Viewers in Northern Ireland who tried to watch RTÉ’s main news bulletins on Wednesday saw a message indicating that the content was blocked in their region. One such message read: “This programme cannot be streamed due to rights restrictions.”

Normally, viewers in Northern Ireland can watch the full RTÉ news bulletins, but occasionally, sporting events that are also broadcast on UK channels are not available.

On Thursday, RTÉ confirmed that the regional block was due to the news bulletins containing footage from the Paris Olympics, for which the BBC holds the broadcasting rights in Northern Ireland.

RTÉ later issued a statement confirming that broadcasting of news bulletins in Northern Ireland would resume. The official opening ceremony of the games is on Friday, but Ireland competed in rugby sevens matches on Wednesday and Thursday, and the sports section of the news bulletins included reports on the Olympics.

In its statement, RTÉ explained: “RTÉ has rights to broadcast the 2024 Olympic Games in the Republic of Ireland only. RTÉ is not permitted to broadcast the 2024 Olympic Games in Northern Ireland. However, RTÉ will resume broadcast of its news bulletins in Northern Ireland, including news from the Olympic Games. Broadcast rights for Northern Ireland are held by the BBC as part of a deal made with Discovery, the pan-European rights holder, back in 2016.”

Sinn Féin MP Daire Hughes welcomed RTÉ’s decision, calling it the “right and sensible decision.” He emphasized the importance of ensuring that citizens in Northern Ireland can stay informed about political, economic, and social developments throughout Ireland.

Hughes added: “Despite this, the question must be asked – why were northern viewers blocked in the first instance? It’s important that, as a national broadcaster, RTÉ is accessible to all across the entire island. It’s simply not good enough that RTÉ will continue to geo-block coverage of Team Ireland competing in the Olympic Games despite more than 30 northerners representing the national team. RTÉ is a publicly-funded body and I will be seeking a meeting with the Minister for Media and the RTÉ director general to discuss bringing the insidious practice of geo-blocking northern citizens to an end.”