TV3 chief executive David McRedmond defended the network.
It was announced earlier today that TV3 will take over broadcasting the Six Nations Championship from RTÉ from 2018.
The news was met with a mixed reaction on Twitter and other social networking sites, with many accusing TV3 of having too many ad breaks, which they believed had ruined the coverage of the Rugby World Cup.
TV3 has won the rights to the Six Nations from 2018 to 2021. *Bollox*. #alloftheads pic.twitter.com/GxSHtEzRZ4
— Anthony Mc Guinness (@anthonymcg) November 11, 2015
Great TV3 win rights to Six Nations from 2018-2022! Going to be horrific! They hardly have play replays #LongAdsNoAnalysis — Shane Anders (@ShaneAnders95) November 11, 2015
Speaking afterwards, TV3 chief executive David McRedmond has defended the network.
“We have to run more ads than RTÉ certainly because we don’t get the license fee,” he told RTÉ Radio One’s Drivetime programme.
“There is a very clear difference. We deliver these matches free-to-air so viewers do not have to pay to see it.
“I wouldn’t make this about an issue between RTÉ and TV3, this is good for Irish broadcasting, it’s good for viewers.”
He later noted: “TV3 did something different to what RTÉ does.
“It’s important that viewers get fantastic coverage. The big difference, compared to the Rugby World Cup on RTÉ four years earlier, is RTÉ only showed 13 live matches. TV3 showed 48 matches live.”
