FANS praised plans for a revamped LOITV as a “step in the right direction”.
The League of Ireland has teamed up with Premier Sports to deliver an improved streaming service from next season.
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The partnership will see the broadcaster launch a platform for LOITV which will allow fans to access the service through a range of apps.
LOITV will be available on Android TV, LG TV, Fire TV, Sony, Hisense, apps for mobile and tablet on both Apple and Android, and on Desktop, Chromecast and AirPlay.
A new subscription model with annual, monthly and 24-hour passes for the over-the-top product will be launched in the run-up to the 2025 campaign.
The deal was announced on Tuesday, with fans praising the development.
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Dee Curran said: “The days of airdropping from my Mac to Apple TV are gone. A dedicated app for LOITV is a welcomed innovation for next season.”
Luke hailed: “Another positive step in the right direction for the LOI” and Andrew posted: “Oh my word. League Of Ireland rising baby.”
Marc added: “To think that you couldn’t watch LOI remotely before COVID, LOITV has come a long way.”
Phil said: “Significant step in the right direction. If RTE also pull their weight, and Virgin expand their offering a bit, it’ll be an even bigger one”
It reflects the growth of the platform which was initially created to allow fans to watch matches during the Covid-19 pandemic.
From next season, every Men’s Premier Division game will be serviced by two cameras.
However, matches in the Men’s First Division and Women‘s Premier Division will only be guaranteed one.
As well as league matches, FAI Cup, President’s Cup and Women’s All-Island Cup games will also be screened with match highlights also available.
League of Ireland Director, Mark Scanlon, said: “We’re delighted to make today’s announcement with a world class partner in Premier Sports to bring LOITV to the next level.
“The platform has come a long way in a short period of time and having every game streamed live along with an increase in TV broadcasts has become central to the growth of the League.
“This partnership will bring the platform to a whole new level thanks to the expertise from the industry leading team at Premier Sports and will allow supporters of the League of Ireland easy access to all the action via modern apps and Smart TVs.
“We’re very excited to roll out the new service and look forward to seeing LOITV grow even further in the coming years.”
Premier Sports’ Head of Product Brian Stenson added: “This is an important milestone for our business as we make available our in-house OTT products and knowledge to partners for the first time.
“Combining Premier Sports’ experience in the sports broadcast and streaming industry with the excitement of League of Ireland means we will bring more live events, more platforms to watch on and more value to League of Ireland fans than ever before.”