eprc cup tv rights 2018-19

channelsurfer2

Interesting article in todays Irish times stating that Eir could be in the running (along with RTE/TV3 and TG4) for the one free to air match from next year.
Unless they are going on Saorview I am not sure how they would qualify as a FTA broadcaster?
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/european-cup/champions-cup-rugby-to-award-irish-free-to-air-rights-by-november-1.3241648

lertsnim

The article mentions "eir Sport (who have the capacity to broadcast on a free-to-air basis)". I hope they aren't going with FTV as a their capacity to broadcast FTA seeing as that's how they show their publicly funded programming.

Elmo

lertsnim wrote: »

The article mentions "eir Sport (who have the capacity to broadcast on a free-to-air basis)". I hope they aren't going with FTV as a their capacity to broadcast FTA seeing as that's how they show their publicly funded programming.

BAI seem to think that they can be an FTA service even though they are an FTV service. So don't see why this should change.

channelsurfer2

i doubt it will go to eir sport although i do seem to recall an article with their md saying they were looking at options for rwc to show the listed games fta themselves rather than sell them to rte 0r tv3. that would cost them a million or so for saorview bandwith ( irish times interview 28/7/17)

icdg

lertsnim wrote: »

The article mentions "eir Sport (who have the capacity to broadcast on a free-to-air basis)". I hope they aren't going with FTV as a their capacity to broadcast FTA seeing as that's how they show their publicly funded programming.

The article is, while not strictly wrong, deceptive. As others have pointed out, they do not as a matter of practice broadcast FTA and I’ll be damned if their friends in BT Sport would be happy for them to broadcast an EPCR match FTA to the UK. It would be FTV.

lertsnim

The point I was trying to make was that they shouldn't be allowed near it. Obviously BT would be annoyed if it was broadcast FTA on satellite.

icdg

Just incidentally on the Rugby World Cup, eir Sport wouldn’t be allowed broadcast the FTA reserved games, even if it were truly FTA, as they’re not a “qualifying broadcaster”. Realistically they’d have to go on Saorview to achieve that status.

Of course this limitation doesn’t apply to the European Cup which isn’t listed (this is an initiative EPCR are taking off their own bat). There’ll be a FTA deal in the UK too incidentally, so there’ll be two games each week FTA (assuming both broadcasters don’t pick the same game).

dublinman1990

Do TV3 still have any chance of becoming a qualifying broadcaster for the FTA Champions Cup games even if they align their channels to Virgin in 2018?

icdg

Depends what you mean by “align their channels to Virgin”. Nothing is announced.

First and foremost; the Champions Cup is not a listed event. Therefore who can qualify to bid for it is solely up to EPCR to set criteria.

Even if were a listed event, a name change alone would not effect their status as a qualifying broadcaster. What might effect that status would be if they decided to only make their channels available through Virgin Media. Certainly, in that event, they’d be required to sub licence highlights rights to the Six Nations to a qualifying broadcaster (only RTE and TG4 would retain that status). They don’t have rights to any other listed events at present.

channelsurfer2

decision on the fta game was due in november?. nothing announced yet as far as i can see.

icdg

No, no word. Not sure if they have even tendered yet, they are running the “international” (ie non U.K./Ireland/France) rights competition at present, seemingly with a view to selling those rights to either a pan-European broadcaster (in reality, Eurosport) or a sports rights agency who will sublet.