Media Scope: It's only a game until national governments, European courts and global multi-media corporations get involved. Louise Holden asks if sport is so important that major events should be legally protected from sale to satellite channels?
It was a rough summer for Republic of Ireland soccer fans. Keano left the team. Our World Cup flame was put out on penalties. Our right to watch our national team free on terrestrial television was sold to the highest bidder.
The Football Association of Ireland's €7.5 million deal with Sky for the exclusive "live" TV rights to the Republic's home matches came too soon after their bittersweet World Cup campaign. We were all still so raw - this was the final straw.
Under pressure from supporters' groups and the public, the Government stepped in. European law will now be used to claim back our free viewing rights. Under an EU directive, member states have the right to "ensure wide access by the public to television coverage of national or non-national events of major importance for society".
EU member states have been invited to draw up a list of such events. So far, only five, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Britain have drawn up official lists. Belgium, the Netherlands and France have indicated that they intend to do so in the near future.
Minister for Communications Dermot Ahern is now drawing up a list of these events for this State, including the Olympic Games, the All-Ireland senior hurling and football finals, the Republic of Ireland's competitive soccer matches and rugby's Six Nations Championship.
But the argument is not over. The FAI believes that the future of Irish soccer is under threat from the listing process.
They say some 300,000 people are actively involved in the sport in the State and providing facilities and training for hundreds of local clubs costs a lot of money.
On the other hand, while qualifying games for the World Cup are now to be listed as events of major national importance, the FAI argues that viewership figures for these games are lower than those for Fair City, Eastenders and the Rose of Tralee.
The Department of Communications, the Marine and Natural Resources will publish its finalised list this autumn. Government officials spent the summer discussing the issue with sporting bodies and the public to reach an agreement that satisfies everyone. However, listed organisations will lose money as a result of being listed, and are unlikely to be satisfied.
EU law states that sporting organisations have no legal right to compensation for money lost as a result of being listed. Sky TV's lawyers may, however, decide to take legal steps against the FAI for failing to fulfil its contract.
Is the individual's right to view major sporting events for free more important than the sporting organisation's right to earn money?
What do you think?
