RTÉ Kicks Off Its EURO 2012 Coverage
RTÉ today (Thursday, 17th May, 2012) announced details of its coverage of UEFA 2012 European Championship as the nation gears up for one of the biggest sporting events of the decade. As part of its unbeatable summer of sport RTÉ will deliver comprehensive coverage with all the EURO 2012 action, the best analysis and additional programming across all platforms for fans to soak up anytime and almost anywhere.
RTÉ Sport will feature coverage of all 31 games as part of the first major soccer championship for which the Republic of Ireland has qualified in 10 years. Over the course of the 24-day tournament, RTÉ will bring fans an astounding 100 hours of football from Poland and Ukraine.
Rejoining the RTÉ panel this summer is former German international Didi Hamann who became a firm favourite with fans during the 2010 World Cup. The Après Match team will also be returning with their unique insight into Euro 2012, exclusively on RTÉ.
Ryle Nugent, Group Head of Sport, RTÉ said: “The anticipation is already gathering pace for what is set to be an unbelievably exciting summer for sport. With our national side set to do battle with some of the best soccer teams in Europe everyone will be able to follow all the action – on television, with our superb HD picture quality, on radio with 2fm’s extensive coverage, online with live streaming and text commentaries, and on the move with RTÉ mobile apps and News Now. Previous tournaments have demonstrated the level of interest viewers have in seeing the best soccer action and the unique perspective and expert analysis that our panel bring and which is unrivalled by any other broadcaster. Like the squad, preparations have been under way for months and we are looking forward to bringing extensive, top quality, free-to-air coverage of EURO 2012 to the Irish public.”
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television will broadcast exclusive Irish coverage of Europe’s biggest sporting event with 31 games set to be shown on RTÉ Two. Every live game of the tournament will be broadcast in high definition with all the on-the-pitch action available in HD on RTÉ Two HD. RTÉ Television will broadcast 27 games live with the other four simultaneous games shown as deferred. In addition there will also be a nightly highlights programme each match day so fans don’t miss any of the action.
Didi Hamann will be join regulars John Giles, Eamon Dunphy, Liam Brady, Kenny Cunningham and Richie Sadlier for their expert analysis of all the action. Bill O’Herlihy and Darragh Maloney will anchor proceedings with co-commentators Ray Houghton, Ronnie Whelan, Trevor Steven and Brian Kerr joining our renowned commentary team of George Hamilton, Peter Collins, Stephen Alkin and Ger Canning from Poland and Ukraine.
As well as informative and unrivalled coverage of the games, the Après Match team will provide their unique insight into EURO 2012 exclusively on RTÉ.
Craig Doyle Live will be getting on board with EURO 2012 mania for the month of June as the show gets set to air around some of the Republic of Ireland games, kicking off on 8th June with post-match chat and guests following the opening game.
RTÉ Radio
RTÉ 2fm is proud to announce that from 6 June, the station is putting its green cape on as it goes football crazy for the forthcoming UEFA EURO 2012 finals.
2fm is RTÉ’s Official UEFA Euro 2012 TM Radio Station and will be broadcasting all the Irish matches live from the heart of the action every day in Poland.
Hector Ó hEochagain and the new-look 2fm Roadcaster are travelling to Poznan and Gdansk where they will broadcast Breakfast With Hector On Tour In Poland, live everyday with the travelling army of Irish fans. Hector and his green, white and orange brigade will bring all the tales and the craic live to listeners at home. Paddy McKenna will report everyday from the campervans and the tents as all the 2fm daily shows keep up with the action in Poland and the chat at home.
Saturday and Sunday will see 2fm’s weekend sports and music show Ballbusters tracking the action in their own inimitable style, and Paddy McKenna will co-host Weekenders on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from the Fanzones in Poland, with his co-host Ruth Scott back in Dublin.
While in Poznan and Gdansk, the 2fm team will be blogging, tweeting, and filming and you can stay up-to-date on Twitter @rte2fm, on Facebook at 2fmOfficial and on a special UEFA Euro 2012 TM section on www.2fm.ie And you never know, the Irish might even have to travel further east after June 18. If we do, 2fm will be there and will broadcast the semi finals and final.
Gabriel Egan and Eoin Hand will be your 2fm commentators for the three live Irish matches, with presenter Damien O’Meara joined in-studio by experts Kenny Cunningham and Richie Sadlier.
