Publication in accordance with Article 3a(2) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
Date: 2003-04-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Ireland, administrative cooperation, audiovisual communications policy, broadcasting, television

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Publication in accordance with Article 3a(2) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination
of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States
concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council

(2003/C 100/05)

The measures taken by Ireland pursuant to Article 3a(1) of the Directive and notified to the Commission in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 3a(2) of the Directive:

Number 28 of 1999

BROADCASTING (MAJOR EVENTS TELEVISION COVERAGE) ACT, 1999

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

Section

Interpretation

1.
2. Designation of major events
3. Consultation
4. Broadcasters' duties with respect to designated events
5. Broadcasters' duties with respect to Member States events
6. Civil remedies
7. Reasonable market rates
8. Short title

Acts Referred to
European Communities Act, 1972, No 27
European Communities (Amendment) Act, 1993, No 25

BROADCASTING (MAJOR EVENTS TELEVISION COVERAGE) ACT, 1999

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR TELEVISION COVERAGE OF EVENTS OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO SOCIETY, TO GIVE
EFFECT TO ARTICLE 3a OF COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 89/552/EEC OF 3 OCTOBER 1989, AS AMENDED BY COUNCIL
DIRECTIVE 97/36/EC OF 30 JUNE 1997, AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER RELATED MATTERS. [13 November 1999]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

1.

(1) In this Act

‘broadcaster’ has the meaning assigned in the Council Directive;

‘Council Directive’ means Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989 (1) as amended by Council
Directive 97/36/EC of 30 June 1997 (2);

‘EEA Agreement’ has the meaning assigned in the European Communities (Amendment) Act, 1993;

‘event’ means an event of interest to the general public in the European Union, a Member State or in the
State or in a significant part of the State that is organised by an event organiser who is legally entitled to
sell the broadcasting rights to the event;

(1) OJ L 298, 17.10.1989.
(2) OJ L 202, 30.7.1997.

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‘free television service’ means television broadcasting service for the reception of which no charge is made
by the person providing the service;

‘Member State’ means a member state of the European Communities (within the meaning of the European
Communities Act, 1972) and includes a state that is a contracting state to the EEA Agreement;

‘the Minister’ means the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands;

‘near universal coverage’ means

(a) free television service, reception of which is available to at least 95 per cent of the population of the
State, or

(b) if at any time fewer than three broadcasters are able to provide the coverage required under paragraph
(a), free television service, reception of which is available to at least 90 per cent of the population of the
State;

‘qualifying broadcaster’ means a broadcaster who is deemed under subsection (2) to be a qualifying broad-
caster;

‘television broadcasting’ has the meaning assigned in the Council Directive.

(2) The following broadcasters are deemed to be qualifying broadcasters:

(a) until the 31st day of December, 2001, a broadcaster who provides free television service coverage of a
designated event to which at least 85 per cent of the population of the State have access;

(b) on and after the 1st day of January, 2002, a broadcaster who provides near universal coverage of a
designated event.

(3) For the purpose of subsection (2), two or more broadcasters who enter into a contract or arrangement
to jointly provide near universal coverage of a designated event shall be deemed to be a single broadcaster
with respect to that event.

(4) A broadcaster may request the Minister to resolve any dispute as to the extent of free television service
being provided by a broadcaster in the State for the purpose of subsection (2) and the definition of ‘near
universal coverage’ in subsection (1).

(5) The Minister may consult with any technical experts or other persons or bodies he or she considers
appropriate before resolving a dispute under subsection (4).

(6) In this Act

(a) a reference to any enactment shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as a reference to
that enactment as amended or extended by or under any subsequent enactment including this Act;

(b) a reference to a section is a reference to a section of this Act unless it is indicated that reference to
some other enactment is intended; and

(c) a reference to a subsection, paragraph or subparagraph is a reference to the subsection, paragraph or
subparagraph of the provision in which the reference occurs unless it is indicated that reference to some
other provision is intended.

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2.

(1) The Minister may by order

(a) designate events as events of major importance to society for which the right of a qualifying broad-
caster to provide coverage on free television services should be provided in the public interest, and

(b) determine whether coverage on free television services of an event designated under paragraph (a)
should be available

(i) on a live, deferred or both live and deferred basis, and

(ii) in whole, in part or both in whole and in part.

(2) The Minister shall have regard to all the circumstances and in particular each of the following criteria
in making a designation under subsection (1)(a):

(a) the extent to which the event has a special general resonance for the people of Ireland;

(b) the extent to which the event has a generally recognised distinct cultural importance for the people of
Ireland.

(3) In order to determine the extent to which the criteria in subsection (2) have been met, the following
factors may be taken into account by the Minister:

(a) whether the event involves participation by a national or non-national team or by Irish persons;

(b) past practice or experience with regard to television coverage of the event or similar events.

(4) The Minister shall consider the following in making the determination under subsection (1)(b):

(a) the nature of the event;

(b) the time within the State at which the event takes place;

(c) practical broadcasting considerations.

(5) The Minister may by order revoke or amend an order under this section.

