TOP SPORTING events such as the Heineken Cup and the annual Cheltenham festival would be made freely available for all television viewers under a Government plan announced yesterday.
Under the plan, Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said he would use Irish legislation and an EU directive to designate certain events, primarily sporting events, as free-to-air.
Events currently available on a free-to-air basis include the summer Olympics, the All-Ireland senior inter-county football and hurling finals, Ireland’s home and away qualifying games in the European Championship and the World Cup, Ireland’s games in the European Championship finals and World Cup finals.
They also include, in soccer, the opening games, the semi-finals, the European Championship finals and the World Cup, as well as Ireland’s games in the Rugby World Cup finals, the Irish Grand National and the Irish Derby and the Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show.
Mr Ryan plans to add the provincial finals in the senior football and hurling championships, the quarter-finals and semi-finals in the All-Ireland senior football and hurling championship, Ireland’s games in the Six Nations,and Heineken Cup games involving Ireland and the Cheltenham festival.
Mr Ryan said events such as Cheltenham were “part of what we are” and were closely linked to our identity. He received Cabinet approval this week in his bid to extract sporting events of “national interest” from sports channels that charge viewers.
Mr Ryan said he was very confident of having his proposals passed by the European Commission within a few months. “We will have to work on it and make our case and engage in good consultation and follow the right proper statutory process.
“In Cork today, go down Grand Parade and look up at that big Munster jersey on the building and tell me it isn’t part of the identity of this city or Limerick city or Tralee or every town and village in Munster.
“It is part of our identity now and it is better to make sure that everyone can avail of it.”
The Minister sought the views of the public more than a year ago on what events should be designated. He will now open a wider consultation process and advertisements are to appear in the media in the coming days.
On the radio yesterday morning Mr Ryan said that as a Leinster rugby supporter, he could not watch a recent match with his children because it was only available on paid channels at night and he did not want to bring them to a pub. He said certain events were “an important part of our identity, part of our culture.
“I think when they are that, it’s all the stronger when everyone has a chance to actually share the viewing experience.
“I remember Dawn Run coming back from behind to win the Gold Cup and it just says something to me; it says something about courage and perseverance and it’s part of what we are.”
The Irish Rugby Football Union and the European Rugby Committee said they would engage with the consultation process. The IRFU said financial implications of the proposal “strike at the heart of any concerns by governing bodies who already have designated television rights in place”.
If the proposals are passed at commission level Sky Sports will have to make the matches available to RTÉ, TV3 and TG4 at “normal market rates”.