RTÉ SECURES EXCLUSIVE FREE-TO-AIR RIGHTS TO 2030 FIFA WORLD CUP

RTÉ has announced that it has secured exclusive free-to-air rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, following its successful run airing the 2026 World Cup, sponsored by Heineken 0.0.

The 2030 tournament will be hosted across Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three centenary games to be held in South America.

Football fans across Ireland tuned into RTÉ’s coverage of the World Cup as Spain edged out Argentina in the finals to claim the championship.

The final generated over 1.4 million streams on RTÉ Player, thus making it the most-streamed single event in the platform’s history.

Across the tournament as a whole, audiences generated 23.4 million streams – an increase of almost 15 million streams and nearly three times the audience achieved during the 2022 FIFA World Cup (8.5 million streams).

The top performing matches were Spain v Argentina, England v Argentina, France v Spain, and England v Norway.*

Online

Throughout the tournament, there were 91 million video views across all of RTÉ’s social platforms covering the event, including over 6.8 million views of highlights, as well as analysis on the RTÉ Sport YouTube channel.

As many of the matches took place late at night, RTÉ Player generated 1.6 million streams on RTÉ Player, while other FIFA World Cup content – including unseen moments, clips and Up All Night – added 345k additional streams on the platform.

'One Of Our Big Success Stories’

Speaking about the success of the tournament, director general of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst said, “We are delighted that RTÉ has been successful in securing rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup for Irish audiences after what has been a very successful 2026 World Cup with record numbers of people enjoying RTÉ’s coverage.

“From the first game through to the final, audiences have come to RTÉ in large numbers for our coverage and analysis of every single game, but also for our World Cup highlights on RTÉ Player and YouTube, our podcasts, Up All Night on RTÉ Player, and more.

“The huge number of streams on RTÉ Player throughout the tournament has been one of our big success stories this year and has highlighted the value of our investment in the service in recent years.

“We look forward to bringing the next FIFA World Cup to Irish audiences, including the Republic of Ireland’s qualification campaign which we hope will be successful.

“Live sport – free to air – continues to provide national moments and conversations – enjoyment and entertainment to Irish audiences – paid for by your licence fee, public funding and commercial revenue.”

‘Exceptional Month Of Sporting Coverage’

Head of sport at RTÉ, Declan Bennett, also commented, saying, “Yesterday was a memorable day for RTÉ Sport, with the All-Ireland Hurling Final and the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final bringing an exciting day of live sport to audiences.

“More broadly, it has been an exceptional month of sporting coverage, including RTÉ’s most extensive FIFA World Cup broadcast operation to date, delivering all 104 matches with a uniquely Irish overview.

“The strong response across television, RTÉ Player, digital and social platforms reflect the enduring appetite for live sport in Ireland.

“We look forward to bringing audiences more major sporting moments in the years ahead as part of RTÉ’s public service remit, including the FIFA World Cup in 2030.”

* Viewing figures: Spain v Argentina (average audience of 1 million, 65% share on RTÉ2, and 1.4 million streams on RTÉ Player), England v Argentina (average audience 949k, 60% share on RTÉ2 and 1 million streams on RTÉ Player), France v Spain (average audience of 873k, 61% share on RTÉ2, and 1 million streams on RTÉ Player), and England v Norway (average audience of 787k, 72% share on RTÉ2 and 1 million streams on RTÉ Player).

- Sarah O'Sullivan

IRISH CIVIL JURY FINDS MCGREGOR LIABLE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer

A jury ruled in favor of a woman who accused UFC superstar Conor McGregor of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room in December 2018.

The High Court in Dublin ordered McGregor to pay the complainant 248,000 euros, or around $257,000.

The jury had deliberated on the case since Thursday. McGregor, who denied the accusations and said he had consensual sex with the accuser, is not currently facing any criminal charges from the incident.

According to Irish national broadcaster RTÉ, the woman told the High Court she met McGregor at a Christmas party in Dublin. She accused the former two-weight UFC champion of forcing her onto a bed, choking her and making her fear for her life. A paramedic who treated the woman's injuries the next morning told the courtroom he had never seen such intense bruising on a victim, according to BBC News.

The woman's lawyer, John Gordon, said she never pretended to be a saint and had gone out looking for a good time that ended up turning into a nightmare. Gordon said McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client.

"He's not a man, he's a coward," Gordon told jurors. "A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is."

The woman had to take several breaks in her emotional testimony as she said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter.

McGregor put her in a choke hold several times and later told her, "Now you know how I felt in the Octagon where I tapped out three times," referring to an Ultimate Fighting Championship when he had to admit defeat, she said.

She said she feared she would die and never see her daughter again.

"He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn't tell anyone so he wouldn't hurt me again," she said. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he sexually assaulted her. Police investigated the woman's complaint, but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.

McGregor said the two had sex that was athletic and vigorous, but not rough. He said, "She never said 'no' or stopped," and testified that everything she said was a lie.

"It is a full-blown lie among many lies," he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. "How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings."

McGregor's lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter.

"You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him -- there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise," attorney Remy Farrell said. "I'm not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch."

Ultimately, the jury of eight women and four men ruled against his version of the event.

McGregor released a statement saying he will appeal.

I will be appealing today's decision. The judge's instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future....

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 22, 2024

The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. McGregor has not fought since he broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He was scheduled for a highly anticipated return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June but withdrew in the weeks leading up to the event with an injured toe. He has teased the "greatest comeback" in sports history for years. He is 1-3 in his past four appearances, going back to 2018.

McGregor has four children with his longtime fiancée, Dee Devlin.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

- Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer