No RTE Radio abroad during the olympics

Kobie

I'm outside Ireland at the moment and this morning when I tried to listen to Morning Ireland I got this message:

"Due to rights restrictions, RTE is prohibited from making Olympic content accessible from outside Ireland . In order to comply with these restrictions, RTE has had to make all live radio streams and the majority of archived programs available within Ireland only."

So that's it? No RTE radio available over the net for the next two weeks? In a word: WTF?

What the hell kind of a strategy is that? What kind of licence infringing material could they possibly broadcast during Morning Ireland or the Pat Kenny Show? Does the voice of George Hamilton now belong to the Peoples Republic of China?

Un-fricken-believable,
Kev.

Mossy Monk

I'm willing to bet BBC 5 Live will be the same.

tbh

seems like a sledgehammer/peanut interface scenario alright. Probably tho because of the nature of the games, the live shows on RTE1 will be cutting back and forth between the studio and the tiddlywinks arena, so it's just easier to cut the whole stream, rather than trying to isolate little bits here and there.

mike65

Sure radio is full of these damned restrictions, my moanm being footie on fivelive, I do not know who looses out if I can listen to a game via interweb rather than via FM on cable.

Mike.

Patrickisperfec

Does anybody know if there's any way around this?

tbh

no legal ways, and that's what matters.

Kobie

You could have somebody in Ireland set up a proxy for you & go through that, but it's probably just too much hassle.

1huge1

Mossy Monk wrote: »

I'm willing to bet BBC 5 Live will be the same.

Cam amyone confirm that? Im using my mobile to post this so can't check right now.

Kobie

I'm currently listening to 5 Live over the net - it's quite possible that they'll block it later though. Still even if they do it's a whole lot better than the sledgehammer RTE approach.

onlyone

It is an absolute disgrace. RTE shuts down to those of us who have to travel abroad, and the wider Irish Diaspora, so that a few very obscure sports in a grossly excessive competition, hosted by a fascist nation, can be heard in Ireland, for a few minutes.

The PRC would be impressed with RTE. But the fact is that only free to air stations got the rights. So I can hear the fecking Olympics anywhere, so no rights to be protected anyway


I am going to contact the IOC, the BCC, my TD and RTE governing body about this. It is a typical example of RTEs journos obsession with sports, in which very few are interested.

Anybody want to join me?

MrVestek

onlyone wrote: »

Anybody want to join me?

No thanks!

chalkitdown1

Calm down dear.

Mossy Monk

onlyone wrote: »

It is an absolute disgrace. RTE shuts down to those of us who have to travel abroad, and the wider Irish Diaspora, so that a few very obscure sports in a grossly excessive competition, hosted by a fascist nation, can be heard in Ireland, for a few minutes.

The PRC would be impressed with RTE. But the fact is that only free to air stations got the rights. So I can hear the fecking Olympics anywhere, so no rights to be protected anyway


I am going to contact the IOC, the BCC, my TD and RTE governing body about this. It is a typical example of RTEs journos obsession with sports, in which very few are interested.

Anybody want to join me?

You lost me at the first paragraph.

onlyone

Mossy Monk - where did I lose you? Pretty clear I thought. Cant you cope?

Calkitdowndear1 - Why? I am calm


Why for a sporting completion involving a collection of obscure or underage sports (eg Soccer) - do I have to lose. I pay my licence fee. Most of RTEs output has nothing to do with the Olympics, and most Irish people only look at the beginning, The few possibilities of a medal (1 or 2 of the lower grade metal), and the end.

In the meantime we get shut off. The rights stuff is rubbish. You can see the olympics anyware as the only sell to free to air stations

Mossy Monk

onlyone wrote: »

Mossy Monk - where did I lose you? Pretty clear I thought. Cant you cope?

No. My intellect is not as good as yours :rolleyes:.

Would your point be different if the Olympics were on in say France?

onlyone

Mossey Monk

Are you suggesting I am racist?

If you are I will happily sue your ass off. There is nothing in my posts to suggest that I am racist. I would request an apology, now:mad:

I could not careless where the gross obscenity that is the olympics are held, If it was in France I would object to RTEs behaviour.

tSubh Dearg

Time out time! This thread is on a countdown to being locked if the handbags are not put back down.

