News Archive
- RTÉ Secures Broadcast Rights for Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 Play-Offs.
- Rugby World Cup 2011: Ireland v Italy match: highest rating sports programme this year for Men ABC1
- Irish sports fans savour a great weekend of sport on RTÉ Television
- RTÉ Sport announce O2 sponsorship of RTÉ's Rugby World Cup Coverage
- RTÉ Secures Rugby World Cup 2011 Broadcast Rights
- RTÉ secures comprehensive gaa championship coverage until 2013
- RTÉ television awarded barclays premier league highlights until 2013
- RTÉ secures uefa euro 2012 broadcast rights
- RTÉ wins uefa champions league rights
- RTÉ Sport wins FAI contract extension 2010-2014
- Sport on RTÉ Two HD This September
- GAA, Soccer and Rugby All in HD on RTÉ this August
- RTÉ To Create HD History
- It's Jedward Fever!
- Mrs Brown's Boys Nominated For BAFTA
- RTÉ Launches SAORVIEW Public Information Campaign
- RTÉ secures comprehensive coverage of rbs 6 nations
RTÉ Secures Broadcast Rights for Republic of Ireland's Crucial Euro 2012 Play-Offs
RTÉ Sport has announced that it is has secured the live broadcast rights for the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 Qualifying play-off games against Estonia this November. Both the home and away matches will be broadcast live on RTÉ Two television, RTÉ Radio 1 and streamed live on RTÉ.ie
The opening leg will see the Republic of Ireland team travel to Tallinn to face Estonia on Friday 11 November. The match will kick off at 7.45pm with live coverage of the game beginning at 7.00pm on RTÉ Two, RTÉ Radio and RTÉ.ie.
The second leg will then take place four days later on Tuesday 15 November as the Republic of Ireland play host to Estonia at the Aviva Stadium. This crucial game will again be broadcast live on RTÉ Two television, RTÉ Radio 1 and streamed live on RTÉ.ie
On RTÉ Two television Bill O'Herlihy will be joined by John Giles, Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady for pre and post match analysis and debate as the national side look to secure their place in the UEFA Euro 2012 Championships next summer in Poland and Ukraine.
Live radio coverage of the game will be on RTÉ Radio 1 on FM, on LW 252, on digital and online from 7.30pm with analysis from Kenny Cunningham, Damian Richardson and John Anderson. Gabriel Egan and Eoin Hand will provide match commentary.
The matches will also be streamed live on www.rte.ie/sport within the Republic of Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland's final qualifying Group B game against Armenia on Tuesday 11th October attracted a peak television audience of 968,000 viewers*. An average of 605,000** viewers tuned in to RTÉ Two for the entire match from kick-off to final whistle with the audience peaking during the final minutes of the game.
Minute peak of 968,000 viewers was recorded 8.37pm during the closing stages of the game.
**An average of 605,000 viewers watched the entire match from kick-off to final whistle (6.48pm to 8.38pm)
All figures quoted are Live + VOSDAL and sourced from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement
Rugby World Cup 2011
Ireland v Italy match: highest rating sports programme this year for Men ABC1
Ireland's crucial Rugby World Cup match against Italy on Sunday morning was watched by an average of 630,000 people1.
73% of Irish Adults who were watching TV at the time watched the coverage on RTÉ Two, which ran from 8:00 – 10:47am2. The programme achieved an average rating of 25.45 for Men ABC1 and an average share of 75%, making it the highest rating sports event this year to-date for this demographic and the second highest rating programme overall, after The Frontline Leaders Debate on 14th February3.
Despite airing early on a Sunday morning, the vast majority of viewers got up early to watch the Ireland v Italy match live. The average live audience for the coverage was 569,300 with a further 61,000 watching it on the same day as live. Live viewing made up 90% of the average Live + VOSDAL audience.
Each of the 4 Irish pool games were watched by an average of just over 400,000 viewers1. The 2 highest rating matches so far were Sunday's game against Italy, followed by Ireland's phenomenal match on 17th September against Australia.
