The ITV Thread

AwaitYourReply

AwaitYourReply wrote: »

Well, there seems to be quite a lot of the viewing folk that beg to differ with your analysis since UTV Ireland launched on 01/01/2015 and one of the main programmes people seemed to identify with on the UTV(NI) channel was the loss of itv News despite all the other international news sources available to the audience. I wonder had UTV Media plc and UPC Ireland carried out adequate research in advance of UTV Ireland's launch perhaps they may have avoided such a negative backlash from so many UPC Ireland cable subscribers as it must be an embarrassment to them. itv encore is a complete red herring for starters as it has never been made available as a channel option to Sky Digital viewers here in the Republic of Ireland since that channel launched in 2014 - itv encore is an encrypted channel and is exclusive to Sky Digital subscribers in the UK only. All other itv channels are free-to-air and may be manually added to "Other Channels" on a Sky Digibox or will just be accessible via a generic free to air satellite box once the dish is pointed at the same Astra satellite focused tightly on Ireland/UK.

Other thing I would say that whatever about the House of Commons, you will find that one of the institutions that has always fascinated the Irish public, especially many women, is the British Royal Family whether they care to admit it or not - During the troubles Irish people often loved to hate them and now many people are curious if and when a scandal or controversy develops involving the royals.

If viewers in cable areas have been accustomed to watching certain programmes over many years then they are quite entitled to be upset if it has been pulled at short notice and then hit by a noticeable price hike in their cable tv subscription. If UPC Ireland viewers were used to watching Jeremy Kyle, itv news or any other show multiple times on UTV(NI) this is their choice too especially if they have been paying to receive a cable tv service unlike a free-to-air satellite service. I am ok myself but I can understand their frustration if I was in the same situation I would be disappointed too if I no longer had access to programmes I enjoyed watching on a regular basis over many years. Some people may have been in the middle of following a particular drama series and it may be unavailable on UTV Ireland or else behind in the broadcasting schedule which can irritate viewers too. They have a right to express their views and negative feedback as they have been forgotten about in this whole situation from what I can see.

ITV Encore is available here on a sky box through the other channels if you have a hd sub! So is channel 5hd.

ftakeith

zorro2566 wrote: »

ITV Encore is available here on a sky box through the other channels if you have a hd sub! So is channel 5hd.

most of ITV's Encore content is already available through the ITV channel of the sky box sets
So you can record it through your sky box such as:

Band of gold series 1 and 2
Series 3 is terrible

Broadchurch series 1
and then record series 2 from the tv3 player

Mrs Briggs complete series

You can't download all of the ITV programmes on Sky's On Demand service even though they are listed on the Irish menu. I tried to download Broadchurch Series 1 on it but a message popped up to 'contact the broadcaster'.

ftakeith

zorro2566 wrote: »

You can't download all of the ITV programmes on Sky's On Demand service even though they are listed on the Irish menu. I tried to download Broadchurch Series 1 on it but a message popped up to 'contact the broadcaster'.

I have the hd pack and I downloaded the first episode of broadchurch series 1 from ITV yesterday as a test
Then watched the first few minutes as a test

I only have the HD pack for the sky boxed sets

icdg

Laura Slattery has a piece in the Irish Times today regarding UTV Ireland, she is I think the first journalist to acknowledge the anger out there from UPC customers at losing UTV.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/not-a-corker-yet-schedule-challenges-for-utv-ireland-1.2056756

ftakeith

icdg wrote: »

Laura Slattery has a piece in the Irish Times today regarding UTV Ireland, she is I think the first journalist to acknowledge the anger out there from UPC customers at losing UTV.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/not-a-corker-yet-schedule-challenges-for-utv-ireland-1.2056756

a good article

I think in 2 years, TV3 and UTV ireland will be the one company with 3e been replaced by UTV Ireland in EPG

endakenny

icdg wrote: »

Laura Slattery has a piece in the Irish Times today regarding UTV Ireland, she is I think the first journalist to acknowledge the anger out there from UPC customers at losing UTV.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/not-a-corker-yet-schedule-challenges-for-utv-ireland-1.2056756

