IRFU chief executive Phillip Browne believes proposals to include Six Nations and Heineken Cup matches among sporting events freely available on television could cause “terminal damage” to both the professional and amateur games in Ireland.
Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has proposed using Irish legislation and an EU directive to designate certain sporting events as free-to-air.
At present the Six Nations and autumn internationals are broadcast live on RTÉ, while Sky Sports broadcast the Heineken Cup, although a highlights package is broadcast free-to-air by the national broadcaster.
IRFU officials and ERC chief executive Derek McGrath met with the Minister yesterday to outline their concerns, with the IRFU estimating that they could lose between €12 and €13 million a year from television income if the proposal goes through.
Speaking at the opening of the Aviva Stadium this afternoon, Browne again outlined his disapproval of the free-to-air idea.
“My views are well known. All I would say is that Minister Ryan is mistaken,” said Browne.
“To move down the route he is proposing would do significant and possibly terminal damage to the professional game in this country. The outcome of that would be terminal damage to the amateur game and I'll not be saying anything more about it,” he added.
Browne admitted he is confident that the Heineken Cup final will take place at the Aviva Stadium in 2013 after the venue missed out on the next two deciders.
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is expected to be awarded the 2011 final on Monday, while Twickenham is expected to get the nod in 2012 with London also hosting the Olympics.
“I would be pretty hopeful that it will be in 2013. The 2011 bid was going to be difficult given the Uefa fixture (Europa League final). There was little difference commercially between our bid and Twickenham for 2012, it boiled down to politics,” added Browne.