Mr. Páraic Duffy:

As we have absolutely no problem in accepting criticism, it is not an issue.

Mr. Paul Rouse’s research dealt with the Heineken Cup. The key point, however, is that all Heineken Cup games are shown on Sky. Last weekend there were three Irish teams involved in the semi-finals and all three games were shown on Sky. The point we have made is that, of our 18 biggest games, 16 will still be shown on RTE. The Paul Rouse research has been quoted for several weeks, but it is not valid in the case of this issue.

The viewing figures for GAA matches on RTE are by far the best of any sport in Ireland, including the Six Nations. Two of the top six programmes on RTE last year involved GAA matches. Thirty-one of our championship games in the next three years will be shown free-to-air and I hope they will attract the same viewing figures. Last year RTE did not cover all of the provincial finals. This year it will cover all six. There will be 100 live GAA games free-to-air in the next three years.