Politics and sport are rarely comfortable bedfellows, yet the two are inextricably linked.
The latest proof of this could have a dramatic impact on the hyper inflation that exists at present in the rights market for major sporting events.
The European Commission has made announcements in recent days which point towards significant potential changes in the way in which goods and services are distributed and protected from one EU country to another.
Geo-blocking or the prevention of viewers in one country from seeing matches broadcast in another has been a staple of the way in which maximum value can be extracted from the sale of rights.
If this is seen as being against the principles of a single market, it is likely to come under the scope of a wide ranging review of goods and services in the digital space.
Online goods and services bought from an EU country other than the one in which the buyer lived only accounted for 15% of sales last year according to EU statistics and this is a figure which has set alarm bells ringing over how those services are potentially being blocked.
It could lead to major changes in the way in which soccer rights, as the most global of all sports are sold and put at some risk the massive £5.1 Billion windfall earned by the Premier League last month for the sale of UK rights.
It could also have serious impact on the future value of the RBS 6 Nations, which we highlighted last week as potentially being ready to go behind a paywall from 2017.
The impact here could be felt in the protected status afforded to 6 Nations matches having to made available free to air on a deferred and highlights basis in Ireland. If the law in one country had to be applied to all others in the EU then that would potentially dramatically cut the value that a PayTV broadcaster was willing to pay.
Then again if a proposed referendum for the UK to leave the European Union was to go the way of those who oppose integration then a whole new set of circumstances might arise.
The issue will also be keenly followed in Croke Park as it could potentially impact on the way in which GAAGo services are distributed across Britain and Europe.
At present all the games broadcast by RTÉ are available through the joint venture with the broadcaster and the Association, with the exception of those that are also broadcast by Sky, none of which are available in the UK. If Geo-blocking was to be deemed an unwanted interference in free trade it may lead to GAAGo being available in Ireland, competing with existing online services provided by RTÉ and call into question Sky’s desire to secure what would now be non-exclusive territory rights.