(6) The Minister shall consult with the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation before making,
revoking or amending an order under this section.

(7) Where it is proposed to make, revoke or amend an order under this section, a draft of the order shall
be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the order shall not be made until a resolution approving
the draft has been passed by each House.

3.

(1) Before making an order under section 2, the Minister shall

(a) make reasonable efforts to consult with the organisers of the event and with broadcasters who are
under the jurisdiction of the State for the purpose of the Council Directive,

(b) publish a notice of the event which the Minister intends to designate under that section in at least one
newspaper circulating in the State, and

(c) invite comments on the intended designation from members of the public.

(2) The inability to establish who is the organiser of an event or the failure of the organiser or a
broadcaster under the jurisdiction of the State to respond to the Minister's efforts to consult shall not
preclude the making of an order under section 2.

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4.

(1) Where a broadcaster under the jurisdiction of the State who is not a qualifying broadcaster acquires
exclusive rights to broadcast a designated event, that broadcaster shall not broadcast the event unless the
event has been made available to a qualifying broadcaster, in accordance with the order under section 2, on
request and the payment of reasonable market rates by the qualifying broadcaster.

(2) Where a qualifying broadcaster acquires the right to broadcast a designated event (under this section or
directly), the qualifying broadcaster shall broadcast the event on a free television service providing near
universal coverage in accordance with the order under section 2.

(3) In this section, ‘designated event’ means an event that is designated in an order under section 2.

5.

Where another Member State has designated an event as being of major importance to society in that
Member State and the European Commission has communicated the measures taken by that Member State
in accordance with Article 3a(2) of the Council Directive, no broadcaster under the jurisdiction of the State
who acquires exclusive rights to the designated event shall exercise the exclusive rights in such a way that
a substantial portion of the public in that Member State is deprived of the possibility of following the
events in accordance with the measures taken.

6.

(1) Where it is alleged by a broadcaster (the ‘aggrieved broadcaster’) that any activity or conduct prohibited
by section 4 or 5 is being, has been or is about to be carried on by one or more other broadcasters (the
‘other broadcaster’), the aggrieved broadcaster shall be entitled to apply to the High Court for the following
remedies against the other broadcaster:

(a) an order restraining the other broadcaster from carrying on or attempting to carry on the activity or
conduct prohibited by section 4 or 5;

(b) a declaration that the contract under which the other broadcaster received exclusive rights to the
designated event is void;

(c) damages from the other broadcaster;

(d) a direction that the right to provide television coverage of the event shall be offered to the aggrieved
broadcaster at reasonable market rates.

(2) An application to the High Court for an order referred to in subsection (1) shall be by motion and the
court, when considering the matter, may make such interim or interlocutory order as it considers appro-
priate.

7.

(1) For the purpose of section 4(1), if broadcasters are unable to agree on what constitutes reasonable
market rates with respect to television coverage of an event, either of the broadcasters may apply to the
High Court in a summary manner for an order determining reasonable market rates for an event.

(2) An order under subsection (1) may contain such consequential or supplementary provisions as the High
Court considers appropriate.

8.

This Act may be cited as the Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act, 1999.

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Statutory Instruments

S.I. No 99 of 2003

Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act 1999 (Designation of Major Events) Order
2003

I, Dermot Ahern, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers
conferred on me by subsection (1) of section 2 of the Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act
1999 (No 28 of 1999) and the Broadcasting (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial
Functions) Order 2002 (S.I. No 302 of 2002) (as adapted by the Marine and Natural Resources) (Alteration
of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2002 (S.I. No 307 of 2002)) after consultation with
the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism as provided for by subsection (6) (as adapted by the Tourism,
Sport and Recreation (Alteration of Name of Department, Title of Minister) Order 2002 (S.I. No 307 of
2002)) of that section, hereby make the following order with respect to which, pursuant to subsection (7)
of that section, a draft has been laid before each House of the Oireachtas and a resolution approving the
draft has been passed by each such House:

This Order may be cited as the Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act 1999 (Desig-

1.
nation of Major Events) Order 2003.

2.
The events specified in the Schedule to this Order are designated as events of major importance to
society for which the right of a qualifying broadcaster to provide coverage on a live basis on free television
services should be provided in the public interest.

3.
Each of Ireland's games in the Six Nations Rugby Football Championship is designated as an event of
major importance to society for which the right of a qualifying broadcaster to provide coverage on a
deferred basis on free television services should be provided in the public interest.

SCHEDULE

Regulation 2

The Summer Olympics

The All-Ireland Senior Inter-County Football and Hurling Finals

Ireland's home and away qualifying games in the European Football Championship and the FIFA World
Cup Tournaments

Ireland's games in the European Football Championship Finals Tournament and the FIFA World Cup Finals
Tournament

The opening games, the semi-finals and final of the European Football Championship Finals and the FIFA
World Cup Finals Tournament

Ireland's games in the Rugby World Cup Finals Tournament

The Irish Grand National and the Irish Derby

The Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

13 March 2003.

Dermot Ahern

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources