RTE to provide hit television show downloads

Well it seems RTE is fianally woken up and entered the 21st century. Here is the article from today's Sunday Independent detailing their plans to offer TV shows to download.

RTE to provide hit television show downloads for a few cents

NICK WEBB

RTE is working on high-level plans to allow viewers to buy and download episodes of top programmes over the internet, which would transform the face of broadcasting in Ireland, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

The State broadcaster is holding talks with a number of Hollywood and international TV production companies about freeing up the media rights to the shows, which would enable RTE to launch an on-demand service as early as next year.

It is thought that international blockbuster shows such as Lost and Desperate Housewives could be sold to customers to watch on their PC or other mobile devices, rather than its home-produced programmes such as Prime Time or Fair City.

"There will be commercial opportunities and we will definitely be looking at it. We are investigating certain options," according to RTE executive director of publishing Muirne Laffan. "It will be in 2007. We haven't identified specific shows but we would definitely be offering some of the acquisitions."

Laffan added that RTE's primary strategy in creating a wide-ranging download service is to maximise its audience, rather than as a purely commercial ploy.

However, a decision to charge for certain shows would probably cause major political debate, given that RTE already receives a licence fee. At the moment, all of RTE's online content is home-produced, such as sport or the Late Late Show, and is available free.

RTE's decision to jump into the on-demand arena follows similar moves by major international networks in the last couple of months. Traditional TV stations have been losing viewers in recent years, as more and more 15 to 35-year-olds have shifted to hugely popular internet sites like YouTube, Myspace or Bebo, or the wide range of digital television channels.

Television networks and Hollywood studios have been desperately trying to win back audiences, prompting the decision to offer on-demand shows bought online.

Recently, Walt Disney inked a landmark deal with Apple's iTunes download service to sell movies online. Other networks have followed suit, with ABC offering download episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Lost for sale one day after airing on television.

Last week, Channel Four revealed its own ambitious plans for what it claims is the world's first full-schedule video on demand service. Copying the hugely successful iTunes music download format, they charge 99p (€1.46) to rent a show or up to £1.99 (€2.94) for a film.

RTE's internet site already broadcasts about 50 or 60 hours per week of home produced television, as well as much of its radio content. The volume of programming has increased "hugely" in the last year, according to Laffan. The soon-to-be overhauled RTE website has experienced a 40 per cent year-on-year growth in traffic, hitting 1.1m users per month, she added.

The broadcaster streams Champions League football matches online at the same time as the games appear on RTE2. Last summer, over 12,000 people tuned in to watch the Munster Gaelic Football final, with over 5,000 online viewers for Bernard Dunne's recent title fight. The station also provides unique content for its website, ranging from interviews with stars to a series on global warming.