Kings no more.

Sky Sports are set to lose the rights to broadcast the PRO14 in Ireland from next season on, with eir Sport outbidding them, according to a report by The42 this evening.

eir have already secured the rights to broadcast the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Ireland, and with BT Sport set to take full control of the Champions Cup next season, Sky Sports will have almost completely lost its Irish Rugby audience.

Irish fans have will be well used to eir at this stage, with the broadcaster presenting them with live coverage of Ireland’s summer tour to the US and Japan last year, as well as the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland. They also aired Ireland’s famous win over the All Blacks in Chicago.

The report does however suggest that eir’s deal with the PRO14 could involve a sub-licensing agreement,  meaning TG4 may still be able to provide coverage of the championship, meaning there will still be free-to-air coverage.

The new deal will also be an improvement on the current deal, with PRO14 clubs set to benefit from the increased cash. The eir Sport pack, consisting of seven channels including BT Sport, is currently free to all eir broadband customers.