Some athletics fans living in the north were left frustrated at being unable to watch Portaferry athlete Ciara Mageean winning gold at the European Championships in Rome.
While the thrilling race could be watched live on RTE television in the north, it was not available on the RTE Player streaming service due to rights issues. Viewers in the north could still view the action online via the BBC, which has not been televising the championships live.
The digital geo-blocking of Mageean’s race was due to the BBC holding digital and streaming rights for the UK – including the north. This means RTÉ's digital rights only extend to the Republic.
BBC Sport agreed a multi-year deal to broadcast the European Championships up to and including 2027. The deal began with the European Championships in Rome – June 7 to 12.
The BBC does not have TV rights, which meant RTE2′s television coverage was available in the north.
A spokesperson for RTÉ told The Irish News that it was contractually obliged to black digital clips in the north as the broadcaster did not have rights.
They added: “Similarly, the BBC blacks its clips in the Republic of Ireland.”
Some highlights and interviews broadcast online by RTE and shared on social media were also unavailable in the north.
Later, RTE said it had cleared the rights for viewers in the Republic and Northern Ireland to stream the European Athletics Championships on the RTE Player.
“However, if a user’s IP address indicates that they are not on the island of Ireland, the RTÉ Player’s geo-access technology will identify them being outside of the territory allowable under our agreement with the rights holder and block access,” a spokesperson said.