Infractions and bans will also be handed out to those who ignore this warning.

Bondvillain

onlyone wrote: »

Mossey Monk

Are you suggesting I am racist?

If you are I will happily sue your ass off. There is nothing in my posts to suggest that I am racist. I would request an apology, now:mad:

I could not careless where the gross obscenity that is the olympics are held, If it was in France I would object to RTEs behaviour.

That's not really true.


If the Olympics were "Grossly obscene" I'd watch every minute of 'em. As it stands, I'll probably only watch beach volley ball and maybe some gymnastics, and they're not obscene at all. Merely "mildly titillating".

I think also the point was less to do with racism, and more to do with whether your answer would change if China (being considered a totalitarian state) was to be replaced hypothetically with somewhere like France (being slightly less totalitarian than China).

Still, I hope common sense does not prevail, and a court case where you DO happily sue Mr Monk's ass off becomes necessary, because not only Does O.One V Monk have a vaguely Chinese martial arts feel to it, the court transcripts of one pseudonym groundlessly accusing another of calling them a racist would be a good laugh.

I seem to remember them doing this during the 2004 games as well.

Milktrolley

onlyone wrote: »

Why for a sporting completion involving a collection of obscure or underage sports (eg Soccer) - do I have to lose. I pay my licence fee. Most of RTEs output has nothing to do with the Olympics, and most Irish people only look at the beginning, The few possibilities of a medal (1 or 2 of the lower grade metal), and the end.

In the meantime we get shut off. The rights stuff is rubbish. You can see the olympics anyware as the only sell to free to air stations

http://www.rte.ie/sport/olympics2008/audiovideo_faq.html
Enjoy

Mossy Monk

onlyone wrote: »

Mossey Monk

Are you suggesting I am racist?

If you are I will happily sue your ass off. There is nothing in my posts to suggest that I am racist. I would request an apology, now:mad:

You imagine things I see. Where in my post was a suggestion of you being racist made. Your threat of suing me is laughable. You can get ****ed if you think I am apologising for something that exists in your imagination. If anyone should be apologising it is you.

Kensington

onlyone wrote:

In the meantime we get shut off. The rights stuff is rubbish. You can see the olympics anyware as the only sell to free to air stations

There's the problem - I doubt broadcasters elsewhere would be too impressed if people could listen to RTE coverage (albeit pretty poor) in another country, when they (the other broadcaster) paid to cover the Olympics in that country. So RTE cut it off.

Posts = 3

onlyone wrote:

If you are I will happily sue your ass off. There is nothing in my posts to suggest that I am racist. I would request an apology, now:mad:

Welcome to boards btw, you're going to fit in so well :D:D

Leaderbored

Bondvillain wrote: »

onlyone wrote: »

Mossey Monk

Are you suggesting I am racist?

If you are I will happily sue your ass off. There is nothing in my posts to suggest that I am racist. I would request an apology, now:mad:

I could not careless where the gross obscenity that is the olympics are held, If it was in France I would object to RTEs behaviour.

That's not really true.


If the Olympics were "Grossly obscene" I'd watch every minute of 'em. As it stands, I'll probably only watch beach volley ball and maybe some gymnastics, and they're not obscene at all. Merely "mildly titillating".

I think also the point was less to do with racism, and more to do with whether your answer would change if China (being considered a totalitarian state) was to be replaced hypothetically with somewhere like France (being slightly less totalitarian than China).

Still, I hope common sense does not prevail, and a court case where you DO happily sue Mr Monk's ass off becomes necessary, because not only Does O.One V Monk have a vaguely Chinese martial arts feel to it, the court transcripts of one pseudonym groundlessly accusing another of calling them a racist would be a good laugh.

Sometimes, with the noise created by righteous indignation and the angry stamping of feet, funny gets missed.

Patrickisperfec

RTÉ Radio 1 is on Brussels telephone No. 2509 5050. This number can be called from anywhere in the world with prefix + 32, international call rates apply.

tSubh Dearg

This is the last warning. Posters will be civil to each other and stay on topic or not only will I lock this thread but I will infract and ban every single person who ignores this warning.

