Eircom’s TV offering is giving itself more of a sporting chance

EVision will now be able to put up a bigger challenge to larger rivals UPC and Sky

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy will be playing at this year’s Masters in Augusta, which will be shown on the Sky Sports channels on Eircom’s TV offering eVision. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy will be playing at this year’s Masters in Augusta, which will be shown on the Sky Sports channels on Eircom’s TV offering eVision. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

EVision has added Sky Sports 3, 4 and 5 to its sports package, allowing Eircom’s TV offering to further into the market.

The challenger brand, which was launched in October 2014, is up against tough competition from the significantly bigger players UPC and Sky.

The acquisition is timely as the sports stations will air the golf Masters in early April, as well as PGA and European tour events this summer. Without them eVision’s sports offering at just Sky Sports 1 and 2 and Setanta Ireland was limited in its appeal.

An advertising campaign to support the new offering will run across TV, radio, outdoor and digital until April. It was devised by DDFH&B, with media by Vizeum.

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The new agreement allows eVision to compete more directly with UPC in terms of mirrored content, but not with Sky which has the major attraction of Sky Atlantic.

Eircom's TV offering is sold mostly as part of an Eircom bundle – its quad-play service – of broadband, landline, mobile and TV. This month eVision reached 30,000 subscribers.

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison is an Irish Times journalist and cohost of In the News podcast