Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

RTE on FTA ?

Options
2»

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,538 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    70-80%??? In Dublin yes (and more like 95%). Down the country its a lot less. Remember analogue MMDS does not have RTE.


  • Options
    #33
    John R
    Registered Users Posts: 4,107 ✭✭✭John R


    Originally posted by Genghis
    John,

    I am genuinely interested in your ideas as to what may happen - what what do you believe will happen come 2008 when RTE's contract with Sky expires.

    1. Will UK terrestrials still be paying Sky for encryption as now (or will they be FTA, as BBC is now).
    2. Will Sky begin charging RTE for encryption
    3. Will RTE be able to pay Sky / remain on the Sky platform
    4. If UK channels are FTA, and RTE are not, how will RTE overcome the possibility that Irish viewers will be able to pick up several FTA UK channels for no cost, and will tend to cancel subscription platforms (the only means by which 70-80% of homes currently receive RTE)
    5. Given that satellite TV may well become the leading (or second) means of TV reception by 2008, how would you suggest RTE develop a strategy for ensuring that the people who pay their licence fee can receive their channels - regardless of how they choose to receive their signal (just as BBC have done, if you will).


    1. The BBC won't. ITV appear to be heading towards FTA sooner rather than later, as for the other two right now they don't seem to care about free access over satellite. C4 do benefit from ROI viewers in that they sell some of their "UTV Region" adverts to companies primarily targetting ROI households. Five on the other hand have always been opposed to ROI viewing. I really have no idea what either will be doing in 5 years.

    2. Sky's deal with RTE was put in place to increase ROI subs, if SKY believe that they can increase their revenue by charging RTE I am sure that they will do.

    3. I would expect that RTE would find it difficult to dissappear from the SKY platform after 5 years if a significant number of viewers had gotten used to them being there, I suppose that if RTE had to pay SKY then they would both have to come to an agreement both could live with, as it would probably not benefit SKY to lose RTE they would not demand a fee RTE could not afford to pay. However it would be up to SKY to do as they please as they control access to the encryption system.

    4. Most Irish viewers can already pick up UK terestrial channels and have done for many years, the appearance of these channels FTA on satellite will not have a huge effect on RTE as they have been competing with BBC1/2,ITV, C4 for years already. The main losers in that scenario will be ntl and chorus, the MMDS services would be hit worst.

    Although most people in cable areas recieve RTE through the cable service, a vast majority would be able to recieve terestrial signals without much problem should they cancel the cable services. I would guess that less than 5% of the population are unable to recieve any terrestrial signal (I don't have the exact figures but they are probably available somewhere on the web)

    5. There was not a huge problem with people unable to recieve RTE before they appeared on satellite, I don't imagine it will ever be a primary source for free TV. It is a usefull addition to cover bad reception areas but not a replacement for terrestrial.

    Take a look at this website aimed at the advertising community, amongst other things of interest it shows the availability of all channels in Ireland. http://www.medialive.ie/


Advertisement