FREE 35 Channel ALL Ireland TV Service on its way

spuddy

From the front page of today's Sunday Business Post,

http://www.thepost.ie/web/DocumentView/did-526872335-pageUrl--2FThe-Newspaper-2FSundays-Paper-2FNews-2FIreland-2FAll-Ireland.asp

(Mod Edit: You might find it quicker to click this link than the attachment).

I can see this moooooving over to the Dig terrestrial board

Apart from that, it's an entirely good idea in my honest opinion.
Consider that before RTÉ hit dire straits, they were going to do a dig terr service on their own.
But the governments refusal to increase the licence fee, (partly due to RTÉ's ineffeciencies) scuppered that and hense a private group mainly made up of ex RTÉ people attempted to raise finance from a privately run service-"it's TV "
Financial difficulties scuppered that...

I don't see why RTÉ cannot to a large extent, get involved in a new venture, with customers paying a small fee, to cover rights payments for UK channels and vice versa in the North for our channels.

It strikes me as being a bit Irish in the extreme , though as having to save the best wine/idea to last, it has meant a very long delay for reall competition for the expensive Sky digital and thwe awful chorus here.
mm

spuddy

You're probably right I should have posted on the terrestrial board, sorry!

It'd be nice if it came to be especially as the article makes reference to us getting "extra BBC channels" (ie 3/4/News24/CBBC/Cbeebies) and Channel 5 (thou' I'd heard Five weren't interested in the Irish market??) all thrown into the melting pot. Wonder what people in Britain think of it?

DMC

Yes, its moved.

Good idea, but I cant see it work in practice. As we all know, rights is the bugger and its not easily rectified.

carrolls

Kinda like the 'Wimbledon for Dublin' campaign. Really good idea, but dragged down by too many interested parties.
If Freeview does happen, Its going to cost us a hell of a lot more than the price of the hardware.

watty

Deja vu

I thought we discussed this already and I put it down as usal uniformed Government Popularity seeking rather than someting Techicnally, Fanacially or "Rights" acheivable.

DMC

Exactly, a bit like famous Seamus and all his plans for transport.

Elmo

I would of thought that it would be better for RTE and TV3 and TG4 and Irish television service in general if we had our own DTT service instead of looking towards Britian for it. If you want british TV get sky ntl etc.

I am sure that NTL, Sky and UTV aren't to please with this espcially as TV3 becomes more and more like ITV Ireland.

icdg

The SBPost is really late on the ball with this one... the Times and Indo (and ICDG) reported it ages ago.

Anyways... rights issues may well prevent this one from happening.

Elmo

The Sun copied and pasted the same article into its newspaper on Monday 3/3/03