With Ireland looking like they have a real chance of progressing in the tournament now, audiences will no doubt be glued to Ireland's Quarter Final match against Wales this Saturday at Wellington Regional Stadium.
Source: TAM Ireland Ltd / Nielsen TAM
Dublin's first Sam in 16 years attracts a 1.4m television audience as Irish sports fans savour a great weekend of sport on RTÉ Television
Sunday's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final attracted a huge viewership peaking at 1.4 million viewers in the final minutes of the match as Dublin dramatically came back from four points down against Kerry to snatch the title.
An average audience of 1,175,300 viewers, 74.61% of the available audience, tuned in to the gripping game from throw-in to final whistle on RTÉ's The Sunday Game Live. As Dublin staged a late, late comeback to claim their first title in 16 years, 1,077,500 people tuned in for full coverage of the game including post-match analysis and reviews with RTÉ's panelists Pat Spillane, Joe Brolly and Colm O'Rourke.
On a great weekend of sport on RTÉ Television, Ireland's historic pool stage win over Australia in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand also drew huge audiences. An average audience of 624,000, 65.14% of the available audience, tuned in for full coverage of the match including all the analysis from RTÉ's Rugby panel of George Hook, Brent Pope and Frankie Sheahan. The audience peaked at 808,700 as Ireland stoutly defended their 9 point lead in the final minutes of the game.
RTÉ's coverage of the All-Ireland Senior Football final ranks as the highest rating sports event on television this year to-date and attracted the 5th highest audience of any programme this year in Ireland
Source: Nielsen TV Audience Measurement
RTÉ Sport announce O2 sponsorship of RTÉ's Rugby World Cup Coverage
RTÉ Sport have announced that O2 will sponsor RTÉ's coverage of the Rugby World Cup across RTÉ Television, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ.ie. RTÉ's 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign will include all of Ireland's games broadcast live from New Zealand as part of an astounding 130 hours of rugby coverage across television, radio and online.
RTÉ Television's coverage will include the live broadcast of 13 key matches, including all of Ireland's Pool matches, the Final, the Bronze Final, both semi-finals, all four quarter-finals and the opening match, all of which will also be simulcast and available for catch-up on RTÉ.ie. For the first time ever coverage of the Rugby World Cup will also be broadcast in HD in Ireland as RTÉ Television's live coverage of 13 key games is also available on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW. In addition, all of Ireland's games will be broadcast exclusively live on RTÉ Radio.
Geraldine O'Leary, Commercial Director, RTÉ Television commented "Offering cut-through across all platforms under one brand is RTÉ's unique offering to the market. Rugby World Cup remains on terrestrial free-to-air television and O2 has secured powerful association with Rugby World Cup across all of RTÉ's market-leading platforms- RTÉ Television, RTÉ Radio and RTÉ.ie. This partnership is a great endorsement of RTÉ Sport's output and its powerful audience reach and we're delighted to welcome O2 on board".
Jonnie Cahill, Marketing Director of Telefónica Ireland, which operates the O2 brand in the Irish marketplace, said: "I am delighted to announce our sponsorship of RTÉ's forthcoming Rugby World Cup coverage. With a variety of early morning kick off times, watching the games at home will be a key feature of this year's tournament and as the Irish team sponsor this was an exciting opportunity for us to consider. We have created some fantastic ads with Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Johnny Sexton which we're looking forward to sharing with rugby supporters throughout the campaign and we hope these will add even more enjoyment to RTÉ's excellent coverage of the Rugby World Cup"
Rugby World Cup 2011, the seventh edition of rugby's showcase event, kicks off in New Zealand on 9 September and will feature the top 20 teams in the world competing across 48 tournament matches. The Final will be played on 23 October 2011 at Auckland's iconic Eden Park Stadium. It is expected that the tournament will be broadcast to four billion fans worldwide.
