Wednesday, August 29, 2007

RTÉ secures rights for Euro 2008

RTÉ Sport announced today that it has added yet another major international sports event to its extensive portfolio by securing exclusive rights to the UEFA Euro 2008 Championships.

RTÉ has successfully secured broadcast rights for the 2008 European Championships across television, radio and online, further strengthening RTÉ's extensive soccer coverage.

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 Austria and Switzerland next summer.

RTÉ is one of the few public service broadcasters in Europe to retain such a strong sports rights portfolio.

This latest coup adds to RTÉ's comprehensive soccer coverage which already includes broadcast rights for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, two nights live Champions League coverage, eircom League Live as well as both of the FAI Ford Cup semi-finals and the final.

UEFA's Director of Marketing and Media Rights, Philippe Le Floc'h paid tribute to RTÉ's quality coverage: 'RTÉ is the leading broadcaster in Ireland and is a long-term partner of UEFA with vast experience in broadcasting major sports events.'

Glen Killane, Group Head of Sport RTÉ, said: 'In an increasingly competitive market we are delighted that UEFA have taken in to account the quality of our coverage and the audiences that RTÉ attracts.

'We are also proud that they have paid tribute to our strong track record in sports broadcasting. Securing these games further enhances RTÉ's portfolio of live soccer and enables us to bring yet another major international sporting event to Irish viewers free-to-air.'

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 Sport will also be broadcasting all of Ireland's remaining crucial Group D qualifiers starting with the national team's game against Slovakia on 8 September.

http://www.rte.ie