Ireland

[IE] New Satellite and Cable Content Contracts

IRIS 2004-9:1/26

Marie McGonagle

School of Law, National University of Ireland, Galway

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) announced on 8 September that, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of negotiations, it will enter into contracts with a Scottish company, Setanta, for the provision of a television service in accordance with sections 36 (satellite content contracts) and 41 (cable/MMD content contracts ­ MMD is the multipoint microwave distribution system used in less populated areas of the country) of the Broadcasting Act 2001. The service will be a 24 hours a day sports' service covering Scottish and Irish soccer, rugby, Gaelic sports, and minority sports. Distribution will be via the NTL and Chorus platforms (NTL and Chorus are the main cable and MMD operators), as well as by subscription on the Sky digital satellite platform. These will be the first contracts under the new television licensing policy, pursuant to the Broadcasting Act 2001 (see IRIS 2001-4: 9).