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.