The Virgin Media Television thread

icdg

Sounds interesting...

Meanwhile, TV3 has struck a deal with Sky to handle its overseas programming sales, though as far as I can the only programme it could potentially market is Red Rock - nearly everything else is live and studio based.

L1011

irishfeen wrote: »

For TV3??

Apparently.

Only bid I could see is O'Brien but he'll likely be made sell a national FM station and a set of papers to do so. The Herald/World have merged a lot of behind the scenes functions so it'd be the logical set to put on the block.

radiowaves

icdg wrote: »

They are Dublin based and UPC is still absolutely dominant in Dublin in a way that its not in the rest of the country. I'd imagine that's where it comes from.

Journalists should be dealing in facts not reporting their own insular experiences as if they are facts.

Anyway, the "fact" as stated in the article is utterly false (and sounds like TV3-speak as mentioned by a couple of people in this thread).

British versions of ITV are as available in Dublin or anywhere else as they have been for years; the launch of UTV Ireland has only resulted in the loss of the Northern irish version for an - albeit very sizeable - minority.

This will be the first time that TV3 will have exclusive rights for the Rugby World Cup in Ireland. Previously, ITV’s coverage of the event was available in Ireland but the British channel is no longer accessible here following the launch of UTV Ireland in January

icdg

Just read the Post article, there's nothing really concrete to it, just the usual "understands" that a number of unsolicited approaches have been made, mentions Liberty and Viacom as potential buyers, no mention of O'Brien.

iseegirls

icdg wrote: »

Sounds interesting...

Meanwhile, TV3 has struck a deal with Sky to handle its overseas programming sales, though as far as I can the only programme it could potentially market is Red Rock - nearly everything else is live and studio based.

Twink's Perfect Match is going to be an international hit this time next year - you read it here first!

Seriously though, they have numerous series, documentaries and lifestyle shows. Animal A&E, Temple Street children's Hospital, Adoption Stories, Paul Connolly Investigates, Nevilles Doorstep Challenge, Prison Families to name some off the top of my head.

Sam Russell

The Irish Times listings point towards an audience of Sky and UPC paying customers, and ignore the Freesat-Saorview (non-)customers. There is no listing of many Freesat channels, but loads of Sky ones.

Like most of the RTE staff, IT staff must only watch UPC or Sky, and be unaware of Freesat/Saorview availability (and that t is free).

Paper of record my ass.

dpjmie

Sam Russell wrote: »

The Irish Times listings point towards an audience of Sky and UPC paying customers, and ignore the Freesat-Saorview (non-)customers. There is no listing of many Freesat channels, but loads of Sky ones.

Like most of the RTE staff, IT staff must only watch UPC or Sky, and be unaware of Freesat/Saorview availability (and that t is free).

Paper of record my ass.

Could it be a chance that the fact they aren't at least part owned by the state that they might remove themselves from FTA and only broadcast on SKY/UPC in the near future?? Im only clutching at straws here

Sam Russell

I think if they did that they might lose their EPG position and drop out of contention altogether.

Why do they pay millions for RWC rights and yet refuse to pay the fare for travelling on the Saorview bus?

dpjmie

Sam Russell wrote: »

I think if they did that they might lose their EPG position and drop out of contention altogether.

Why do they pay millions for RWC rights and yet refuse to pay the fare for travelling on the Saorview bus?

No idea, have you any info on marketshare that saorview watchers are?? Like if sky & UPC make up over 80% of the viewing audience, it makes sense not to.. no point costing extra for very little return, they may not even make the cost of the advertising

lertsnim

dpjmie wrote: »

No idea, have you any info on marketshare that saorview watchers are?? Like if sky & UPC make up over 80% of the viewing audience, it makes sense not to.. no point costing extra for very little return, they may not even make the cost of the advertising

There are plenty of tv sets around the country without a UPC or Sky connection, even in homes that have Sky or UPC on one tv.

Elmo

icdg wrote: »

Just read the Post article, there's nothing really concrete to it, just the usual "understands" that a number of unsolicited approaches have been made, mentions Liberty and Viacom as potential buyers, no mention of O'Brien.

