Sky One to screen Ireland game

SKY SPORTS are to make Ireland's Euro 2004 home qualifier with Switzerland more accessible to Irish fans by broadcasting the October 16 game live on Sky One.

Although the game will still not be shown live on terrestrial television, moving the game away from the subscription only Sky Sports network to the more generally available Sky One ensures that 66% of Irish households will have access to the match via cable or satellite.

However, despite the controversy surrounding the FAI Sky deal, an insider at the company yesterday insisted the decision to move the game as “purely a commercial decision, not in any way political”.

The satellite broadcaster signed a contract with the FAI earlier this month for exclusive live television rights to the Republic of Ireland’s home internationals until 2006 at the expense of RTÉ. TV3 signed a secondary rights deal ensuring the games would be shown on a time delay but the deal still meant that Ireland’s home games would not be seen live on terrestrial television.

It sparked outrage among fans and the Government rushed out a proposal to place many major sporting events on a protected list, reserved for terrestrial television.

An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern gave the development his cautious backing. “Anything that opens it up and broadens the number of spectators of the matches is to be welcomed and it’s a step in the right direction,” Mr Ahern said. “But it’s not compatible with the directive.

“Sky One does not have 90% or anywhere near that (audience reach in Ireland) so it doesn’t change the government position that quite clearly and quite fairly we have to have free to air. That is a very clear definition, that’s our legal advice and that’s what the Irish people are entitled to under European and domestic law.”

Michael Nugent, of the newly formed Irish Fans United, an alliance of groups representing Irish football fans, demanded that the Government press ahead with its bid to protect major sporting events.

“At least Sky are starting to listen to public opinion,” Mr Nugent said. “But it still doesn’t give us the game on terrestrial television. We’ve no problem with Sky showing the game, we’re not anti Sky; it’s the exclusive aspect we have a problem with and this latest move does not go far enough.

“My main concern is that the Government completes its process of listing these events for terrestrial television.”

The Sky source, however, insisted the move was not an attempt to win over the Irish Government but part of an attempt to broker a deal with Irish cable operator ntl. He added: “We never intended to change the Government view on this and we’re not surprised by the Taoiseach’s comments.

“This is a purely commercial decision based on our ongoing discussions with ntl regarding the carriage of Sky One and Sky News as part of their basic package.

“Switching the game is seen as increasing the attractiveness of the Sky One channel and encouraging ntl to distribute the channel in their package. That’s very important to us.”

Where this move leaves TV3, who have the rights to show the match with a one hour delay is unclear. Both Sky and TV3 have separate deals with the FAI rather than a jointly negotiated contract.

A spokesperson for the Irish commercial channel was not prepared to comment on these latest developments until they had received official confirmation.

In England meantime, today is judgement day for the Football League as they square up to broadcasting giants Carlton and Granada in court to settle the bitter £131.9million ITV Digital row.

The long running saga of the station’s collapse will finally be decided in a four day case at the High Court in London, starting at 10.30am with legal experts on both sides slugging it out over the disputed ‘parent guarantees’.