RTÉ get ‘creative’ as TV3 enters Euro zone

RTÉ, who have confirmed the sub-licensing of 22 Euro 2016 games to TV3, must continue to be “creative and intelligent” in a bid to remain competitive in the race to secure future live TV sporting rights, according to Ryle Nugent.

Fri, 04 Mar, 2016 - 00:00

News yesterday of the national broadcaster’s decision to offload such a large chunk of a major soccer tournament to a competitor for the first time was not unexpected, though it still stands as a landmark moment in an ever-changing landscape.

“Historic,” was how their Ballymount rivals described it.

TV3’s group managing director Pat Kiely also earmarked it as a “new era in Irish sports broadcasting”, even if it will not be the first time his station shows live European Championship football.

TV3 previously showed four of the eight last round group games at Euro 2004 in Portugal, but that was back in an era almost black and white by comparison, given it was pre-digital and pre-streaming.

RTÉ’s decision to put almost half the 2016 games out to tender is further proof of the financial restraints under which the national broadcaster is operating with Nugent highlighting the “high cost sports rights market” in a statement yesterday.

“Anyone that expects any business to remain the same forever is kidding themselves,” the national broadcaster’s group head of TV sport told the Irish Examiner, “and the TV sports rights market has changed fundamentally in the last 15 years or so. I can remember the sense of foreboding for live free-to-air sport that came with Sky’s entry into the market and again when Setanta were at their peak, and even when TV3 came in. This is a positive development.”

This year’s will be the biggest ever Uefa European Championships with the extra eight teams adding a further 20 games to the roster. It was a big ask for RTÉ whose resources were already spread thin in a very busy year.

RTÉ is already screening the Six Nations and the All-Ireland hurling and football championships, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the European Athletic Championships, and World Cup soccer qualifiers will be added to its list later this year.

The Montrose operation will still show 30 of the 51 games, including all of the Republic of Ireland and Wales group games, two of Northern Ireland’s and one of England’s. RTÉ will have first-choice on the knockout stages.

TV3’s package comprises of 16 group games, three round of 16, two quarter-finals — all of them live and exclusive — as well as the final which it will share with RTÉ. Every game will, as a result, be screened live free-to-air.