The final whistle – Virgin Media customers to lose eir Sport and BT Sport
Simon Moynihan
Staff Writer

Virgin Media customers will no longer be able to watch eir Sport channels as companies fail to renew deal.

Virgin Media customers will see their eir Sport subscriptions come to an end on 31st July.

Virgin Media has said that it is not renewing its contract with eir Sport because the number of Barclays Premier League games is reducing from 71 to 42 in the upcoming season, and the two companies could not agree a new deal.

Virgin Media customers with eir Sport subscriptions currently receive 6 sports channels for €22 per month. These include 2 eir Sport channels (formerly Setanta Sports) and 4 BT Sport channels.

eir bought Setanta Sports last December and rebranded the company as eir Sport just two weeks ago.

eir Sports Pack subscribers can see a range of sports including Formula 1, UFC, GAA, Premier League and Champions League matches.

At the launch of eir Sports, new rights were announced including the Rugby World Cup and the Sevens World Cup.

eir Sports, which is also popular with Mixed Martial Arts fans, shows UFC events and will be broadcasting Conor McGregor’s upcoming rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 on Saturday 20 August. Customers will no longer be able to see these events on Virgin Media TV.

Setanta Sports/eir Sports has been available to all Virgin Media customers since 2004. This channel will be replaced by Sky Sports Mix.

Free eir Sport for eir broadband customers

Although the loss of eir Sports is bad news for Virgin Media customers, eir broadband subscribers can now get all eir Sports channels for free. eir’s unlimited broadband starts at €45 per month, and once it’s set up, customers can request eir Sports. You can sign up to eir broadband here.

And the final whistle hasn’t been blown yet either… eir did say they’d be available further talks so watch this space!