Premier League football will be available on Sky Sports on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons at 3pm next season after the broadcasting giant secured live rights in Ireland.

Sky have been awarded six packs of live rights to Premier League games in Ireland with up to 159 matches to be aired to households across the country.

Thirty-three of those matches will be shown on Saturdays at 3pm and viewers will see an extra 43 games next term compared to last season.

Under the new deal, Sky Sports’ Irish customers can enjoy:

More live matches than ever before, with up to 159 fixtures a season versus 116 under the existing contract

Live coverage on more days of the week, with matches on Friday evenings for the first time as well as Saturday lunchtime and 3pm, Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings

The best match picks, including 26 first picks and 31 second picks, meaning that Sky Sports will offer more of the biggest matches that matter

Live coverage of every Premier League club up to 26 times a season

Rights to offer live coverage across a range of platforms, including online and mobile

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “These rights mean that Sky Sports remains the home of sport in Ireland. From the 2016-17 season, our viewers in Ireland will be able to enjoy even more of the best Premier League matches across more days of the week than ever before. By securing rights to live matches on Friday evenings for the first time, Sky Sports will bring Premier League fans an entirely new way to start the weekend.”

JD Buckley, Managing Director of Sky Ireland, added: “This is great news for our customers. The popularity of the Premier League combined with our unrivalled coverage of golf, rugby and GAA means that Sky Sports customers will continue to enjoy the best coverage of their favourite sports.”

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Online Editors