RTÉ Statement regarding the broadcast of Republic of Ireland vs Israel Nations League fixture
“If the match goes ahead – and that is a decision for the FAI as the relevant national sporting body – RTÉ will broadcast it in line with its contractual and therefore binding legal obligations and of course our overall commitment to supporting Ireland’s national teams.
In essence, the decisions regarding participation by Ireland’s national soccer team in any tournament are the responsibility of the appropriate official national sporting body – in this case the FAI. Decisions relating to the broadcast of these events are therefore dependent on such decisions.
RTÉ’s decision in this case is different to RTÉ’s decision regarding the Eurovision Song Contest, which is owned and run by the EBU, for one main reason. In that case, it is national public service broadcasters/media (PSM’s) who operate the selection process to decide which song/artist will represent their country in the Contest and therefore it is entirely the decision of the PSM whether to take part or not. In Ireland, the responsibility obviously falls to RTÉ as Ireland’s national PSM, and a member of the EBU. So, RTÉ was able to make an independent decision on both participation and broadcasting of the Eurovision.”
ENDS
For information: Neil O’Gorman | Corporate Communications Manager, RTÉ | neil.ogorman@rte.ie
