RTE's new false advertising promo

Tony · 18-01-2005 11:17pm

Earthman wrote:

I
But remember it wasn't entirely a bad deal for RTÉ.They were faced with 300,000+ homes who were on the sky habit and increasingly lazy about switching back to analogue to watch RTÉ.

They had the choice to rent a transponder and go FTA, Albania can do it , hell even text dating channels can do it.

BrianD · 19-01-2005 12:15am

I do think RTE struck a bad deal with Sky Digital and should have held out. No matter what you think of RTE it is still a must have channel and indeed a popular channel. If it wasn't on Sky people would still have the rabbits ears connected and in many ways this perceived inconvenience may have slowed the growth of sky in Ireland. People like convenience - for many of us a dual system is fine but for others not.

Superman · 19-01-2005 12:58am

Tony wrote:

we are debating not arguing

btw whats OC?

oops sorry "debating" :rolleyes:

You must of watched the OC, its a newer younger version off melrose place/beverly hills 90210, dare I say it coud be as good as dynasty, Then againn your probly too pre-occupied with bringing rte to the courts and watching all your fancy pants satelite channels to watch TG4 on mon night!

I suggest you watch the OC and prepare to be amazed!

kramlq · 19-01-2005 1:00am

Earthman wrote:

I agree with you Tony to an extent.
But remember it wasn't entirely a bad deal for RTÉ.They were faced with 300,000+ homes who were on the sky habit and increasingly lazy about switching back to analogue to watch RTÉ.
This was putting RTÉ under pressure from advertisers especially since Sky were planning selling Irish advertising.
RTÉ had no choice but to come to some arrangement to go on Sky.

I agree. Out of sight => out of mind.
Prior to RTE going on astra2 and getting Sky EPG placement I dont think I watched it much at all. As well as the 'mode switch' to get back to terrestrial viewing, you also had the problem of bad picture (RTE1), terrible picture (RTE2) and no picture (TG4 & TV3) where I live.

It was that ongoing slack management perhaps that meant RTÉ werent and still aren't in a position to provide a free satelite service for viewers.

RTE management really don't seem to have educated themselves about all the options available with regard to satellite distribution, and Sky really seem to have taken advantage of this ignorance when they met at the negotiating table.

Are the exact details of Sky/RTE's arrangement available publically? They are a publically funded broadcaster after all. They should at least see if their contract permits them to simulcrypt the existing signal and sign a deal with another conditional access provider such as viaccess/irdeto (who seem to do deals with many other public broadcasters on satellite) to provide a FTV card scheme. Surely a scheme like that would pay for itself via card sales.
Sky and NDS (providers of Sky's Videoguard encryption) are too closely intertwined for RTE to ever get a fair deal when setting up a scheme like this.
In the longer term they should try to move the signal to a transponder with a larger footprint to allow ex-pats to avail of such a service as well.

BrianD · 21-01-2005 1:42am

I am sure you can get at least the outline of the RTE agreement under the FoI (though I am not sure if RTE are bound the FoI yet).

The problem with is sat distribution is that "anoraks" and people who really wanted RTE can sort out the dish and receiver and point it in the right direction to get RTE. The vast majority of domestic viewers won't. Sky Digital neatly packaged up this whole DSAT thing into a convenient installed service and charge handsomely for it. To be part of this convenience and platform, I am sure Sky insisted on anexclusive arangement over a period of time.

Macy · 21-01-2005 11:07am

Tony wrote:

I would have no objection to paying for RTE on satellite but nobody is paying RTE they are paying sky so no benefit acrues to our national broadcaster apart from guaranteeing that satellite only homes who are prepared to pay can receive it.

That's the bottom line for me. I'd have no problem paying cost for a FTV Card for the Irish stations (plus the UK FTA Stations on epg

). RTE are the only one's that can drive that being the biggest broadcaster and the state broadcaster.

When we got a FTA Receiver, we watched Irish TV less, since we got a FTV card I'd say it's at least 80-20 split in favour of UK channels. The major factor in that, particularly for the missus, is the quality of reception rather than the quality of the programming.

If the ITV channels go FTA as well, then RTE will have to face up to the reality of the situation...

21-01-2005 11:23am

kramlq wrote:

RTE management really don't seem to have educated themselves about all the options available with regard to satellite distribution, and Sky really seem to have taken advantage of this ignorance when they met at the negotiating table.

I'd guess that they are / were fully aware of all the opportunities and options.
They just took the easy option, in the knowledge that they were avoiding the more painfull one ie grasping the nettle that is their ineffeciency.
Finding the money in a climate where the government wouldnt grant a licence increase only if there were trimmings on the bloat was too painfull for executives.
They have the best of both worls now in their eyes.
Houses that dont have sky have RTE and in a lot of cases dont have TV3 whilst houses that do have sky arent for the most part unhappy as they have chosen to have sky digital ie for the most part Sky households have decided they can afford the cost and want the hundreds of channels.
For RTÉ's part they are freeloading onto that bandwagon with both Sky and RTÉ benefiting.

As regards a FTA scheme, well from a transponder point of view it would cost RTE the same as it does the BBC to have BBC1 and 2 up there.
Is there really a market for it? perhaps when ITV go FTA BUT and its a big but, the up front cost of setting it up versus possible slow initial take up would mean a financial strain at least initially(and that period could be a couple of years) that RTÉ would apparently not want to burden themselves with.

Tony · 21-01-2005 1:22pm

Earthman wrote:

As regards a FTA scheme, well from a transponder point of view it would cost RTE the same as it does the BBC to have BBC1 and 2 up there.

I dont think it would cost the same, they could have rented the transponder and got epg placement for free as its a major selling point for sky. I really think they did not give enough thought to what they were signing up to

RTE's new false advertising promo

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