Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The amendment would have the effect of obliging Coimisiún na Meán to make a report and recommendations on how the State could make available broadcasts of sports events both within and outside the jurisdiction of the State. It would also have the effect of introducing conditionality on the availability of grants from Sport Ireland to sporting bodies linked to the availability of any broadcast, whether live or not, of their events on an all-island basis.

The rights to sporting events are a commercial matter between the rights holders and broadcasters and, as such, it is not one Coimisiún na Meán can have a role in or one that can be legislated for. It is also not appropriate that conditions for grants that may be awarded by Sport Ireland would be linked to the negotiation of rights for any given event. Similarly, the running of competitions is an operational and commercial matter for the broadcasters and, again, it is not an area where Coimisiún na Meán can have a role or one that should be legislated for. As such, I cannot accept the amendment.

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