According to her, UPC customers have lost "Benidorm". Actually, they haven't. UTV Ireland shows it a few days after the ITV network shows it.

ftakeith

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/ger-gilroy-to-front-utvs-weekly-sports-programme-30892506.html

UTV Ireland need now is live sport but most of the decent sport tv rights are signed already

Elmo

icdg wrote: »

Laura Slattery has a piece in the Irish Times today regarding UTV Ireland, she is I think the first journalist to acknowledge the anger out there from UPC customers at losing UTV.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/not-a-corker-yet-schedule-challenges-for-utv-ireland-1.2056756

I have to say I think she is being far to soft on UTV Ireland. She seems to think that they haven't splurged on the channel. She fails to recognise that UTV Ireland's has only bought programmes from the main distributors of ITV programmes and have completely forgotten about US TV and Film. They've shown 3 films so far and it looks like they have none schedule this week. While ITV repeat their films across 2, 3 and 4 of course UPC customers are going to be annoied by an established player coming into the market with little to offer.

And if the channel does evolve, so too should its branding. The “Ireland” in UTV Ireland is problematic in that it creates expectations. But when it slaps up a “not currently available in the Republic” graphic over the viewer competitions run by its UK daytime imports, the audience is only reminded of the non-Irishness of the schedule.

All too often happened with TV3, I imagine that they continue to run comps from ITV that refer to ITV2!

MarkK

Elmo wrote: »

... have completely forgotten about US TV and Film.

I'm not sure that's fair, isn't it more likely that other broadcasters had already bought up the RoI rights for recent US TV and movies so there is slim pickings available to buy?

Elmo

MarkK wrote: »

I'm not sure that's fair, isn't it more likely that other broadcasters had already bought up the RoI rights for recent US TV and movies so there is slim pickings available to buy?

They announced in Nov 2013 they where setting up a TV station, Plenty of time to get rights for Film, TV and Sport. I wonder if they even put in a bid for Champions League or is that ideal internet chatter?

Gonzo

The ITV News holds quite a bit of weight in this country and always has, because it was one of the first news services in the country available almost nationwide, except maybe parts of the west in the analogue days. It was one of the main news bulletins that people liked to tune into along with RTE News and BBC news.

Now, although, there is plenty of choice from 24 hour channels like France 24, Sky news, CNN, Fox News, these channels have never really captured older audiences due to either the magazine style news or too american focused.

I reckon the ITV News had alot of viewers here, particularly from older viewers on cable who have been watching it over the past number of decades.

My parents are near their 70s now and they have flicked through UTV Ireland many times over the past week and they are telling me every time they turn on UTV Ireland that it's always either Emmerdale, Corondation Street or Jeremy Kyle on it, that there is very little choice. Thankfully we can still get ITV on Sky and UTV NI through FreeView so right now UTV Ireland does not even get watched in this house.

Having looked through their programming over the next week it does appear that the lack of movies, sport and general US tv-shows is quite a hole in their scheduling which all other channels such as RTE, BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have plenty of.

twinklerunner

icdg wrote: »

Laura Slattery has a piece in the Irish Times today regarding UTV Ireland, she is I think the first journalist to acknowledge the anger out there from UPC customers at losing UTV.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/not-a-corker-yet-schedule-challenges-for-utv-ireland-1.2056756

She's right about the name. UTV2 might have been a better option.

endakenny

Here's another CCTV journalist who has just appeared on Ireland Live and who Alison referred to as "our reporter".

http://english.cntv.cn/correspondent/stephaniefreid/index.shtml

endakenny

With regard to Laura's reference to "Benidorm" being "missing in action", UTV Ireland is showing it tonight at 9.

endakenny

I suspect that UTV Ireland doesn't use ITN journalists for international news because RTÉ possibly already has such a deal with ITN. For example, ITN (Channel 4 News) journalist Alex Thomson was interviewed on Six-One in the aftermath of the Annecy shootings, which took place in September 2012.

SPDUB

doc11 wrote: »

I would find it inconceivable that anyone would miss what happened .... Royal family.

