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LAST UPDATE | 25 Jul 2024
RTÉ HAS CONFIRMED it will resume broadcast of its news bulletins in Northern Ireland, including news from the 2024 Olympic Games.
The station’s TV news bulletins were geo-blocked last night, preventing viewers from watching due to licensing restrictions on footage from the Olympics.
Some viewers took to social media to express their frustrations at being unable to watch the news bulletin, with one person describing the geo-blocking as “censorship”.
In a statement this evening, RTÉ said it will resume broadcast of its news bulletins in Northern Ireland.
It had earlier told The Journal that they were unable to show footage of the Olympics in Northern Ireland as they hold the rights to “broadcast the 2024 Olympic Games in the Republic of Ireland only”.
“While RTÉ has sought permission to make our broadcasts of the 2024 Olympic Games available in Northern Ireland, this has not been possible,” it said.
Earlier, the broadcaster stated that while efforts had been made to make their broadcasts available in Northern Ireland, it was not possible as the “exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights for Northern Ireland for the 2024 Olympic Games are held by the BBC, who were licensed those rights in a UK Olympics rights deal agreed between the BBC and the pan-European rights holder, Discovery back in 2016”.
RTÉ also confirmed that viewers in Northern Ireland would be blocked from watching the entire RTÉ News programme live and not just the specific segments that contained footage of the Olympics.
However, an edited version of the programme will be made available for viewers in Northern Ireland and internationally each night on the RTÉ Player.
Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan Brendan Smith said that “it is unacceptable that citizens in Northern Ireland are unable to access RTÉ’s news programming. As a public service broadcaster, RTÉ has a duty to provide comprehensive news coverage to all people across Ireland, regardless of geographical location”.
“The people of Northern Ireland have a right to access the same public service broadcasting as their fellow citizens in the Republic”, he continued, calling on RTÉ to address the issue to allow full access for viewers in Northern Ireland and “stand by its commitment to serve the entire island of Ireland”.
Sinn Féin MP for Newry and Armagh Dáire Hughes also described RTÉ’s decision as unacceptable, saying “geo-blocking of northern viewers has become increasingly prevalent over recent years”, locking viewers from Northern Ireland out from important news coverage.
He also accused RTÉ of treating “northern citizens with contempt” and called on the broadcaster to reverse their decision.
The SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he had written to the RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst to “underscore the broadcaster’s obligation to provide services across the island of Ireland”.
The Foyle MP also said that “the decision to geo-block news programming for RTÉ viewers in the North represents a new low” and “creates a hierarchy of Irish citizens”, adding that “commercial custom and practice shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way of something as basic as getting the news”.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday 26 July and will feature a river parade through Paris along the Seine.
Team Ireland will be hoping to bring home the gold medals with their 133 athletes across 16 different sports.
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Just like FF and FG . SF will not acknowledge the immigration problem and side with the natives .Irish people do not have a problem with people coming here to work and contribute to society . Irish people rightly do not want busloads of males been dumped into communities.This is wrong and SF would not acknowledge that in a meaningful way.
If you travel abroad to countries like Poland , you do not see tent cities , you don’t see freeloaders in their cities. Why? Because their government listened to and protected their people .
All SF had to do was acknowledge that perhaps , Irish people are right in their calls for something to be done that actually favours the people of Ireland and not the thousands of freeloaders we have currently milking the system.
Again, immigration wasn’t an issue to anyone other than the skin-triggered because the current govt who gave us your so called “immigration problem” have been comfortably re-elected, with anti-immigration parties getting decimated. Nobody has to pander to the far right now, they lost, FFG won.
@BL Music: sure if that’s the case then why are ff/fg getting seats everywhere
@9QRixo8H: The only party that got decimated is the pro Hamastinian and pro free immigration Shinners.
“Brits out – everyone else in” simply doesn’t wash with their former supporters.
There is no Right wing party in Ireland except by the definition of the Lazy Loony Left Layabouts.
@BL Music: How anyone could get a single thumbs up for such buncombe really is beyond me.
