TV3 has called on the Minister for Communications, Noel Dempsey, to investigate the level of money paid by RTÉ in the latest round of bidding for Champions League rights.
RTÉ, along with Setanta Sports, have won the rights to broadcast Champions League matches starting in season 2006/07. TV3 has not been awarded any rights in the latest round.
TV3 described RTÉ's decision to bid for rights for Tuesday and Wednesday nights as a blatant abuse of the licence fee.
"In this context we are urging the Minister to immediately review this unnecessary expenditure by RTÉ.
"RTÉ is now awash with money and the Minister should be encouraged to recognise RTÉ's massive financial strength by a meaningful reduction in the licence fee," said TV3 managing director Rick Hetherington.
TV3, which is owned by ITV, CanWest Global and several private investors, said it expected RTÉ's commercial income to increase by an estimated €20 million this year and its total income to be at €300 million.
"Instead of using this funding for Irish programming , it is using taxpayers' money to buy programming that would otherwise be provided for free by TV3 and others. This sheer waste of public money is breathtaking," said a company statement.
RTÉ last night said it was important that the national broadcaster secured the games so they could be shown on a free-to-air basis to as wide an audience as possible.
TV3 has made a complaint to the EU Commission over the funding of RTÉ. The EU Commission wrote to the Government a few months ago warning that funding for commercially driven programming must be separated from public service type programming.
Setanta Sports said it had achieved a "significant coup" by also securing rights to matches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Niall Cogley, chief executive of Setanta Sports, said: "The great thing about the Champions League is that there are so many quality matches on every night, it is difficult to decide which match to watch. Irish football fans can now make their own choice as to what match they want to watch."
He said the latest acquisitions complemented the station's existing portfolio of sports.
"For football fans alone, we show live Premier League, SPL, Seria A, World Cup Qualifiers, UEFA Cup, Setanta Cup and Eircom League," he said.