Kobie

Milktrolley wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/sport/olympics2008/audiovideo_faq.html
Enjoy

Thanks for the link Milktrolley. It's a damn shame though - especially since the BBC doesn't see the need to enforce a complete ban on all its stations - just the ones concerned with sport.

onlyone

Thanks for all the kind comments. I look forward to joining the debates

I didn’t realise that the more I post the better I get, but I will work on it. Whether I have 3 or 3,333 does not make my point of view less valid.

I am not a racist. If anybody calls me that I will sue. Onlyone vrs Monk is fine by me.

I think the Olympics are obscene for reasons of wasteful expenditure, which have caused recessions and hardship, and very few benefits to the host people for the last 40 years. They pander to a tiny elite, who participate in small obscure sports. They have little interest for the vast bulk of people, and in particular RTE Radio One listeners.

I will have the same opinion when they come to London, or France.

I do not think that the Olympics should allow themselves to be used by the totalitarian fascistic/communist state of the PRC to promote themselves. More Importantly I don’t think that RTE should censure themselves to please the PRC.

BBC radio 5 is off line as well, but it’s a sports channel, so not syrprised. The rest are available.

I note RTEs FAQ. Nobody made them sign the deal, and BTW the phone number of the OCI does not work, and there is no contact information on the RTE website, for RTE.

Has RTE never heard of editing and the pause button? Are they that technically behind?. Do they care?

I have lodged complaints with RTE, the BCI, My TD and a few others. Interesting point is that the EU is the hardest to find an address for.

The Onlyone

yamo

There are quite a lot of things I could say on the handbags/lawsuit issue, but out of respect for the mods, I will hold my powder on that front.

As regards the Olympics - the suggestion that it's only of interest to a tiny minority is a frankly ridiculous one. The opening ceremony and events themselves are regularly broadcast to TV audiences in the billions and hundreds of millions respectively. As for small obscure sports - I guess basketball, soccer, tennis, track and field, swimming, boxing, gymnastics and any number of other sports don't really have that many devotees - aside for the millions of people who play them on an ongoing basis. On an anecdotal level - a lot of my friends, who wouldn't be interested in sport, are glued to the TV for the duration of the Olympics, as it is one of the most remarkable events in the world - not just in the sporting world.

As for RTE pandering to the PRC - I would point out that it's the International Olympic Committee that decide who get the rights to broadcast radio/TV/online coverage of the Olympic Games. The Chinese are just hosting the tournament - and to be honest, I think the Games are a great opportunity for China to open up a little to the world. Their Government isn't exactly a shining light of decency, but I would suggest that their Government doesn't exactly speak for the billion plus people who live there, many of whom are clearly delighted to have such a massive influx of tourists.

Back to the rights issue - as part of their agreement with the IOC, RTE are obliged to do whatever they can to make sure that none of their Olympics coverage gets online - otherwise they could lose the broadcast rights to the 2012 Olympics in London - and despite the fact that you don't think many people are interested - the Olympics generate significant advertising revenue for the various broadcasters that carry the games (NBC have already made over a billion dollars in advertising from the Games). Despite RTE's public service status, they still rely on advertising revenue (whether they should or not is another day's debate!), and an event as significant as the Olympics always gives their coffers a nice little boost (especially in these gloomy economic times).

I can assure you that RTE have heard of both editing and pause buttons. Could they have done things differently and maybe only killed the online feed when they were going to Olympics content? Possibly, although it would have been a logistical nightmare. I would suggest emailling the IOC and NBC with your complaints. There's not really a lot that RTE and the BCI can do given the terms of the broadcast agreement RTE signed with the IOC.

Also, on a final point - Radio Five Live is not a sports service. It's a rolling news and sports service. Granted, they are probably doing quite a lot of sport at the moment (similar to RTE), but their normal schedule is one of news, sport, phone ins and opinion....

lostexpectation

its a croc

Because the restriction is not just limited to highlights of the Games, but it expands to any footage filmed within the 'accredited' area or interviews conducted within the 'accredited' area. For instance, if Pat Kenny was to interview an Irish person via a mobile phone and they happened to be in an official Olympic car, we cannot play that interview outside of Ireland.

Realistically, this means we need to block all live streams, radio and television, because we cannot monitor all of the streams 24 hours.