The matches will be followed by special 2fm Ballbuster reaction programmes, where everyone will get to have their say on the proceedings.
EURO 2012 coverage on RTÉ Radio 1 will see commentators Gabriel Egan and Eoin Hand deliver live reports, analysis and updates from all of Ireland’s games throughout the competition. Morning Ireland, The John Murray Show, Today with Pat Kenny, Mooney and Drivetime will all feature regular reports while EURO 2012 will form an integral part of Sport at 7, Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport’s output. In addition The John Murray Show and Today with Pat Kenny will be featuring special, dedicated Euro 2012 programmes. Winners of The John Murray Show’s ‘Euro 2012 Trailblazers’ competition will also be providing fan updates and reports for the programme.
RTÉ News
Following Trap’s army with all the news from the Irish camp will be RTÉ’s Soccer Correspondent, Tony O’Donoghue. RTÉ News Sports will have extensive coverage of all the major developments in EURO 2012 including the Irish fans’ journeys to the games and their experiences when they arrive, as well as the fortunes of the team from the Trapattoni press conference, to the final whistle.
RTÉ Digital
RTE.ie’s EURO 2012 section will offer Irish football fans a high-quality user experience throughout the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
Focusing predominantly on the Republic of Ireland team, RTE.ie/sport will provide in-depth, interactive live text commentaries on Ireland’s group games against Croatia, Spain and Italy.
Fans can follow the action as it unfolds either on desktop or on mobile devices, while a range of social-media sharing tools will enable users to get involved and have their say.
All of RTÉ.ie’s text content will be available via the RTÉ News Now app on iphone, ipad and android, and on the RTÉ mobile site (m.rte.ie/sport).
The EURO 2012 games on RTÉ Television and RTÉ Radio will be streamed live on RTÉ.ie, while full-match replays, highlights packages, and the best interviews and analysis will be available on-demand.
Analysis of the Republic of Ireland team, the main contenders from each group, information on Poland and Ukraine, previous European Championships, and a range of other preview content will be available on RTÉ.ie before the tournament starts on 8 June, while daily updates on team news, match previews, picture galleries and user reviews will be available throughout the event.
EURO 2012 live scores, fixtures, results and tables will be available on RTÉ.ie, as well as on RTÉ Aertel.
RTÉ will be using social media to bring fans closer to the tournament and the studio than ever before. The debate will continue before, during and after the game with special content on the RTÉ Soccer Facebook page and the @RTEsoccer twitter account. Senior programme makers will manage accounts, bringing supporters into the heart of our programme-making process while fans can keep up with what’s happening on the ground by following twitter updates from our teams on the ground in Poland and Ukraine
Check out www.twitter.com/rtesoccer and www.facebook.com/rtesoccer
– ENDS –
Date: Thursday 17 May 2012
For further information please contact:
Laura Fitzgerald, Press & Publicity Officer, RTÉ Television, Ph: 208 2872 / 087 2923931, Email: Laura.Fitzgerald@rte.ie
Sandra Byrne, Senior Press & Publicity Officer, RTÉ Radio, Ph: 208 2506, Email: Sandra.Byrne@rte.ie
Caroline Stephens, RTÉ Digital, Press & Communications, Tel: (01) 208 4159 / 086 8422151, Email: Caroline.Stephens@rte.ie
Notes to Editors:
• RTÉ Two HD is available on Saorview, UPC and SKY platforms
• Photos from today’s photocall entitled “RTÉ EURO 2012 Launch” will be sent to all national picture desks this afternoon by KOB pix and are also available upon request.
TV Viewing Figures
RTÉ Sport’s coverage World Cup 2010 proved a huge hit with Irish audiences, with RTÉ Two’s coverage of the tournament reaching 3.1 million*- 3 out of every 4 people in Ireland – while RTÉ.ie’s dedicated World Cup site attracted 5.8 million page impressions. The World Cup Final attracted the highest TV audience of the tournament when an average of 762,200 viewers watched the entire four-hour programme on RTÉ Two, with the audience peaking at over 1.1 million** viewers.
• All RTÉ Television audience data sourced from TAM Ireland / AGB Nielsen
• RTÉ.ie data source- Urchin Analytics June / July 2010
• *15 min+ reach – 3,104,000 million viewers tuned in for 15 minutes or more over the course of the tournament
• ** Minute Peak at 22.02 1,107,700 individuals