RTE on Sky Free-To-View : Could it happen ?

The_Conductor

Cherrycola wrote: »

I would have to say yes, but thats my opinion.
I watch BBC way more than i do RTE, but yet am obliged to pay for their programming and only their programming, while paying a sub to Sky to even receive the channel in digital format.

I'm not willing to pay a Sky subscription- I can't get RTE at all, and most of my viewing is Showtime/CBC/NBC and various other Canadian and US channels, either by satellite or errrr alternate means........

I also have a Freesat HD box- for more local fare......

I don't tend to watch much from RTE- but even I admit that they have occasional gems, rare, but high quality viewing. RTE documentaries are up there with the BBCs- only fewer in number.

Minstrel27

Cherrycola wrote: »

At least the BBC provide a decent level of programming to their viewers!

People in the UK moan as much about the BBC as you lot do here about RTÉ

byte

jobyrne30 wrote: »

Thanks for the input lads, points well made, but can we try and keep it on subject. Would you avail of a Sky free-to-view card for RTE should one be available ?

Thanks

Yeah, I would, as long as the card was something other than Videoguard, like Conax, Viaccess, etc. so that I could use it in a proper satellite receiver with cardslot (or CI and CAM for card).

Apogee

jobyrne30 wrote: »

I've searched everywhere for information and asked RTE/Minster of Communication for information on the length of the remaining contract RTE & Sky have and when I got a response it was "Sorry can't discuss that subject" or words to that effect. That's pretty much the reason why I opened the discussion here on boards, there are some people on this forum who I'd say know more about RTE and their runnings/contracts than the Minister for Non-Communication.

Elmo is the only one who seems to have managed to get some info on the uplink deal, but that was an FOI related to TV3 and not RTÉ.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58586367

Kensington

The only information in the public domain seems to be that carriage is provided for free under the present arrangement. Nobody knows whether it's a fixed term contract or whether it's a "rolling" contract (ie. it continues in place indefinitely until either Sky or RTÉ pull out)

What is in the public domain however are the full charges list for any channel gaining access to the sky digital platform, you can read it here. If you sift through all the charges and start to tot up how much Sky would be seeking off RTÉ to carry the two channels either in a FTV setup, or in the clear, it's quite a hefty figure!

Mr McBoatface

@ Kensington & Apogee thanks for the Links and info, during the week when I get some time I read through them fully.

I know alot of people here have varying opinions about RTE but I think RTE availability on SKY is a major reason for the success of Sky In the Republic of Ireland, many people I know in my age group 30 some-things would not have gotten Sky TV if RTE where not available on it they simple would have gone with a cable provider. Amongst my parents age group RTE is a must have. So should RTE(or whom ever is responsible) ever be in a position to renegotiate the current contract with SKY they could negotiate a viable FTV option, that said the ideal time for negotiating such an option was when Sky where new to the market here.

Tony

Kensington wrote: »

. If you sift through all the charges and start to tot up how much Sky would be seeking off RTÉ to carry the two channels either in a FTV setup, or in the clear, it's quite a hefty figure!

Yes but in my opinion Sky need RTE more tha RTE need sky. It was sky who initially approached RTE so I see no reason why a much lower fee could not be negotiated.

Apogee

jobyrne30 wrote: »

I know alot of people here have varying opinions about RTE but I think RTE availability on SKY is a major reason for the success of Sky In the Republic of Ireland, many people I know in my age group 30 some-things would not have gotten Sky TV if RTE where not available on it they simple would have gone with a cable provider.

Even RTÉ now acknowledge this

RT&#201 wrote:

The Irish FTA terrestrial channels (RTE 1, RTE 2, TV 3 and TG 4) are all carried on this subscription platform. SKY benefits financially from the carriage of the four Irish FTA terrestrial channels as they comprise circa 43%+ of all television viewing in 'multi' homes (i.e. 80%+ of all households) in the state but no payment is required to-be made to the broadcasters by SKY in this regard.

http://www.rte.ie/about/pdfs/letter_on_digital_switchover.pdf


It has also been reported on this forum that Sky themselves now operate a "cheap-to-view" scheme.

Sponge Bob wrote:

Sky have an unpublished customer retention offer. When a full sub €22 a month or higher threatens to cancel they are offering a €5 a month RTE TG4 only sub in certain cases. It may also include tv3/c6/setanta ireland for all I know

This would mean the box continues to pick up the Irish and the Free channels only but with the Irish channels in EPG positions 1-4 ...OTOH you only pay €5 a month and for many with marginal reception a decent aerial would cost many years of the Sky sub.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055771919

Apogee

Tony wrote: »

Yes but in my opinion Sky need RTE more tha RTE need sky. It was sky who initially approached RTE so I see no reason why a much lower fee could not be negotiated.

Or better still, no fee!

Tony

Apogee wrote: »

Or better still, no fee!

Indeed yes.

Apogee

Tony wrote: »

It was sky who initially approached RTE

Tony, any links for this?

Tony

Afraid not, it was word of mouth information given to me by a friend in RTE but seems to have been a generaly accepted view at the time from other people I spoke to in the trade for whatever thats worth. There was also a poster on the satellite forum who pm'ed me the info also who asked not be named, he was involved in the TV3 issues at the time as there were objections from UTV.

snaps

i have only just started to watch RTE since they have started their DTT testing. I only seem to watch the news or sport though.

Only ever watched TV3 for football.

I watch 95% freesat/FTV/Foreign card subs and possibly not even 5% Irish tv.

After folking out 160 bobs for tv licence, i'd never pay sky 22e a month for RTE.

