RTE's etc on Sky

georgekildare

I live in the Netherlands and have a Scottish BBC card. I want to receive the Irish stations when they come, but continue to receive Channels 4 and 5. Can anyone tell me whether it would be sufficient to get hold of an Ulster address and an Ulster paid SKY subscription (i.e. Will the Irish stations be transmitted to Ulster?) or will I need to get 2 digiboxes, my present one with Scottish BBC card + a new one with an Irish address and Sky subscription?

Many thanks.

PS. As I mentioned in a previous thread, I do think that someone should try and fight at the EU level (MEPs and the courts) the crazy copyright laws that make such gyrations necessary!

Stiabhna

George,

As far as I know, RTE will only be available to viewers in the Republic and NI who have a SKY subscription.

RTE, apparently, will not be bringing out an FTV card.

They have yet to disclose which package you will need (I'm hoping it's the family package or, even better, the value pack).

I'm here in Germany with 2 digiboxes - one I bought on eBay with a BBC card, and one I got in Ireland with a Sky subscription. My sister lives in Groningen and is also interested in getting RTE. It's so complicated..

I agree with you completely about taking action at EU level, but I wouldn't know where to start. I think it is ludicrous (as someone on this forum pointed out a few months ago) that you can subscribe to the Irish Times and get it delivered abroad, but can't subscribe to a television service.

I have also heard that Swiss expatriates are entitled to order a card from the Swiss TV authority to receive Swiss tv abroad. I can't see why that isn't possible across the board.


Cheers,

Stephen

georgekildare

Thanks Stephen,

Regarding the EU, I am trying to assemble a case arguing that the right of freedom of information throughout the EU trancends the outdated national copyright laws. Although I am not a lawyer, I think that an excellent case can be made. (But I have little time at present.) If I get around to it I propose to send this to the Dutch MEPs, as many other MEPs as possible and the several EU commissions that are affected.

The law should take account of this by making satellite providers pay for copyright according to the number of subscribers. As long as people are still defending the present situation, only problem programs (e.g. sports or films) should be blocked on a national basis but other programs e.g. news should be available to everybody willing to subscribe.

Cheers,

jez

Folks

Updated info re RTE launch from this UK site.RTE CHANNELS CONFIRMED DATE TO LAUNCH

*RTE channel's are going to launch on sky digital's epg on the 23rd of april, They should start testing 2 weeks before launch date.
(22/3/02)(achived: skydigi.20m.com

dmeehan

does anyone know if tv3 have confirmed a launch date?

ShaneOC

Looks like TV3 will appear at the same time as RTÉ.

DMC

I refer the honourable gentleman to the replies given in this sticky here

TV3 are vague with their launch date, saying 6 weeks, but they should join with RTE on the 23rd April.

dmeehan

heres the reply i got from tv3 when asking them about a launch date:

I am afraid that information is not available at this time.
Regards,
TV3

hmmmm...
tight lipped as ever

triple-play

West Briton asked...

The only remote possibility (Cableskeptic?) of getting FTV digital would be as part of the Irish DTT platform, and seeing as that will be a commercial operation AND Irish analogue switch off being much further away than the UK's I can't see that happening.

The Irish free-to-air channels will be available for free on Digital Terrestrial. You will either need a STB or an iDTV. The Irish FTA channels will not be encrypted and you will not have to subscribe to any pay platform. That is why you pay your TV Licence -to receive Irish FTA channels on both terrestrial analogue and digital.

Hope this clarifies things.

Richard

Originally posted by jez
It's the same old story here, we always have to pay for what they get for nothing in the UK

Nothing?! Since when was £104/year nothing?

Why could a similar deal not be brought out here. I.E. Free Digibox and 75£ installation if you subscribe to minimum sky package or Free digibox and £150 installation if you only want FTA options.

That deal doesn't exist in the UK any more - it is now £100 plus the cost of the box which is about £200 on top.

They should include Irish Channels and would also include all other FTA channels.

Don't forget that many 'free' channels such as BBC ONE, TWO etc. are actually FTV - Free To View - but they are encrypted, so not Free-to-air. ALso - another point PPV is where you pay for films and the like on a per-showing basis - this obviously isn't applicable to RTE as someone said above.

I think if this does not happen we will then be paying twice for RTE. i.e. via TV Licence and through SKY.

I don't think that the Sky Subscription will increase because of RTE. It may be nominally part of a package for ROI viewers, but this doesn't mean much in reality since it will not cost the consumer extra. Anyway, RTE viewers are paying twice for RTE already since the products they buy will have some of the cost going towards advertising the product on RTE TV! Apparently the cost of ITV to the average UK punter is more than the TV Licence is to the BBC!

I think this could be a political "HOT" potatoe,

"Potatoe"? Like Dan Quayle! Only Joking! ;-)

The thing is that ROI has fewer than 4 million people in it whilst the UK's population is 15 times that. Because of the differences between the two countries, things are going to be different. RTE and the BBC are both national broadcasters but because of country size, one is able to afford something that the other isn't.

I agree with all that Richard has said above-but would like to add...
It's true we don't pay the £104 uk licence-but the BBC are being paid by us via Sky to have one and two on the Irish EPG.
Of course it's not a fraction of thart £104,but whatever figure it is, it was agreed by the BBC and Sky.

People in the UK get CH4,CH5 and ITV for free, so some of Jez's comments hold true for them,if you strip out the programme rights issues.
The cost of Rights issues could easily be offset by ROI advertising on UTV and the other two channels though-after all if Irish advertisers are prepared to appear in their droves on Sky one and news-they'd pay money for Add's on UTV and ch4, who combined would have much more viewers.
mm

Richard

Originally posted by madman
I agree with all that Richard has said above-but would like to add...
It's true we don't pay the £104 uk licence-but the BBC are being paid by us via Sky to have one and two on the Irish EPG.
Of course it's not a fraction of thart £104,but whatever figure it is, it was agreed by the BBC and Sky.

Absolutely - the whole licence fee pays for all BBC Radio (which explains why it isn't in the Irish EPG.

People in the UK get CH4,CH5 and ITV for free, so some of Jez's comments hold true for them,if you strip out the programme rights issues.

The cost of Rights issues could easily be offset by ROI advertising on UTV and the other two channels though-after all if Irish advertisers are prepared to appear in their droves on Sky one and news-they'd pay money for Add's on UTV and ch4, who combined would have much more viewers.
mm

I always thought it would benefit UTV to have two advertising regions - including one unofficial one for the Republic. SInce many ads shown on UTV apply only to either NI or (Increasingly) the Republic, they could make more revenue this way. I wonder if the ITC would allow this - they could nominate a small TX within NI to broadcast the ROI UTV feed and claim that it was only a coincidence that this subregion was broadcasting loads of ROI ads!

Channel 4 could do the same - but don't forget the ROI is a big market for UTV, but not so big for Channel 4 which also broadcasts to England, Scotland and (Analogue terrestrial excepting) Wales.

freetoair

I wouldn't be at all surprised if some bright spark in TG4 realised that of all the channels they are in a prime position to take advantage of the restrictions placed on the other channels due to programming rights.

Any programmes purchased by TG4 are the for the Irish Language rights (if they've been negotiating properly), therefore there would be very little to stop them from broadcasting throughout the british isles, unless there's some clause in the deal with sky.

Maybe UK viewers will have Tara TV replaced by TG4 and with the potential advertising TG4 could win from this we could see some quality programming in the future.

Just a speculation but wouldn't that change everything at montrose, where little brother becomes international superstar.

dmeehan

TG4 show films in english too, so would they be included in the "irish language" rights?

possible loophole?