Rugby Television rightsRTÉ have lost the live broadcast television rights to the 2007 Rugby World Cup, a position they have enjoyed from the time of the inaugural staging in 1987.
The national television network tendered to the International Board (IRB) for global rugby's showpiece tournament in 2007 but they have been ousted by Setanta Sport.
The decision by the IRB to award the live Irish broadcast rights to Setanta is a huge coup for the fledgling Irish sports channel which will celebrate its first anniversary at the end of this month.
It is the second setback for RTÉ in a rugby context coming on foot of the confirmation that they will no longer be entitled to screen live Heineken European Cup matches from next season. ERC, the organisers of the European Cup, have stipulated that Sky Sports will hold the live broadcast rights to European rugby's elite tournament from next season.
Ironically RTÉ's coverage of that competition will increase in terms of the breadth. At present they are only in a position to transmit live matches involving Irish provinces who are playing at home.
Next season they will be able to broadcast full deferred coverage of the Irish provinces at home and abroad; not really a consolation for missing out on live games but better than nothing.
But the loss of the World Cup will hurt the national station more. They enjoyed the live broadcast rights in 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003 but that run is now at an end. There is some mitigation in that they could still win the battle to screen at least Ireland's matches in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and possibly some other games, contingent upon Setanta Sport's plans.
The Government, through the Department of Communications, stipulate there are certain free-to-air programmes for which a station must be able to guarantee 98 per cent penetration in Ireland in terms of coverage. It means RTÉ, TV3 and TG4 will negotiate with Setanta Sport for the rights to broadcast Ireland's matches live in the 2007 tournament.
Setanta Sport are currently available free of charge on the NTL network, coverage that basically takes in Dublin and parts of Waterford and Galway. That network may be expended if UPC, who own Chorus and recently took over NTL, decides to make Setanta Sports - Cork, Limerick and large tranches of Munster - a non-paying subscription service.
As things stand Chorus subscribers and those who have Sky (500,000 in Ireland, North and South) must pay a yearly fee of €150 that allows them access to five Setanta channels. It is a huge coup for the Irish sports channel that has managed to win the broadcast rights to Formula One, Football and Hurling League, English and Scottish Premiership, British Open Golf, Celtic League and schools rugby in the last 12 months.
Losing out on the 2007 Rugby World Cup is a huge disappointment for RTÉ who produced a very comprehensive tender that guaranteed more coverage than at any previous World Cup. They had planned to screen every single game in full, most live, over the duration of the tournament, basically turning RTÉ 2 into a dedicated rugby channel for that period.
There were other criteria laid down by the IRB for those interested in claiming broadcasting rights and they included the promotion of the game.
RTÉ were planning to fulfil that remit including screening women's internationals. They still retain the broadcasting rights until 2009 for the Six Nations Championship and the November Test series.
They have also won the rights to screen Ireland's home matches - they will all be staged at Dubarry Park in Athlone - in the Under-21 Six Nations Championship. The only game they won't show live in that series is Ireland's clash with Scotland as they are due to screen the club international between the same two countries from Donnybrook that particular night.
Given the penetration in terms of network coverage and audience figures of Setanta Sport and RTÉ it seems the IRB made a decision based on finance: Setanta must have offered the superior financial package, unencumbered by the financial restraints that RTÉ would face.
It should be pointed out the national network did increase the monetary package considerably from the last staging of the World Cup.
Setanta can recoup some of that outlay in terms of charging for the live broadcast rights for Ireland's matches in 2007 and still remain in the box seat in terms of the tournament coverage that would see them screen all the major matches live and in particular the knock-out stages right up to the final.