For further information please contact:
Dermot Rigley, Cross Media Manager, RTÉ Sport, Ph: 208 2652 / 086 8193739, Email: Dermot.Rigley@rte.ie
RTÉ Secures Rugby World Cup 2011 Broadcast Rights
RTÉ Sport has secured live broadcast rights to Rugby World Cup 2011, allowing it to provide extensive free-to-air television coverage of rugby's showcase event to the Irish public along with other major international sports events.
RTÉ has successfully secured live broadcast rights for television, radio and online, ensuring that Irish rugby fans will be able to access quality coverage of their national team in action in next year's Rugby World Cup on all of RTÉ's platforms.
RTÉ Television's coverage will include the live broadcast of 13 key matches, including all of Ireland's Pool matches, the Final, the Bronze Final, both semi-finals, all four quarter-finals and the opening match, all of which will also be simulcast and available for catch-up on RTÉ.ie. In addition, all of Ireland's games will be broadcast exclusively live on RTÉ Radio.
RTÉ secures comprehensive GAA coverage until 2013
RTÉ has secured the rights for comprehensive GAA Championship coverage across RTÉ Television and Radio for the next three seasons, guaranteeing quality free-to-air coverage up to and including 2013.
The Package:
Four live television packages for the GAA Championships
Three live radio packages for the GAA Championships
The Sunday night television highlights package
Over the next three years, RTÉ will deliver the following:
- Exclusive coverage of the All Ireland Semi-Finals and Finals both on RTÉ Television and RTÉ Radio
- Over 90 live Championship games on RTÉ Television
- First-choice radio-broadcast rights for the GAA Championships ensuring that RTÉ Radio 1 emerge with the first-choice of games on both Saturdays and Sundays throughout the Championships
- RTÉ Radio will continue to deliver exclusive coverage of the Allianz GAA National League games
- Championship highlights and analysis each week on RTÉ Television's The Sunday Game
- Weekly National League highlights programme on RTÉ Television
- Weekly GAA Championship TV magazine programme
- Weekly GAA Championship radio magazine programme
The Viewing Figures:
RTÉ's live GAA Championship coverage received increased audiences on both television and radio this year.
The Sunday Game Live saw a series average increase of over 43,000 viewers year-on-year*, while RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport saw listenership increases of 13,000 and 5,000 respectively.
This year's All Ireland Senior Championship Hurling Final on RTÉ Television also attracted the highest ever viewership for an All Ireland Hurling Final, peaking at 1.236 million** viewers in the final minutes of the match when Tipperary won out against Kilkenny in a dramatic battle.
RTÉ Television awarded Barclays Premier League Highlights until 2013
RTÉ Television has announced that it has been awarded the rights to broadcast Barclays Premier League soccer highlights for three seasons up to and including the 2012/2013 season.
RTÉ Television's unrivalled team of analysts and commentators will deliver in excess of 40 programmes per season covering the widest possible range of Barclays Premier League matches throughout the next three years.
RTÉ secures UEFA EURO 2012 broadcast rights
RTÉ has successfully secured broadcast rights for the 2012 European Championships, across television, radio and online, through an European Broadcasting Union (EBU) agreement which involves 36 countries broadcasting this event extensively on free-to-air television in addition to radio and internet platforms.
Exclusive Irish broadcast rights have been secured by RTÉ Television and RTÉ.ie while RTÉ Radio has been awarded national broadcast rights for the entire tournament. Coverage will include the live broadcast of all 31 matches from Poland and Ukraine in summer 2012.
RTÉ's unrivalled team of soccer presenters, analysts and commentators will be on hand throughout the tournament providing their expert analysis and opinion free-to-air.
RTÉ wins UEFA Champions League rights
RTÉ Sport has announced that it has won the most Champions League rights of any Irish terrestrial television channel from September 2009 until 2012. RTÉ have secured the premium package of exclusive Irish terrestrial rights to Wednesday night matches with exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League Final and the UEFA Super Cup, which amounts to eighteen live matches on RTÉ Two.
Wednesday night highlights and a weekly magazine programme are also part of the package. Coverage on RTÉ.ie will include live simulcasts plus clip rights of Wednesday night matches with rights secured for coverage on RTÉ.ie mobile also.
