Alcohol ban would not affect satellite stations

The Government has admitted that a ban on alcohol advertising could be undermined because satellite broadcasters such as Sky are not regulated in the Republic.

Broadcasters such as RTÉ and TV3 are concerned that if the Government introduces a full or even partial ban on such advertising, their commercial revenue could be eroded while broadcasters like Sky and E4 would benefit significantly.

Yesterday, the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern met executives from TV3 and RTÉ to discuss this and other issues.

Mr Ahern released a copy of a Government submission to the EU, which outlines why broadcasters like Sky should be regulated.

The EU is considering amending the Television Without Frontiers directive and the Government wants to regulate Sky and other services that originate in the UK, said Mr Ahern.

In the submission the Government says it has decided to introduce further restrictions on the advertising of alcohol in "an attempt to address health and social concerns arising from the increasing consumption of alcohol by minors".

It says there are no difficulties obliging RTÉ and TV3 to comply with these new restrictions.

However, it says the effectiveness of "this important public policy measure" may be "undermined" by rules that prevent "Ireland from regulating broadcasting services which originate from outside the State but are intended for reception in Ireland only".

This is a reference to broadcasters who now collect advertising in the Irish market, among them Sky and E4.