I wonder if Doughty Hanson are just name dropping. DH seem to be stuck with TV3, If the downturn in the Irish economy had happened later I imagine DH would have sold the service by 2009.

Liberty I can only see from their owners Irish heritage perspective which he is very proud of, I sometimes wonder if that was a reason for buying NTL/Chorus (though he also seems like an intelligent business man). From a reglatory point of view it would be alot of work to get it past TCA and BAI with Liberty owning UPC.

Viacom may not have as much of a problem from the BAI/TCA. Though I wonder if they are all that interested in any more FTA channels after their Channel 5 acquisition???

gordongekko

Elmo wrote: »

I wonder if Doughty Hanson are just name dropping. DH seem to be stuck with TV3, If the downturn in the Irish economy had happened later I imagine DH would have sold the service by 2009.

Liberty I can only see from their owners Irish heritage perspective which he is very proud of, I sometimes wonder if that was a reason for buying NTL/Chorus (though he also seems like an intelligent business man). From a reglatory point of view it would be alot of work to get it past TCA and BAI with Liberty owning UPC.

Viacom may not have as much of a problem from the BAI/TCA. Though I wonder if they are all that interested in any more FTA channels after their Channel 5 acquisition???

Well the eu are looking at both the tv and film market with a view towards making it a single market so it may make sence for someone like Viacom having a presence in most eu countries.

BillyBot

Elmo wrote: »

Business post tomorrow has takeover bids

Its hard to see what they will take over. UTV might want some cheap studio programming that looks Irish, but they don't have to buy a station for that. Red Rock is a disaster. What else is there?

My guess is the purchaser wants hard assets like the new studio. They don't want to broadcast the station.

Thats if there is a purchaser. It could be TV3 flying a kite and hoping to sell before the money runs out.

icdg

I'm inclined to buy the kite flying idea myself. One things for certain - Doughty Hanson are not a media company, they've no long term interest in anything other than getting as much money back as possible.

gordongekko

BillyBot wrote: »

Its hard to see what they will take over. UTV might want some cheap studio programming that looks Irish, but they don't have to buy a station for that. Red Rock is a disaster. What else is there?

My guess is the purchaser wants hard assets like the new studio. They don't want to broadcast the station.

Thats if there is a purchaser. It could be TV3 flying a kite and hoping to sell before the money runs out.

How is red rock a disaster?

Elmo

gordongekko wrote: »

How is red rock a disaster?

It's possibly they only worthwhile programme on TV3/Produced by TV3.

Nokia 2630

Any chance of tv3 poaching Neighbours & Home and away ?

Elmo

Nokia 2630 wrote: »

Any chance of tv3 poaching Neighbours & Home and away ?

No I think the missed the boat on that one. I know Channel 5 signed a 7 year contract and their last contract with the distributors of both shows was soon followed by RTÉ sign for the rights, so I think both Channel 5 and RTÉ are currently into year 2 of another 7 year contract.

Checks the interweb.....

From back to the bay 2007

Unfortunately, Channel 5’s license fee basically pays for the entire production cost of Home and Away and then some. As such they have negotiated a European premiere for the show, and there is nothing we can do. We can catch up with Channel 5 but can’t overtake them due to them now funding the show. RTE have had several court proceedings against Channel 5 since they won the rights to Home and Away back in 2000, as they unsuccessfully attempted to stop us from transmitting the show during that cross-over period where they could not broadcast the show until the contract with ITV expired.

RTE will continue to screen Home and Away 5 days a week to the Irish public as it is a "Jewel" in our scheduling, we continue to beat off all our competitors in the 6.30pm slot, and viewing figures are extremely healthy and continuing to rise.

Unlike ITV, Channel 5 is available to less than 5% of Irish households, and their playing the episodes first hasn’t affected our ratings.

On the Neighbours issue, again Channel 5's enormous licence fee precludes RTE playing it ahead of them.

Kind regards,

Dermot Horan

Channel 5 signed a 10 year contract in 2007

BillyBot

gordongekko wrote: »

How is red rock a disaster?

