Since October 1996

Elmo

Has Irish Broadcasting changed its out look, 7 years after the launch of Ireland 3 TV channel TnaG?

Mossy Monk

the 2 RTÉ channels still need loads to be done to them
TV3 is a watered down ITV :mad:
TG4 is a breath of fresh air though

so i would say a small improvement over the long run

jmcbride

I would say the overall trend is down:

1. TV3 has been a spectacular waste of time. I can't think of any programmes that they have broadcast that RTE wouldn't have shown anyway - that doesn't mean that there are none, but I can't think of any. Their home grown programming has been a joke, and I don't think their presence has forced RTE to raise it's game one jot.

2. RTE is as stagnant now as it has ever been. If you have kept a long term eye on the TAMS on RTE 1 Aertel p369, their viewing figures, or at least their top tens, have plummeted over the years. Until Gay Byrne retired, the Late Late was regularly pulling in 1 million + viewers on a Friday evening. Now it seems to be a cause for celebration if the show gets more than 600,000. The early evening schedule on RTE1 is tedious, to say the least (Nationwide? Leargas? Ear To The Ground?), while the basic structure of the Network 2 schedule seems to have relied on the same few shows for the last five years - Simpsons, Friends and Father Ted. I paid my licence fee this week, and I do not feel as though I am getting value for money at all.

3. I'll hold judgement until they launch the Dublin bulletin, but if all that Sky has specifically offered the Irish viewer is another chance to watch Irish adverts, that hardly sounds like grounds for celebration.

4. On the other hand, and on a more general level, the technological advances allowed by Sky Digital, such as widescreen, have enhanced the viewing experience. And yet RTE, for whatever reason, is not in a position to exploit this technology. If RTE and the Beeb or Sky or ITV are showing the same, widescreen enabled programme, be it football or drama, I will always take the non-RTE option, because (a) you see the full picture, and (b) the quality of the picture on offer is substantially better. For example, compare the picture quality offered by RTE and the BBC during the next Old Firm match.

5. I shouldn't really comment on TG4 to any great length, because I don't watch enough of it. But they do appear to offer a genuine alternative to the other three channels, whether the language broadcast is Irish or English. Their English language imports do appear to be much more adventurous than those available elsewhere - Oz and Curb Your Enthusiasm being the two quality examples that spring to mind. And they at least offer a couple of hours of live Dail broadcasts per week, though I would prefer a little more.

I suppose that many of these criticisms could also, and fairly, be laid at British tv as well - witness the programming desert that BBC1 now presents at 7pm most evenings - but one of the advantages of Sky is that quite often you can find something on another channel if you look hard enough, whether it be the 75th repeat of a MASH episode on Paramount, or some of the unexpected gems that turn up sometimes in the 550s. But it's a poor picture overall if the advances are mainly in technological, rather than programming, terms.

Elmo

The early evening schedule on RTE1 is tedious, to say the least (Nationwide? Leargas? Ear To The Ground?)

I like Leargas I think its one of RTE's better programmes. Nationwide needs to be revamp it used to have some interesting stories. But then at that time the other option is Emmerdale which is more then just tedious.

carryo

While it is not strictly part of Irish broadcasting I think that the proliferation of multi-channel since the late nineties has been the major driver of change in Irish tv viewing habits and irish broadcasting.
Don't blame dumming down on RTE. They are copying ITV, CH4, Five, Sky and the like and they are only responding to what we do with our remote controls.
Anyway, mainstream broadcasting is for the lowest common denominator. If you want something more intellectual there are pleanty of options for those with the inclination, time and money to do so.

Elmo

While it is not strictly part of Irish broadcasting I think that the proliferation of multi-channel since the late nineties has been the major driver of change in Irish tv viewing habits and irish broadcasting.

Has there been a major change:-

It still is the case that we still watch the soaps, the late late.

The major change is with 20% of the audience watch other TV channels outside RTE One N2 TV3 TG4 BBC 1/2 ITV AND C4. and with saying that 50% of all viewers are still watching Irish TV.

If you want something more intellectual there are pleanty of options for those with the inclination, time and money to do so.

It's called the licence fee in realtion to RTE.

