Updated / Confusion and anger in Northern Ireland over RTÉ blackout of Olympic coverage, but broadcaster promises to restore news bulletins after a political backlash.
- RTÉ promised on Thursday to restore news bulletins to all viewers in Northern Ireland, after a blackout that started Wednesday.
- During the next two weeks, vast blocks of RTÉ programming will still be unavailable to viewers.
- Reception directly from the Republic of Ireland via overspill is not affected. A full guide on how to receive all RTÉ broadcasts.
RTÉ will continue to block live coverage of the Olympics in Northern Ireland, despite doing a U-turn over news bulletins. On Wednesday, the RTÉ Olympic blackout resulted in RTÉ One’s main news bulletins becoming unavailable to some viewers.
The Olympic blackout was also apparent during RTÉ’s coverage of the Rugby Sevens events, which started prior to the Opening Ceremony. From Friday evening, most of RTÉ’s second channel’s schedule will be unavailable for over 12 hours a day in Northern Ireland, unless viewers receive a direct overspill signal from south of the border.
During these broadcasts, viewers receiving RTÉ through Freeview channel 54 and 55 will see the black screen pictured above.
U-turn over news bulletins
After a backlash from viewers and politicians, RTÉ performed a U-turn saying that news programmes would be restored to all viewers in Northern Ireland. As of 9pm Thursday evening, this doesn’t appear to have been implemented yet.
RTÉ initially said that an edited news bulletin would be made available in Northern Ireland via the RTÉ Player.
But on Thursday evening, the broadcaster confirmed it would now make news bulletins available in full. RTÉ is expected to follow a similar pattern to the BBC News channel with regards reports from the Olympics. Internationally, the BBC News channel is restricted to what it can show audiences. A slide show of static images, interviews, reaction and, on some occasions, short clips can be shown.
It follows changes to Olympic TV broadcasting rights. While the BBC remained the primary rights holder for Tokyo’s Olympic games, sublicensing the games to Warner Bros Discovery and allowing RTÉ’s coverage to co-exist in Northern Ireland, Warner Bros Discovery is the primary rights holder for the 2024 games.
Angry Reaction
Brendan Smith, Fianna Fáil TD (MP) for Cavan-Monaghan said earlier it was is unacceptable that viewers in Northern Ireland are unable to access RTÉ’s news programming.
“The people of Northern Ireland have a right to access the same public service broadcasting as their fellow citizens in the Republic,” he said.
RTÉ reports Sinn Féin MP Dáire Hughes as saying: “With only three days left until the biggest game in the Gaelic football calendar, the people of Armagh, and indeed across the six counties, will now miss out on important news coverage, reports and match build-up.” The game itself is set to be available as normal.
North of the Border, SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP wrote to RTÉ’s Director-General Kevin Bakhurst to remind him of the broadcaster’s “obligation to provide services across the island of Ireland”.
Viewers criticised broadcasters of not being upfront with viewers in advance of the event.
▶ What and who is affected?
Any programmes that contain live footage from the Olympics, will continue to be unavailable. However, not all RTÉ viewers in Northern Ireland are affected.
Freeview users
RTÉ’s broadcasts on Freeview channels 54 and 55 are affected. Any Olympic related coverage will have to be blacked out. The RTÉ service on these channels is only available in some parts of Northern Ireland. Viewers who receive RTÉ’s signals directly from the Republic aren’t affected (see below).
Sky and Virgin Media
Viewers who access RTÉ TV via Sky in Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland viewing card required) and viewers with Virgin Media cable are also subject to the blackouts.
RXTV hasn’t had confirmation of the situation with free-to-air satellite service Saorsat. However, previous coverage of sports events was also blacked out as the signal was freely receivable in in Northern Ireland. As Soarsat isn’t controlled by viewing cards, RTÉ can’t geo-block individual programmes on the platform.
▶ How to get around the RTÉ Olympic blackout
It’s possible in many parts of Northern Ireland to receive services directly from the Republic of Ireland.
A number of Irish transmitters are based virtually next to the border, providing good coverage in Northern Ireland. This includes the Clermont Cairn transmitter, south of Newry. It’s just 1.2 km (under 1 mile) on the Irish side of the border – serving Newry and areas as far north as the outskirts of Belfast. The Holywell Hill transmitter overlooking Derry~Londonderry is less than 42 metres (138 ft) from the border. Armagh, Coleraine and Strabane are all within range of transmitters based in the Republic of Ireland. Viewers may already have a dual-aerial set-up on the roof.
Viewers will probably already know if they are receiving directly from the Republic of Ireland. On a Freeview TV or box, RTÉ channels via direct reception appear in the 800s on the Freeview channel list. The main two channels are in HD (as opposed to SD via Freeview). You’ll also be receiving other Irish channels including Virgin Media TV.
These overspill transmissions are completely unaffected.
▶ Analysis: What’s actually different this time around?
RTÉ has always been available from transmitters based in the Republic of Ireland, with broad overspill in the North. Olympic coverage this time, as in the past from these transmitters is unaffected.
Following digital switchover in 2012, RTÉ also broadcasts its main two channels from transmitters located within Northern Ireland. Until and including the 2016 Olympics in Rio, both BBC and RTÉ’s main coverage were widely available either side of the border, although the BBC sought to limit red button coverage via Sky for Rio 2016.
In 2015, the IOC awarded the winter and summer Olympic broadcast rights to Discovery (now Warner Bros Discovery or WBD). The deal took effect from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Ireland. But the deal only started in 2022 in the UK, as detailed on the IOC website.
As part of an agreement between the BBC and Discovery, as reported on the BBC Sport website on the 2nd February 2016 and explained in more detail by the former Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater, Discovery sub-licenced the 2020 Olympic UK rights from the BBC. The trade was made to give BBC rights to cover Paris 2024.
As it was still the primary rights holder, the BBC didn’t object to RTÉ’s broadcasts in Northern Ireland for Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021).
This time around, the tables are turned. The BBC is now sub-licensing coverage of Paris 2024 from WBD. It becomes the exclusive free-to-air broadcaster in the UK. It doesn’t have the discretion to allow RTÉ to reach viewers directly in Northern Ireland, hence the RTÉ Olympic blackout.
Will things change again?
For the period covering all winter and summer Olympic games between 2026 and 2032, a new deal between the International Olympics Committee, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – of which both BBC and RTÉ are members – and Warner Bros Discovery is in place.
As far as free-to-air coverage is concerned, the status quo is broadly maintained. However, Ofcom is consulting on rule changes that might allow the BBC to finish broadcasting one event, even if it temporarily means more than two streams are active.
However, as the free-to-air broadcast rights are legally awarded to the EBU, not directly to the BBC and RTÉ, this may facilitate cross-border reception for future games.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Screengrab – RTÉ black out slate via NIMux Freeview NI. | Updated: 19:29 and 21:44.