Sport NI has agreed a new three-year broadcast deal with the Irish FA and the Northern Ireland Football League, extending its coverage of Northern Ireland football across TV, radio, online and iPlayer.
The agreement means supporters will continue to see a broad range of domestic and international action on free-to-air platforms, with Sport NI also set to broadcast every Northern Ireland Senior Men’s International until June 2028.
A wider platform for the game
For Northern Ireland football, the significance of this deal is straightforward: more access, more visibility and more continuity. Sport NI’s coverage has already become an important part of how fans follow the game, and this new arrangement pushes that further over the next three years.
Neil Brittain, Executive Editor at Sport NI, said the agreement strengthens the organisation’s longstanding commitment to bringing audiences the very best coverage of the game in Northern Ireland, from national teams to domestic league and cup competitions. He added that iPlayer, digital platforms, television, radio and Sounds will continue to make local football available to the widest possible audience.
Supporters get more access
The deal is also significant because it sits alongside Sport NI’s continued coverage of key competitions, including the Clearer Water Irish Cup and Northern Ireland senior women’s international matches. That ensures the broadcast picture remains broad, not limited to one part of the game.
Steven Mills said the Northern Ireland Football League was delighted to extend its contract with Sport NI and thanked the broadcaster for its continued commitment and significant investment in the game. He said the coverage has played a major role in raising the profile of the Premiership, increasing its reach and supporting the continued growth of the league.
He also pointed to the continued development of NIFL TV, which launched last season and received an excellent response. The aim, he said, is to build on that success over the next three years so supporters have greater access to competitions than ever before.
What the next three years mean
Colin McKendry said the Clearer Water Irish Cup and Northern Ireland senior women’s international matches will continue to be showcased on Sport NI. He added that the coverage has helped raise their profile, reach new audiences and inspire more people to engage with football across Northern Ireland.
In practical terms, this is an extension of an existing relationship that now runs through to June 2028 for Northern Ireland Senior Men’s Internationals, while also strengthening the domestic broadcast offering. For supporters, it means more opportunities to watch, follow and enjoy the game across multiple platforms.
Sport NI’s new agreement is not a headline-grabbing shake-up so much as a meaningful long-term commitment. But for a sport that depends on reach, routine and visibility, that can be just as important.
It also underlines why the broadcaster’s expanding role matters. As Sport NI signs three-year deal for 30 live Boyle Sports Premiership streams, the latest agreement further reinforces how central the network has become to the live coverage of Northern Ireland football.