RTÉ will continue to broadcast live UEFA Champions League first-pick matches on both Tuesday and Wednesday night in the 2008-2009 season.
RTÉ Sport wins FAI contract extension until 2014
RTÉ has won a four-year contract extension, 2010-2014, for television, radio and online broadcasting rights with the Football Association of Ireland. This contract extension guarantees RTÉ Television and Radio live coverage of all of the Republic of Ireland home internationals in the European and World Cup qualification rounds, up to and including World Cup 2014 in Brazil; and RTÉ.ie live simultaneous webcasting of these games. In addition, RTÉ Television will have deferred access to all of the Republic of Ireland's home friendly internationals within the contract period.
RTÉ Sport Soccer Coverage includes:
- UEFA European Championship 2008 live and exclusive
- UEFA Champions League, 1st pick, Season 2008/'09
- FIFA World Cup 2010, South Africa
- FIFA World Cup 2014, Brazil
- Premier League Highlights up to and including 2009/'10 season
RTÉ Sport's commitment to the Eircom League of Ireland will dramatically increase. In addition to broadcasting 13 of the biggest games of the season, RTÉ Television will also introduce a brand new hour-long dedicated Irish soccer programme; Monday Night Soccer (MNS). MNS will feature highlights of every top-flight FAI eircom League of Ireland match throughout the season so fans will get the opportunity to watch every crucial goal, tackle, shot and save. The programme will be broadcast each week on RTÉ Two at 8.00pm beginning Monday 10th March.
Presenter Con Murphy will be joined by some of the biggest names in Irish soccer including former Cork City manager Damien Richardson, newly retired St Patrick's Athletic defender Colm Foley, former Bohemians manager Sean Connor, former Irish International and Millwall striker Richard Sadlier, former UCD midfielder Tony McDonnell, renowned former Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians manager Roddy Collins, Cork City legend Dave Barry and former Cork City striker Pat Morley. In a further commitment to Irish soccer, RTÉ Television are set to increase the coverage of live eircom League of Ireland matches as agreed in the new contract extension. Beginning in 2010, the number of live matches shown by RTÉ will grow each season culminating with 33 live matches (one-per-week) in the final year of the term - the 2013 season
GAA, Soccer and Rugby All in HD on RTÉ this September
RTÉ Sport is set to broadcast a host of major sporting events in HD this September. There will be live coverage of GAA, soccer and rugby fixtures.
RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW, Ireland's free digital television service, will show 10 Irish and International sports broadcasts in High Definition including the All Ireland Championship Finals, UEFA Champions League, Euro 2012 Qualifiers and 3 Rugby World Cup group games, including the opening ceremony & the first 3 of Ireland's group games.
Matches being Broadcast this September on RTÉ Two HD
| Date | Sport | Fixture |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 2nd Sept | Soccer | 2012 Euro Qualifiers : Ireland v Slovakia |
| Monday 5th Sept | GAA | All-Ireland SFC Final |
| Tuesday 6th Sept | Soccer | 2012 Euro Qualifier - Russia v Ireland |
| Friday 9th Sept | Rugby | RWC Opening Ceremony New Zealandl v Tonga Live |
| Sunday 11th Sept | Rugby | RWC Live – Ireland v USA |
| Wednesday 14th Sept | Soccer | Champions League Live: Group Stages |
| Saturday 17th Sept | Rugby | RWC Live – Australia v Ireland |
| Sunday 18th Sept | GAA | All-Ireland SHC Final |
| Sunday 25th Sept | Rugby | RWC Live – Ireland v Russia |
| Wednesday 28th Sept | Soccer | Champions League Live – Group Stages |
All programming and HD subject to change
For more information on how to sponsor any of these great upcoming sporting opportunities, please contact:
Dermot Rigley, Cross Media Manager, RTÉ Sport, Ph: 208 2652 / 086 8193739, Email: Dermot.Rigley@rte.ie
GAA, Soccer and Rugby All in HD on RTÉ this August
RTÉ Sport is set to broadcast a host of major sporting events in HD this month with live coverage of GAA, soccer and rugby fixtures. RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW, Ireland’s free digital television service, will show 14 Irish and International sports broadcasts in High Definition including the All Ireland Championship semi-finals, UEFA Champions League Play-Offs and Ireland’s Rugby World Cup warm up games against France.
