Goan defends dropping of `Premiership'

RTE has denied that money was an obstacle to its broadcasting of highlights from the English Premiership this coming season.

Mr Cathal Goan, RTE's director of television, said the reason it had decided to cease broadcasting its Saturday evening soccer show, The Premiership, was because of a loss of "competitive advantage".

"Our understanding was that we had an exclusive window at 7 p.m. to broadcast highlights. When ITV announced today they would also go out at 7 p.m. instead of 10 p.m., as originally thought, we found ourselves in a head-to-head situation with no competitive advantage."

He described as inaccurate reports that the programme was dropped because RTE could not afford it.

Mr Goan said the decision had no financial implications for RTE as it had made "no solid contractual commitment" to buy the broadcasting rights, valued at about £1 million.

In a statement yesterday, RTE said it would invest the "significant revenues and resources involved into other, more competitive programming". Mr Goan said this investment would occur "in the coming year".

RTE had hoped to pick up extra viewers this year to its Premiership highlights show with the departure from television of BBC's Match of the Day. This will be the first year ITV will broadcast evening highlights of Premiership games.

Mr Goan admitted the decision to drop The Premiership was "a disappointment". The show had been promoted in advance publicity material on RTE's autumn schedule. He said: "We have not lost The Premiership. We had The Premiership and we have decided not to do it anymore".

The programme's presenter, Bill O'Herlihy, said he was "shocked and extremely disappointed". "I was looking forward to another year until I got the call and heard there were difficulties." The announcement is a blow to RTE's sports department which in recent years lost coverage of the UEFA Champions League and Republic of Ireland away games to TV3.

RTE has also seen the poll-topping soap opera Coronation Street cross to the independent channel, TV3, which in the coming months is to launch a fresh attack on RTE's evening schedule with an Irish version of the Weakest Link game show.

A spokesperson for TV3 was unavailable to comment yesterday on whether it would bid for the rights to broadcast Premiership highlights.