Northern Ireland version of BBC Two HD not available on local cable in Republic border county.

political analyst · 21-02-2023 12:13am #1

In the border county in which I live in the Republic, my local cable provider doesn't have the Northern Ireland version of BBC Two HD - and the SD versions of the BBC channels are gone for reasons that are well known. I'm aware that local versions of BBC Two HD replaced the network version in both NI and Wales a few years ago.

The junior employee who I spoke to at the provider's office was not familiar with the concept of regional variations in UK television broadcasting. I asked this employee to pass on my query to the boss and the employee agreed to do so.

As far as I know, Vodafone TV doesn't have the NI version of BBC Two HD either!

What is the reason for this anomaly?

icdg · 21-02-2023 8:33am

OP there are only a handful of these small providers left and tbh there may be no rhyme or reason about it beyond what was easiest for them when they were migrating to digital. There have always been these anomalies. In the analogue days, Welsh channels (including S4C) were distributed in the south and east because they could pick up that signal more easily than NI. (Going even further back RTE Relays in Dublin provided both UTV and HTV before Channel 4 launched).

Be thankful you can raise these queries with a small local operation. The chances of you raising a query with a call centre agent at Virgin Media and it getting to John Malone are probably somewhat lower than zero.

political analyst · 21-02-2023 2:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120268573#Comment_120268573

Just as a matter of interest, does Virgin Media Ireland have the NI version of BBC Two HD?

Clitheroekid · 21-02-2023 5:38pm

Virgin Media have network version of BBC 2 HD

mackersdublin · 24-02-2023 6:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120271414#Comment_120271414

On Virgin Media 360 boxes, 109 is BBC Two HD (Network Eng/Scot version) and on 709 is BBC Two SD (UK version) but 709 is stil carrying EPG data for BBC Two Northern Ireland

political analyst · 27-02-2023 3:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284805#Comment_120284805

It's the same with the EPGs on both Vodafone and my local independent cable provider.

Charles Babbage · 22-04-2023 12:48pm

I've asked Virgin Media about this, in particular I asked when they informed customers that they were changing.

This is just laziness, they can get BBC 1 NI feed and I am certain that they can get BBC 2 NI feed, the cable in Belfast has that. They just have no shame in changing a core part of the customer product without telling them. They could put the two versions on different channels if they feel that there is some value in having the English one.

political analyst · 23-04-2023 4:12pm

My local independent cable provider has changed BBC 2 to the NI feed.

icdg · 23-04-2023 6:01pm

Unfortunately the demise of BBC Two NI SD has also coincided with the advent of some GAA games being exclusively on BBC NI which I know is causing a lot of consternation in the GAA fandom (with some conspiracy theories out there - it really is just coincidental timing). Vodafone and Virgin customers both now only have Network, BBC One is still NI (as it always has been) however. Sky has BBC Two NI HD of course.

Charles Babbage · 24-04-2023 10:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120512367#Comment_120512367

None of this explain why Vodafone and Virgin have network HD. Why on earth just not give the customers what they want and have always had, it isn't as if the BBC are going to charge them more for it?

icdg · 25-04-2023 6:59am

My recollection at least with Virgin Media is that BBC Two Northern Ireland wasn’t at first available in HD, that they carried Network instead and never changed it. Sometimes these things just evolve organically, there isn’t a grand conspiracy about it and no one’s really bothered about changing it. The GAA wasn’t an issue because in the last deal I think there was some strange rule, now removed, that BBC NI could only show a game live if RTE was showing it too. Hence why Ulster football games got unusually prioritised for live coverage early in the Championship. Not sure what the deal on the Vodafone front is.