So to be intellectual one must be rich?

icdg

I'd say that if there was one major Good Thing about TV3, the percieved threat from it led RTE to relaunch Network 2 in 1997 as N2. For a while, about three years, RTE knew what it was doing with the channel. Clear strands (Monday Night Comedy for example, the late night talk strand Later on 2, and the distinctive News 2 service). There was also significant original investment in N2 programming... we all remember the "An N2 Production" endcaps on the channel.

These days RTE has given up again in the channel, and we are back where we were circa 1995. Only the vestiges of the 1997 rebrand are left - the logo (nowadays preceded by the RTE one anyway), a watered down Monday Night Comedy, the Den strand. The recent abandonment of News 2 in favour of a regular RTE News bulitten is the last nail in the 1997 rebrand's coffin. Only RTE hasn't come up with something to replace it...

RTE ONE is doing okay, though it needs less reliance on its bankers. It needs more event programming - Proof is a good example of what the channel can do when its got its head screwed on. More of this please (and I don't mean Proof II, despite the fact that the ending was clearly aimed at ensuring a sequel) - RTE Drama can do well if given the resources.

TV3 is a strange kettle of fish. It doesn't know whether it wants to be Sky One or ITV. Now that it is owned 45% by ITV plc, with full access to the Carlton as well as Granada production libraries, expect it to move more in the ITV direction. The recent addition of I'm a Celeberty and Ant and Dec to the schedule shows what is happening there.

I can't comment really on TG4, but by all accounts' its doing well.

carrolls

The Irish nation have become a more discerning bunch in recent years.
No longer are they happy with the drivel that is the 'Late Late Show' and 'Winning Streak'. No longer are they contented with the pathetic drones coming from 'Nationwide' and 'Questions and Answers'.
They have seen the future and it is Digital Widescreen and it is not Irish.
If accepting a piggyback onto Sky's encryption system is RTE's only attempt to embrace the Digital Television age, they are in for a rude awakening in the next few years.
If ITV go FTA on Satellite in the Autumn which is predicted, the market for FTA satellite boxes in Ireland will become a huge market. The BBC is already FTA.
You can't get RTE on an FTA satellite box. You need to pay Sky a monthly fee to get RTE on satellite. So if somebody gets an FTA box, will they even be inclined to switch back to the terrestrial areial to watch RTE. OK, maybe for a football match or something, but not on a regular basis.
I think RTE need to seriously rethink their digital strategy.

Elmo

I think RTE need to seriously rethink their digital strategy.

What about TV3?

The Irish nation have become a more discerning bunch in recent years.

They would rather watch Emmerdale, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Fair City, I am a Celeb get me out of here, footballers wifes etc etc.



Disconserting my ASS

carrolls

Originally posted by Elmo
Disconserting my ASS

Sorry 'bout your ASS.:(

Elmo

Sorry 'bout your ASS.

It's not your fault, its the general Publics.

carrolls

I think TV3 and RTE have the same digital strategy, ie Nothing.
I singled out RTE for most criticism because they are just asking the viewing public to switch over to the UK channels by showing purile tripe like 'Winning Streak' on Saturday at prime time. Anybody under 40 would agree with me. (I hope).

rlogue

Seeing as Digital Satellite is at present the only way the majority of viewers have access to the Irish terrestrial channels in digital format, it strikes me as a shocking waste of the technology to simply rebroadcast the picture as it goes out on the analogue terrestrial services.

We hear of the impending arrival of a digital form of Aertel and that is to be applauded as and when that happens, but seeing as more and more widescreen TVs are being sold in Ireland it strikes me as more than a bit dumb that Irish viewers with access to Digital RTÉ and Digital BBC will choose the BBC because the BBC are prepared to provide a good quality picture at the correct aspect ratio.

Why shouldn't RTÉ, TG4 and TV3 provide a widescreen service on satellite?

carrolls

Exactly;) . I watch 90-95% of my television through my FTV box, because the picture is cleaner and is at the correct aspect ratio for my Widescreen TV.
I only watch RTE when I have prior knowledge of an interesting RTE programme, and switch to EXT2 on my TV Remote. In other words, I don't surf on analogue, just on digital satellite.
Human nature what it is, the majority of people who get satellite won't bother surfing analogue either, because they are too comfortable using the EPG. Methinks this spells a big problem for RTE who's advertisers need viewers to have instant access to RTE.