Question is will anybody else be monitoring this and objecting to Pat Kenny interviewing an Irish athlete live?

other stories of the censorous IOC
http://www.contentagenda.com/articleXml/LN835785301.html?industryid=45174
http://www.contentagenda.com/articleXml/LN835785301.html?industryid=45174


Nations airing the Opening Ceremony live

* Australia (something I personally confirmed by calling 1800 777 777 and speaking to Matt on Saturday Afternoon)
* New Zealand
* United Kingdom
* Spain
* Canada
* México
* Chile
* Brazil
* Portugal
* Colombia
* Venezuela
* Perú
* Argentina
* All of Europe (Eurosport)
* China
* Japan
* South Korea
* Russia
* South Africa
* Egypt
* Israel
* United Arab Emirates

Nations NOT airing the Opening Ceremony live

* United States of America

becuase they decided to show it later that evening and becuase of their exclusive deal nobody else in the entire US could even show a snippet of it.

heres an article on it apparently it's all NBC fault
http://www.contentagenda.com/articleXml/LN835785301.html?industryid=45174

The official explanation? That's the way the International Olympic Committee wants it, and it's made the blocking of access part of the Irish broadcaster's contract for covering the Olympics.

And why would the IOC care, you ask?

According to RTE's Web site, the European Broadcasting Union's pointing the finger at our very own NBC.

juvenal

As already pointed out, this issue is due to the IOC and NBC's broadcast agreement. RTÉ are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it's not fair to expect them to spend 24hrs a day checking and editing material so it doesn't contain Olympic coverage.

Don't get me wrong, it's a major PITA, and the first I learned of it was when I tuned in on Sunday to listen to the GAA. Perhaps they could've solely broadcast the GAA coverage, but then at half-time no doubt the Olympics would've received some coverage, so it's a no-win situation.

On the subject of NBC - it's a joke that the IOC are selling off the rights and caving to the demands of the network. Obviously television has a big part to play in the popularity of sport these days, and fixtures are set in discussion with the television stations to ensure maximum coverage. That doesn't justify NBC demanding that they get to schedule Phelps' finals so they suit US primetime before they forked out US$3.55 billion for the US media rights. His fourth final is due to start shortly here (just after 10pm ET), which is 10am in Beijing, and I imagine they also fixed the women's gymnastics final (basically a shootout between the US and China for gold) for primetime tonight.

I appreciate the business of television rights but surely the governing body have to retain the overall decision to schedule events to suit the athletes, and not pander to the commercial interests of a corporation on the far side of the world. I'm surprised the US networks didn't ask the R&A and PGA to postpone the golf majors this summer as Tiger was laid up with a bad knee :rolleyes:

fatgav

onlyone wrote: »

Thanks for all the kind comments. I look forward to joining the debates

I didn’t realise that the more I post the better I get, but I will work on it. Whether I have 3 or 3,333 does not make my point of view less valid.

I am not a racist. If anybody calls me that I will sue. Onlyone vrs Monk is fine by me.

I think the Olympics are obscene for reasons of wasteful expenditure, which have caused recessions and hardship, and very few benefits to the host people for the last 40 years. They pander to a tiny elite, who participate in small obscure sports. They have little interest for the vast bulk of people, and in particular RTE Radio One listeners.

I will have the same opinion when they come to London, or France.

I do not think that the Olympics should allow themselves to be used by the totalitarian fascistic/communist state of the PRC to promote themselves. More Importantly I don’t think that RTE should censure themselves to please the PRC.

BBC radio 5 is off line as well, but it’s a sports channel, so not syrprised. The rest are available.

I note RTEs FAQ. Nobody made them sign the deal, and BTW the phone number of the OCI does not work, and there is no contact information on the RTE website, for RTE.

Has RTE never heard of editing and the pause button? Are they that technically behind?. Do they care?

I have lodged complaints with RTE, the BCI, My TD and a few others. Interesting point is that the EU is the hardest to find an address for.

The Onlyone

i couldn't disagree with you more if i tried, but i'm not going to outline my arguments here. i will, however, give you some credit on one point onlyone - your name. It's apt because you're the only one throwing such a hissy fit over quite a minor issue.