Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
758. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the review of designated sports events for free-to-air broadcasting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30485/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) provides that Member States may designate sporting and cultural events of major importance to society as free-to-air. At a national level, the Broadcasting Act 2009 sets out the statutory process for designating events as free-to-air.
Under the 2009 Act, I, as Minister, am obliged to review the list of designated events every three years. The purpose of the review is to consider the appropriateness of the current list of designated events and to examine whether to add any events of major importance to society.
The most recent review was finalised in 2017. Approval was received from the European Commission to designate the All Ireland Senior Ladies Football and Camogie Finals as events of major importance in May 2017. Cabinet approval was received in June 2017 and the decision was subsequently laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.
The current list of designated events will be reviewed again in 2020.
The events currently designated by Order (S.I. 465 of 2017) are as follows:
Live:
- The All Ireland Senior Ladies Football Final
- The All Ireland Senior Camogie Final
- The Summer Olympics
- The All-Ireland Senior Inter-County Football & Hurling Finals
- Ireland’s home and away qualifying games in the European Football Championship and the FIFA World Cup Tournaments
- Ireland’s games in the European Football Championship Finals Tournament and the FIFA World Cup Finals Tournament
- Ireland’s games in the Rugby World Cup Finals Tournament
- The Irish Grand National and the Irish Derby
- The Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show
Deferred:
- Ireland’s games in the Six Nations Rugby Football Championship.