@Thomas Sheridan: SF haven’t done well but they’re the 3rd largest party, how many seats did your far-right anti-immigrant parties get? A whopping zero. Racists have no mandate.
@BL Music: funny how just SF suffered isn’t it, kind of utterly undermines your argument, if your assessment of the importance and impact of the “immigration problem” was correct we’d have had sways of the countless anti immigration candidates elected….. Guess what they bombed
@BL Music: can’t say that that’s racist, allowing people to enter the country without checking they’re backgrounds couldn’t possibly cause a problem. As our spanner himself roderic o gorman says we have a legal and moral obligation to house those entering the country. Obviously to whoever enters the country not what’s currently in it.
Saw this on twitter:
“The only Sinn Fein person having a good day today is probably Jonathan Dowdall in Portlaoise Prison, who’s stuck his house on the market for €800k.”
@honey badger: Also, from Twitter:
Sinn Fein spent €111,000 on Facebook advertising for this campaign. For 11%.
Actual LOL!
She needs to go, the whingeing old bag
@6gRrQtLn: no, leave her there, doing a great job
@Martin Kenny: valid point
@6gRrQtLn: and who is capable of replacing her
@Philip Murphy: Nigel Farage.
@Philip Murphy: no one should replace her, SF should be abolished all together, terrorists shouldn’t be allowed to run for government
She needs to realise politics isn’t conducted on social media.
In a post vote survey 30 percent plus people said they had had a visit from an FF/FG candidate. Only 18 percent had one from SF.
They need a new leader. She’s absolutely ruined them.
You’d have had my vote if Pierce Doherty was the leader.
He talks sense.
@Tom: you mean how he wants affordable housing for everyone, just not in his area?
SFs traditional vote bank has been working class communities that are most impacted by very local issues. When SF started courting Hamas sympathizers and being all fascinated with Palestine and any other trending topics that didn’t resonate with the local communities, they lost those votes.
@Kush OMeara: hari kari by sinn fein. Everyone could see that coming a mile away with the meely mouth re immigration and focus on palestine plus their referendum fcuk up. Mary Lou needs to go straight away and the party need to reorientate back to their core support , apologising on bended knee for betraying everyone.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: hand control back to ‘Belfast’
And she’s blaming the ‘current government’ for SF’s failure at the polls..whilst the ‘current government’ are running away with it; I’m confused..how does that work? The voting public have rejected SF’s programme for their ‘Change’..but I don’t think either ML or PD understand a 2-figure vote..
How is it that nobody can spell Pearse???? I do agree that marylou should go. She single handedly alienated the sf support. Thank you marylou!!!
@BL Music:
“Just like FF and FG . SF will not acknowledge the immigration problem and side with the natives”
FF and FG seem to be doing alright despite your allegation that they don’t “side with the natives”. By your own logic nobody would vote for FF, FG or SF due to the “males being dumped into communities”. Something does not add up as FG and FF have garnered plenty of votes.
Sadly i think Pierce Doherty needs to become leader . Very disappointed really thought people would vote for change . Not the same old boys club . Then again only half country voted these people same ones giving out.
@martin finnegan: The loudest complainers couldn’t be bothered to vote obviously!!
Let’s face it, FF/FG have been buying the locals votes for the last 12 months, money talks,every fiver extra,each lump some payment,each cost of living payment and every little increase & lots of handouts to communities across the country to white wash the crumbling buildings in the local squares.Brings all the locals to the schools to use their vote as a thank you to the government parties.Irish voters are always bought in the run up to elections, this will go on until the GE. It too will work then also as voters are always grateful for the few extra bob.Irish people love their money, whoever gives them more will have their hand shook.As long as donohue and mcgrath keep the handouts coming their almost guaranteed to be in government up to the beginning of the 2030s so get comfy everyone!.
@Wakeupkerrycoco Wakeupkerrycoco: Dream on dear boy!!!! People just saw straight through the sf mullarkey!!
@chris gaffney: Didn’t mention SF in my comment but yes I’d agree that people were not convinced by what SF have to offer anymore. Too slow to react to immigration and seemed to be having notions of grandeur before winning anything major.
My comment was about peoples votes being bought by government.
A poor display
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