I should also point out that there’s a body of opinion over on the satellite forum that prefers Network to NI, for their own reasons, it isn’t my view (I always had NI channels) but be aware that it’s out there and I suspect your preference for NI depends on what you’re used to and whether you’re an Ulster GAA (or perhaps in the past Rugby) fan.

corks finest · 25-04-2023 7:02am

Buy a cheap humax box

icdg · 25-04-2023 7:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120517744#Comment_120517744

Won’t be of much use without a dish. And cabling. And someone to install the dish. Before you know it that “cheap” box has cost you €500. It’s easier said than done for someone moving from cable.

corks finest · 25-04-2023 9:39am

It's fairly simple ,most ppl can put up an aerial 🚡

Box and aerial under 300

My ones 6 yrs old still sweet

Otherwise an IPTV subscription will do everything for ,e80 - 90 per year

Charles Babbage · 25-04-2023 10:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120517736#Comment_120517736

Is there any reason why they cannot show both? I have BBC 2 twice on my programme guide.

icdg · 25-04-2023 11:19am

Im not sure that there is, Sky had SD versions of BBC One NI (while it still existed) and Network until recently. My recollection is that the ostensible reason for carrying Network was that AD was available.

Back in the 1970s, RTE Relays (one of the predecessors of Virgin Media) carried both UTV and HTV, at a time where there was much bigger differences between the two than exist today. HTV was dropped when Channel 4 launched.

L1011 · 25-04-2023 11:24am

I wasn't only aware of two local cable TV companies left - neither in border counties. Kellys in Ballaghadreen, who for a total cost of 120 quid/year I presume is still analogue; and Crossan in Longford. Really didn't think there were any more left.

That said, for years I was only aware of the Ballaghadreen one from them having it written on the side of their shop - they didn't have a website!

icdg · 25-04-2023 11:30am

Smyth’s in Cavan is still going too afaik.

Casey’s in Dungarvan and Clane Cable Systems were both bought by VM.

political analyst · 25-04-2023 12:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120517736#Comment_120517736

That is correct because BBC Two HD started as a version of the network feed - versions of it for Wales and NI began only a few years ago.

Charles Babbage · 27-04-2023 7:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120511891#Comment_120511891

Would you like to identify this provider, so that we can say xx can do this why can you not?

political analyst · 27-04-2023 8:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120529342#Comment_120529342

Yes, alright then, it's Smyth's Cablevision.

AJB39 · 12-05-2023 1:24pm

I don’t know when it happened but BBC Two NI is back on Virgin Media 360 on both channels 109 and 709. I presume 109 is HD. I don’t know what 709 is but it’s in the SD section.

mackersdublin · 12-05-2023 2:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587541#Comment_120587541

Yeah just spotted this too. BBC Two NI is now in HD on 109 and in SD on 709. BBC Two HD (Eng/Scot) is no longer available to VM customers

political analyst · 12-05-2023 7:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587859#Comment_120587859

In fairness, it happens sometimes that a programme of specific relevance to NI is broadcast on BBC 1, thus meaning that the network programme on BBC 1 is moved to BBC 2 in NI, e.g. a documentary about the 1979 IRA attacks at Mullaghmore and Narrow Water was shown on the network BBC 2 but BBC NI showed it on BBC 1, whose network programme was shown on BBC 2 in NI. BBC Wales has also moved network programmes from BBC 1 to BBC 2 on a few occasions.

Recently, coverage of Biden's visit on both the BBC News Channel and BBC 1 NI meant that BBC NI moved the one o'clock news to BBC 2.

I'm amazed that no customer of Smyths cablevision - other than myself - had raised the issue before. The fact that BBC 2 HD was still with the network feed even after versions for NI and Wales were created (Scotland has its own channel and receives the network BBC 2) for 4 years before the BBC's SD TV channels were shut down on satellite.

Charles Babbage · 12-05-2023 9:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587541#Comment_120587541

I'm in Dublin and have a Horizon box and there is no sign of BBC 2 NI yet. But I do have BBC 2 NI on the App, so I expect it is on the way.

This is despite Virgin Media responding to me "what we are advising is that we don't have any control over what they show on any BBC channels this comes directly from BBC". So they briefed their customer facing staff to tell lies and treat me as some sort of eejit, which is disrespectful both to them and me.

There was no need for any of this.

Northern Ireland version of BBC Two HD not available on local cable in Republic border county.

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