Ireland's success in retaining the Six Nations title last weekend has helped TV3 to cash in on its exclusive rights of the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on September 18th when England host Fiji in Twickenham.

TV3 opened up its tier-one premium packages to advertisers on Wednesday and is believed to have sold more than €3 million worth of the spots by the end of the day. The broadcaster, based in Ballymount, Dublin, which will show all 48 matches on its TV3 and 3e channels, now plans to sell the mobile and big screen rights for the Irish market next week.

The tier-one packs sold this week cost €150,000 each and offer ads during the half-time break or immediately before and after the game for 18 key matches, including all of Ireland games and the final and semi-finals. Demand was so strong that two-thirds of the spots sold on Wednesday. Tier two packages are also being sold for €50,000 each.

TV3 is expected to net between €5 million and €6 million in total ad sales from the seven-week rugby-fest. The broadcaster has also secured a sponsor for its coverage for a substantial six-figure sum.

TV3's group commercial director Pat Kiely said it was the busiest week of ad sales for the company. "It was an extraordinary day for us but indicative of the strength of the event and the success of the Irish rugby team in the past year," he said. "This is going to be the most attractive television event of the year and will dominate the autumn schedules."

This will be the first time that TV3 will have exclusive rights for the Rugby World Cup in Ireland. Previously, ITV’s coverage of the event was available in Ireland but the British channel is no longer accessible here following the launch of UTV Ireland in January.