Government urged to ensure Ryder Cup is free-to-air

THE Government was urged yesterday to ensure the Ryder Cup is broadcast on terrestrial television as the battle over broadcasting rights warmed up.

The call came after the European Professional Golfers’ Association said they would prefer if the event was not screened free-to-air.

The competition, which pits the best European and American golfers against each other, takes place at the K Club in Kildare from September 22.

Watched in an estimated two billion homes worldwide, the Ryder Cup has fallen under the remit of the Government’s triennial listing of sporting events that should be broadcast free-to-air.

It has prompted anxious scenes as broadcasters and the PGA wait for the Government’s decision.

Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at the European PGA/Ryder Cup Mitchell Platts said contracts with Sky to show the event “were still in place.”

“As far as we’re concerned the Irish Government was made fully aware of the contractual situation regarding television coverage when it was agreed the Ryder Cup would be held in Ireland in 2005,” he said, referring to when the Ryder Cup was originally to take place here.

He added that the European PGA’s executive director George O’Grady would be making a submission to Communications Minister Noel Dempsey “in due course.”

A spokesperson for Sky said they had noted the minister’s review of the list of sporting events and would “make their views known within the outlined process.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources said Mr Dempsey was keen to make a decision “in a matter of weeks”, after the period of public consultation ends on January 27.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has spoken of his desire to have the Ryder Cup on terrestrial television.

The last time the event was shown live on terrestrial TV was in 1993. If the minister was to decide that it should be shown free-to-air, it would only affect viewers in this country.

“We’re trying to organise free-to-air for the Ryder Cup,” he said recently. “From an Irish point of view, to maximise the audience, which is what we want to do, to get into two billion homes. It’s an enormous ad for the country.”

Fine Gael’s spokesman on sport said Mr Dempsey had the opportunity to ensure that the Ryder Cup was shown live on terrestrial television, but that he was not interested in doing so.

“Rarely does Ireland get the opportunity to host such a high-profile event, but there is every likelihood that the Ryder Cup will only be broadcast on subscription television. It would be a real shame if this event were not made available on free-to-air terrestrial television,” he said.

“Unfortunately the Government has shown little interest in this area of late. From this September the Heineken Cup will no longer be available live on free-to-air television, because it was not designated a ‘major event’.”