RTÉ sign three year Champions League deal

jubbly

Bad buzz for TV3

RTÉ sign three year Champions League deal
Tuesday, 23 August 2005 5:24
http://www.rte.ie/sport/2005/0823/champions.html


RTÉ to show two Champions League games a week from 2006

RTÉ Television announced today that they have secured the right to show 'first choice' live Champions League matches two nights-a-week for the 2006-2009 seasons.

RTÉ will show two live games per week and also have exclusive live coverage of the final. Twenty-five games per season will be broadcast live on RTÉ Two on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, as well as a comprehensive highlights package on both nights.

This is a 3-year deal effective from the 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 seasons inclusive, and under the terms of the deal, the Champions League matches will also be streamed live on RTÉ.ie.
Email Services from RTE

Glen Killane, Head of Sport, RTÉ Television, said: "We are very pleased to bring the largest annual soccer competition in the world to the widest possible audience in Ireland on a free-to-air basis."

"This increased coverage by RTÉ of the Champions League is accompanied by a continuing commitment to a broad range of sports. RTÉ's commitment to bringing the audience the highest quality national and international sport is greater than ever."

Necronomicon

What does this mean for TV3, ITV and Sky?

super_furry

TV3 have lost the rights in Ireland - it's all RTÉ now. ITV and Sky will continue to show live football one night a week each.

Badabing

I wonder if Tv3 or Setanta did bid for the rights, one good thing no more bloody Packie Bonner from next year.

Mossy Monk

super_furry wrote:

ITV and Sky will continue to show live football one night a week each.

sky actually show 2 nights a week

el rabitos

great. more coverage of every man u game in the champions lge

mike65

TV3 are sh1te so no loss but its not right for one station to have all the games in a single market. TV3 could go for the UEFA Cup (where Utd will be!).

Mike.

eirebhoy

Are the internet streams free for those with an Irish IP?

PHB

ffs, I can't stand watching RTE 2, stupid stupid commentary.
Wish they got cut down and let Sky have first choice on all games

Davei141

I like RTE in some weird way, but i agree on the commentary... "Shoulda scored george. if he hada hit the target he woulda scored george. shoulda used his other foot george. if he hit it 3 meters to the right it woulda crept in george." And their non stop yapping about roy keane before/half time/after drives me mad. Theyre a pessimistic bunch aswell, "gonna be crap bill" "I can only see one goal bill". But john giles is worth it alone

cruiserweight

Davei141 wrote:

But john giles is worth it alone

Yeah Johnny is good especially when he is in a bad mood

I am glad TV3 have lost it, of all of the station that I watch games on I find theirs by far the most painful to watch!

Mossy Monk

el rabitos wrote:

great. more coverage of every man u game in the champions lge

Sky Multiscreen tbh

jubbly

Personally I perfer RTE to any of the english based tv shows including sky. TV3 arent as good as RTE but I think its not fair on the television company trying to build up its sports coverage and improve on its commentating.

Maybe TV3 can get UEFA Cup or something like that, its not great football but there are some good matches there. I think there may be an appeal by TV3. Something to do with €16million grant RTE got or something like that.

Brian017

Excellent news. TV3 is an embarrassment tbh

Brian017

eirebhoy wrote:

Are the internet streams free for those with an Irish IP?

Knowing RTÉ, no.

BKtje

Wish they got cut down and let Sky have first choice on all games

Whats this got to do with the topic?
Sky are english are they not and rte are irish so different markets --> dont affect each other?

Am i missing something?

masterK

eirebhoy wrote:

Are the internet streams free for those with an Irish IP?

I read on RTE teletext last night that they plan to stream all the games on their website.

jubbly

TV3 urges review of RTÉ Champions League deal
Emmet Oliver




TV3 has called on the Minister for Communications, Noel Dempsey, to investigate the level of money paid by RTÉ in the latest round of bidding for Champions League rights.

RTÉ, along with Setanta Sports, have won the rights to broadcast Champions League matches starting in season 2006/07. TV3 has not been awarded any rights in the latest round.

TV3 described RTÉ's decision to bid for rights for Tuesday and Wednesday nights as a blatant abuse of the licence fee.

"In this context we are urging the Minister to immediately review this unnecessary expenditure by RTÉ.

"RTÉ is now awash with money and the Minister should be encouraged to recognise RTÉ's massive financial strength by a meaningful reduction in the licence fee," said TV3 managing director Rick Hetherington.

TV3, which is owned by ITV, CanWest Global and several private investors, said it expected RTÉ's commercial income to increase by an estimated €20 million this year and its total income to be at €300 million.

"Instead of using this funding for Irish programming , it is using taxpayers' money to buy programming that would otherwise be provided for free by TV3 and others. This sheer waste of public money is breathtaking," said a company statement.

RTÉ last night said it was important that the national broadcaster secured the games so they could be shown on a free-to-air basis to as wide an audience as possible.

TV3 has made a complaint to the EU Commission over the funding of RTÉ. The EU Commission wrote to the Government a few months ago warning that funding for commercially driven programming must be separated from public service type programming.

Setanta Sports said it had achieved a "significant coup" by also securing rights to matches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Niall Cogley, chief executive of Setanta Sports, said: "The great thing about the Champions League is that there are so many quality matches on every night, it is difficult to decide which match to watch. Irish football fans can now make their own choice as to what match they want to watch."

He said the latest acquisitions complemented the station's existing portfolio of sports.

"For football fans alone, we show live Premier League, SPL, Seria A, World Cup Qualifiers, UEFA Cup, Setanta Cup and Eircom League," he said.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/finance/2005/0824/3343365077BZTVROW.html

I dont think RTE should be allowed to have both the licence fee plus advertisments plus charging people for streaming matches. I would rather see TV3 show some of these games and take a cut in the licence fee.

Badabing

Fair play to Setanta they really are snapping up a lot of the football and other sports broadcasting rights, i agree with the head of Tv3 Rte have money to burn and are paying over the odds for events just because they can.

eirebhoy

Badabing wrote:

Fair play to Setanta they really are snapping up a lot of the football and other sports broadcasting rights, i agree with the head of Tv3 Rte have money to burn and are paying over the odds for events just because they can.

Aye, Setanta get slated for some of the coverage of non-SPL games but they certainly deserve a lot of credit. Tonight they'll be showing the Man Utd-Debrecen match live followed by the Villarreal-Everton also live. I watched "Golazo: Football Magazine" on Setanta last night and I was impressed with the coverage. I seem to be watching more and more of it.

Drag00n79

Make no mistake about it Setanta are gearing up to be a major player in the televised footy stakes. As I said here before, I reckon they will share the next live English Premiership rights for the UK with Sky.

spockety

Brian017 wrote:

Knowing RTÉ, no.

Why, what RTE.ie content have you paid for in the past that allows you to come to that assumption?

Mossy Monk

thias is great news for those on Sky Digital without any ITV.

Chucky the tree

eirebhoy wrote:

Aye, Setanta get slated for some of the coverage of non-SPL games but they certainly deserve a lot of credit. Tonight they'll be showing the Man Utd-Debrecen match live followed by the Villarreal-Everton also live. I watched "Golazo: Football Magazine" on Setanta last night and I was impressed with the coverage. I seem to be watching more and more of it.

Setanta are brutal in there studio coverage and commentary. Thats what lets it down. If they improve both of those, it would be class.

But personnally, i couldnt really give a toss about how the studio looks. the **** commentary is a bit annoying, but certainly berable.

THey show live matches from the french, german and now itailian top leagues dont they?

Cant argue with that! Not to mention the replies of all the GAA aswell which is handy.