Monday Night Soccer is the RTÉ's main football television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two on Monday evenings during the Irish football season, showing highlights of recent matches in Irish football's top division, the League of Ireland Premier Division. MNS is presented by RTÉ presenter Peter Collins, who is usually joined by two guests. Some of the guests to appear on the panel include League of Ireland XI manager Damien Richardson, and former Millwall striker Richard Sadlier. The first edition of Monday Night Soccer was screened on RTÉ Two at 8 pm on 10 March 2008. It was hosted by Tony O'Donoghue. RTÉ won the rights to host a League of Ireland highlights show from TV3 as part of an updated rights deal with the FAI. The show is broadcast at the earlier time of 7 pm, as opposed to the 11:30 pm Monday night slot occupied by its TV3 predecessor, eircom League Weekly, which was repeated Tuesdays at 5 pm. Since the beginning, MNS has gained notability by being broadcast at an earlier time to its predecessor. Due to the broadcasting at an earlier time, Monday Night Soccer has maintained a high rating. Along with Monday Night Soccer, RTÉ also airs live games on the day of the match, usually on a Friday night on Airtricity League Live, and shares live rights with Setanta Sports.
