good news for rugby fans today as even more of the sport will be getting the full Sky Sports treatment. The British broadcaster announced today that they will be showing 30 RaboDirect PRO12 games a season from 2014-15, the beginning of a four-year-deal.

They will show games on Saturdays and according to reports the new deal increases the money the Rabo earns from TV revenue by 50 per cent.

Of course, the first thought we had was ‘what happens to the RTE and TG4 coverage?’ It is understood that the Sky deal is not an exclusive one so the games will continue to be broadcast on local channels too such as our own, BBC Northern Ireland and S4C.

Sky will also broadcast the semi-finals and finals live, along with the local broadcaster of the hosts of those games. Sky lost the Aviva Premiership rights to BT Vision so the Rabo fills that need for live rugby in their schedule.

Looks like ref-cam is coming to the Rabo then...