In support of AwaitYourReply straight from a newsagents mouth here in Dublin "Any issue with Royals on the cover sells like hotcakes "

icdg

Interestingly, though listings for UTV NI disappeared from the Irish Times last Friday, they have reappeared (in the Variations section) today. The Irish Independent has been carrying both throughout.

numilus cimbus

Agree with Gonzo there
I mean,it's ridiculous to be showing old episodes of ITV shows on the premise that saorview viewers will be seeing it for the first time
So send 100's of thousands of UPC homes to UTV Coventry because a tiny percentage of saorview viewers might need to catch up?
What kind of irish solution is that?
I love ITV news,especially the news at 10,it's my go to for a UK and world catch up
No sports and none of the usually good ITV movies either? Crazy stuff
Is there even a house with saorview that doesn't have freesat?

It's the most I'll thought out set up ever and in the long run a BIG mistake

Elmo

numilus cimbus wrote: »

Agree with Gonzo there
I mean,it's ridiculous to be showing old episodes of ITV shows on the premise that saorview viewers will be seeing it for the first time
So send 100's of thousands of UPC homes to UTV Coventry because a tiny percentage of saorview viewers might need to catch up?
What kind of irish solution is that?
I love ITV news,especially the news at 10,it's my go to for a UK and world catch up
No sports and none of the usually good ITV movies either? Crazy stuff
Is there even a house with saorview that doesn't have freesat?

It's the most I'll thought out set up ever and in the long run a BIG mistake

I'd be ITV Conventry, UTV don't own any TV service in Britian.

They could have catch ups at night instead of Teleshopping.

irishfeen

The two presenters seem to be settling in nicely - much more relaxed tonight. I really like their news output, could be big competition for the likes of RTÉ during big events like General elections.

irishfeen

While UTVI weather isn't great but very much acceptable just looking at the NI version it's fantastic in comparison .. Jesus up north it's as bad as TV3 - at least they actually use weather charts on UTVI.

Sam Russell

icdg wrote: »

Interestingly, though listings for UTV NI disappeared from the Irish Times last Friday, they have reappeared (in the Variations section) today. The Irish Independent has been carrying both throughout.

No one in the Irish Times has Freesat, only UPC and Sky judging by their listings. They are very poor at the channels I watch - only NI versions of all the main UK channels and pay TV channels.

Gits_bone

Watched the news for first time, did they steal an rte reporter? Voice sounded very similar.

endakenny

Gits_bone wrote: »

Watched the news for first time, did they steal an rte reporter? Voice sounded very similar.

Paul Colgan.

formerly scottish paddy

irishfeen wrote: »

The two presenters seem to be settling in nicely - much more relaxed tonight. I really like their news output, could be big competition for the likes of RTÉ during big events like General elections.

They will not have anything like the resources or coverage of RTE for general elections.

irishfeen

formerly scottish paddy wrote: »

They will not have anything like the resources or coverage of RTE for general elections.

Remember the UTV media group includes local radio which would have reporters in all count centres .. Include them, their normal regional reporters, political correspondent and Pat Kenny in studio ... they will do very well against RTÉ.

channelsurfer2

Arggh.why are they showing old birds of a feather its awful.

AwaitYourReply

zorro2566 wrote: »

ITV Encore is available here on a sky box through the other channels if you have a hd sub! So is channel 5hd.

I've never heard or come across that itv ENCORE could be received before although; I am currently not a Sky digital subscriber as I have been availing of Free-To-Air digital satellite channels along with Saorview for the Irish digital terrestrial channels. I would have been a Sky Subscriber some years ago and then later obtained a Free-To-View card alright in the past so; I'd have been familiar with the Sky UK electronic programme guide for a good few years now.

Are you referring to a current SKY Republic of Ireland HD subscription - all you need do is manually enter in the satellite frequency and save it to "Other Channels" on a Sky+HD Digibox or is there any other special requirements/card tricks also involved?

Gonzo

just to note if this has not been mentioned before but ITV 2 HD, ITV 3 HD and ITV 4 HD as well as Channel 5 HD are now viewable through Irish Sky boxes same as ITV HD and UTV HD. ITV2-4 HD and Channel 5 HD may require a HD sub tho, the others are FTA.