WATCHLOI, the streaming service used to give fans the opportunity to watch League of Ireland fixtures, will return for the start of the domestic season.
The service is set to resume and marks another welcome boost for the league following news that RTÉ will provide coverage for games until the mid-season break.
The streaming service was under serious threat of the axe as a result of its poor ratings in 2020. A mere 11,000 people had paid for a subscription for WATCHLOI, a service that provided 85 live Premier Division and FAI Cup for fans in an effort to combat lost revenue due to games being played behind closed doors.
6,000 fans secured free subscriptions as they were season ticket holders with certain clubs that had agreed to free subscriptions with the FAI for their season ticket holding supporters.
RTÉ have ruled out full widespread coverage of games throughout the entirety of the season, citing production costs as a reason for such an option to be financially unviable.
The national broadcaster has entered into an arrangement with the FAI to stream all games until the mid-season break begins after matchday 14.
It looks unlikely that RTÉ will persist with such an approach as soon as the European Championships and Olympic Games commence in the summer. It would almost certainly be unfeasible for them to continue with WATCHLOI from that point onwards.