As the GAA Championships culminate, RTÉ Sport will broadcast nine individual matches in HD this month featuring teams from 11 different counties all available on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW. The HD broadcasts will begin with the hugely anticipated All Ireland Senior Football quarter final between Dublin and Tyrone this Saturday 6th August. Fans will also be able to enjoy all the action in HD every Sunday in August from Croke Park with each of the minor and senior All Ireland Football and Hurling semi finals live on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW.
The new soccer season kicks off this August and RTÉ Sport will bring some of the best European action to fans in HD. There will be live HD coverage of the UEFA Champions League Play-Offs on the 17th and 24th August on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW, as some of the best teams in Europe look to earn their place in the elite stage of greatest club competition in the world. In addition the UEFA Super Cup will see Champions League winners Barcelona take on Europa Cup holders Porto on 26th August live on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW.
With the 2011 Rugby World Cup only weeks away Ireland will play a series of warm up games this August. RTÉ Sport will broadcast Ireland’s tests with France in both Bordeaux and the Aviva Stadium live in HD on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW on the 13th and 20th August.
Clíona O’Leary, Deputy Head of TV Sport, RTÉ said: “This month sees a packed calendar of sporting fixtures for RTÉ and we are very excited to be able to bring a growing number of fixtures to fans in HD on Saorview. The picture and sound quality offered by HD is superb and our coverage will put sports fans right at the heart of the action.”
All HD broadcasts will be available on RTÉ Two HD, the first Irish free-to-air HD service now available on SAORVIEW.
RTÉ Creating HD History
RTÉ Television will broadcast the first free-to-air HD broadcast on Irish Television this weekend. RTÉ Two HD is the first Irish free-to-air HD service.
We are going to broadcast the Magners League Final (Munster v Leinster) on Saturday 28th May and the Munster Hurling QF (Cork V Tipp) on Sunday 29th May in HD on SAORVIEW. The HD pictures will be available on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW. This is a first for RTÉ & for SAORVIEW.
Heineken Cup winners, Leinster attempt to do the double at Thomond Park against Munster with this thrilling finale to the season kicking off at 4.30pm on Saturday.
RTÉ is proud to announce as part of the new free-to-air television service Saorview, this match will be available for the first time ever on RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW.
Keeping with the weekend of sport, on Sunday May 29th, RTÉ Two HD on SAORVIEW, will broadcast live in HD the Munster Hurling QuaRTÉr Final between Cork and Tipperary in Semple Stadium Thurles, (match throws in at 4pm).
To find out more about SAORVIEW Click Here
Or go to Aertel 650, or Lo Call 1890 222 012.
See the Saturday Sport trailer here
See the Sunday Sport trailer here
Jedward fever…
Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest achieves its highest audience figure for 15 years!
Saturdays Eurovision Song Contest, which ran on RTÉ One from 8:00 – 11:27pm was watched by an average of 1,174,300 viewers1, which was higher than all the previous contests since 19972. The audience peaked from 10.30-10.45pm when an average of 1,456,360 people watched to see how popular Jedward proved to be around Europe as the voting neared its end. Overall, the programme reached a total of 2,244,600 viewers3 .
The programme, which lasted almost 3 ˝ hours achieved an average Adult rating of 29.78 and an average share of 63.89%. None of the Eurovision Song Contests during the 'Noughties' achieved an Adult rating this high.
Saturday's programme clearly held a particularly high appeal for younger viewers who got behind Jedward in huge numbers. The average rating for Adults aged 15-24 for the entire programme was 26.75 and it held an average share of 71% across the duration of the coverage. The average TVR for this particular demographic for the 15 minutes from 11:00-11:15pm was 32.91 with the quaRTÉr-hour share climbing to an average of 83%.