I've no argument with the quality. In earning terms, it is not doing the business. It was brought in to replace Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Its nowhere near them in viewership and that is all the advertisers care about.

channelsurfer2

I don't think there is anyone really interested in bidding for tv3 having looked at the SBP article. It sounds like another puff piece, where someone may have looked at/said hello to tv3 and then tv3 management spun the article to the SBP saying yes we are so profitable that we are a takeover bid now..
Seriously why would anyone like Viacom want to even look at tv3 when they can do opt outs at little cost and no debt burden?

Elmo

BillyBot wrote: »

I've no argument with the quality. In earning terms, it is not doing the business. It was brought in to replace Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Its nowhere near them in viewership and that is all the advertisers care about.

Red Rock has only been around 3 months. It's audience levels are as good as they can be considering the rest of the TV3 schedule

BillyBot

Elmo wrote: »

Red Rock has only been around 3 months. It's audience levels are as good as they can be considering the rest of the TV3 schedule

Even in TV3 terms its a disaster. It is now getting less than half the viewership Deception had. The last episode barley made it into their own top 20 behind Judge Judy, Expose, Catchphrase etc. Not saying they can't turn it around but thats a terrible performance. Doughty Hanson didn't spend 7 million euro to get 77,000 viewers when Corrie gets over 300,000 on the rival network.

Elmo

BillyBot wrote: »

Even in TV3 terms its a disaster. It is now getting less than half the viewership Deception had. The last episode barley made it into their own top 20 behind Judge Judy, Expose, Catchphrase etc. Not saying they can't turn it around but thats a terrible performance. Doughty Hanson didn't spend 7 million euro to get 77,000 viewers when Corrie gets over 300,000 on the rival network.

But think about why deception had and it was bad. A lead in from coro St. What does red rock have as a lead in? It also had 123,000 viewers watching that week.
Red Rock isn't the disaster TV3 is.

BillyBot

Elmo wrote: »

But think about why deception had and it was bad. A lead in from coro St. What does red rock have as a lead in? It also had 123,000 viewers watching that week.
Red Rock isn't the disaster TV3 is.

Thats a good point. If they started Red Rock before losing the other soaps it would have had a chance to establish itself. I can't see it continuing long term unfortunatley. One of the producers and the show runner are gone already and John Yorke has just gone too. I would say it won't come back twice a week after the break.

Elmo

What break?

BillyBot

Elmo wrote: »

What break?

I think it takes a break after first 40 episodes.

h7nlrp2v0g5u48

Looks like TV3+1 is going to be on Sky. I just found a label 9604 with epg data for TV3 +1. It says Judge Judy started at 530 pm and again at 6.00 pm. On TV3 it starts at 44.30 pm to 5.30 pm. The frequency is 12.304 H 27.5 2/3 DVB-S QPSK. it's showing a Sky Caption at the moment.

iseegirls

BillyBot wrote: »

Even in TV3 terms its a disaster. It is now getting less than half the viewership Deception had. The last episode barley made it into their own top 20 behind Judge Judy, Expose, Catchphrase etc. Not saying they can't turn it around but thats a terrible performance. Doughty Hanson didn't spend 7 million euro to get 77,000 viewers when Corrie gets over 300,000 on the rival network.

The viewership was down on that Thursday because it was on against Fair City, due to Eastenders being an hour long on RTE1.

You do know that you're comparing a soap in Corrie that has been around since 1960 - which has built up a loyal viewership over the years, up against Red Rock which only 24 episodes have been broadcast so far?

Elmo

Why do they remove the sport from their online service? Seems to be a normal news broadcast. I can't see them updating their set.

iseegirls

Elmo wrote: »

Why do they remove the sport from their online service? Seems to be a normal news broadcast. I can't see them updating their set.

Their news bulletins seems to be broken up into 3 parts - news, sport, weather. Collette finishes her part for the news, then goes to a break, then goes to sport and same again for the weather.

Maybe there are elements of the sports bulletin they can't use online like highlights of sporting rights taken from other channels