The average TVR of 26.75 for Adults 15-24 was the highest rating for any programme on any channel since Eastenders on RTÉ One on Christmas Day 2002 when Jamie Mitchell died
*Source: TAM Ireland Ltd / Nielsen TAM / All figures are based on Live + VOSDAL
Mrs Brown's Boys Gets Nominated for BAFTA
Second International Award Nomination for Smash Hit Comedy
Champagne corks are popping today with the news that the hugely popular Mrs Brown's Boys has been nominated for a BAFTA in the Situation Comedy category at this year's awards.
The comedy, which was a co-produced by RTÉ with the BBC, has proven to be a huge hit with audiences both here and in the UK. Starring Brendan O'Carroll as Agnes Brown, Dublin's favourite matriarch, it was first broadcast on RTÉ One at the beginning of the year, attracting an average audience of over 800,000 viewers and making it one of RTÉ Entertainment's biggest successes of the year so far.
The show has also gone on to attract huge audiences on BBC One with the last episode attracting 4.1 million viewers.
RTÉ's Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, Eddie Doyle said:
RTÉ Television announced in March that the hugely popular sitcom would be re-commissioned for a second series.
Other nominees in the Situation Comedy category for the BAFTAs include Peep Show, Rev and The Trip.
The BAFTAs ceremony will take place in London on May 22nd 2011 at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
Mrs Brown's Boys has also been nominated for the Best TV Comedy category in this year's prestigious Monte Carlo Television Festival Awards. Along with RTÉ's comedy/drama Trivia, Mrs Brown's Boys will be competing in the comedy category against huge US brands like 30 Rock, Glee and Modern Family. The winner will be announced in early June.
RTÉ Launches SAORVIEW Public Information Campaign
16th March 2011. SAORVIEW is this week launching a public information campaign to introduce Irish consumers to its new free-to-air digital television service. The new digital service, which will provide consumers with more choice and better quality pictures and sound, will be officially launched to the market in the summer and will be available to homes across the country.
From this week the public will be able to access information on the new service from a Lo Call number 1890 222 012 and from the website www.saorview.ie. An advertising campaign introducing the new service is also beginning on television, radio and online on St Patrick's Day.
All viewers who currently receive their television signal through an aerial will need to switch to SAORVIEW by the end of 2012, as this older form of television transmission (known as analogue) will be switched off throughout the EU at that time. Other television viewers are also expected to take up the service which involves the once-off purchase of a set-top box which allows viewers receive the digital SAORVIEW service free into the future.
Mary Curtis, Director of Digital Switch Over, RTÉ said:
"This is an exciting time for TV viewers. The new digital service offers more choice when it comes to TV channels and radio channels and it also offers higher quality pictures and sounds. Most importantly SAORVIEW offers this new service on a free-to-air basis, which means that there is no monthly cost to consumers. To receive SAORVIEW viewers will need to purchase a set-top box, but after that there is no charge."
The planned channel line up for the new SAORVIEW digital television platform, which was announced last month, is as follows: RTÉ One, RTÉ Two HD, TV3, TG4, RTÉ News Now, 3e, RTÉjr, RTÉ One + 1 and RTÉ Digital AeRTÉl. The following radio services will also be available on SAORVIEW: RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Pulse, RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ Gold, RTÉ Chill, RTÉJnr, and Radio 1 Extra.
"This public information campaign will explain how people can easily make the switch to the new SAORVIEW service and enjoy the benefits of free digital television. The SAORVIEW service will be launched at the end of May this year," she concluded.
Click Here to learn more about Saorview
RTÉ secures comprehensive coverage of RBS 6 Nations
RTÉ has confirmed that it has won the right to broadcast exclusive live coverage of all games in the RBS 6 Nations Championships on television, radio and online from 2010 until 2013 inclusive. This ensures that the next six years of 6 Nations rugby will be broadcast live exclusively on RTÉ media outlets.