I personally think its a scandal that RTE is available on sky with only a sub and not FTV, But then this sums this country up, we will quite happily pay over the odds for anything.

After the cost of my equiptment, I save about 1,000e a year on tv viewing. I have offical subs to Cyfra+HD and Al Jazerra sports/Art showtime. I get all the premiership/champs league/spanish & italian footie/rugby/Internationals/boxing with these (More games than sky/setanta/espn show).

Now with the DTT trials i get a decent RTE/TV3 picture, paired with 2 UK FTV cards i have all the viewing i need for less than 250e a year!

Over the years my setup has accumalated as follows:

1.1m motorised dish feeding a TM6900 (Living room) & a Ferguson CR6900 (Main bedroom)

80cm fixed dish with octo lnb feeding a Mvision 300HD (Living room), Bush Freesat HD receiver, sky box ftv in kitchen, 3 cheap microelectronic FTA receivers in bedrooms.

Just to note, Irish analogue PQ (From Castlebar and Truskmore) is awfull on my phillips 47" LCD, but acceptable on the smaller tv's around the house, one reason why i never watched Irish TV until DTT tests.

Mr McBoatface

Hi snaps, I'm using a free-sat free-view combo HTPC myself. Like you receiving the DTT test signal and I'm quiet happy with the quality.

How-ever the DTT is not a service it's a test with many breaks the in "service" and not all area's can get it now so it's safe to assume not all area's will be able to get it if and when it's an official service. Many people in both urban/rural area's have poor DTT signal due to large building, mountains and varies other issues, In many rural area's there is no cable service. This all mean for many the best option for quality digital TV is a satellite signal.

RTE in it's current format can never go Free-sat due to rights issues leaving a hypothetical encrypted FTV service the best possible option for many. The scrapped RTE international running Irish only programs could have been Free-sat.

The initial set-up cost to receive a hypothetical encrypted FTV service via Sky would be a lot less in the long term than paying SKY for a minimal sub with RTE. It's not a perfect solution but for many it would be the best compromise.

Also to anybody interested I emailed Eamonn Ryan about this subject late last week. I got a acknowledgement from somebody in his office today basically saying the contents of the email where being looked at. If they ever actual read the email and respond to it I'll post the responses here. (Won't hold my breathe)

STB

jobyrne30 wrote: »

The initial set-up cost to receive a hypothetical encrypted FTV service via Sky would be a lot less in the long term than paying SKY for a minimal sub with RTE. It's not a perfect solution but for many it would be the best compromise.

Jo, FTV via Sky would still involve one having to purchase a Sky Box in order to keep the FTV cards alive due to Sky's proprietry NDS encryption system. As byte suggested it wont work with a "proper" fta box.

That is not a solution.

Coverage
DTT already covers 75% to 80% of the country without the fill in TXs on under its "enginnering tests" guise.

DTT is also a lot more stable and powerful than analogue at a lower erp and I wouild imagine that it will get into some of those places that analogue never did before. The whole sat solution to that very problem may become a thing of the past. Time will tell.

120_Minutes

Minstrel27 wrote: »

You are not paying a licence to view RTÉ.

yes yes yes, i know this. i still begrudge paying it though, personaly i see ZERO returns on my yearly 160 quid. less then 1% of my yearly telly watching is on rte. ditto my radio listening. I dont agree with it and if i could get away with not paying it, i would.

Mr McBoatface

@ STB , I'm aware that a payment to SKY for installation would be required and a Sky box would still be required. For the 20 - 25 % of people without DDT coverage Sky or cable is only other options available to them as things stand the would have to pay for a sub to view RTE on their Services. SKY FTV would be a less costly option.

Also many people who live in 75%-80% of the area's supposedly covered by DTT reception still can't receive DTT due to obstruction, for example location within an apartment block can be an issue, Apartment on one side of a block may have good reception, yet on the opposite side of the block there may be none. The only chance these people have of receiving DTT is via a roof top aerial wired down to their apartment, Unfortunately this option may not be available to them so they are left paying for a sub to either cable TV or Sky should they wish to view RTE.

In my parent case and In on my own case, We have excellent reception at the rear of our houses but in our living rooms where the main TV are the signal is really poor. Rabbits ears just don't work. I had to put up an indoor attic aerial and wire it to my living room to get reception. Once I done this I've 100% signal quality, In my parent case they required an outdoor aerial to get reception. I'm in Athy which has excellent DTT coverage from 2 DTT masts, Mount Leinster being the one I use. My parent house in in line of sight of the Kippure mast.

There is a once off cost of installation for DTT aerials and DTT reception equipment too , which depending on your requirements and location may be more or less than the cost of a Sky installation.

DTT will go ahead eventually but that's been said before about 10 years ago(I hope it happens this time), It would be nice to have a minimal cost alternative for those without access to DTT.

Apogee

STB wrote: »

DTT is also a lot more stable and powerful than analogue at a lower erp and I wouild imagine that it will get into some of those places that analogue never did before. The whole sat solution to that very problem may become a thing of the past. Time will tell.

If that were the case, then the UK would never have bothered with Freesat.

Tony

STB wrote: »

The whole sat solution to that very problem may become a thing of the past. Time will tell.

I doubt it as satellite has a lot more frequency spectrum to provide more channels than DTT can with the current technology.

snaps

STB wrote: »

Jo, FTV via Sky would still involve one having to purchase a Sky Box in order to keep the FTV cards alive due to Sky's proprietry NDS encryption system. As byte suggested it wont work with a "proper" fta box.

That is not a solution.

Coverage
DTT already covers 75% to 80% of the country without the fill in TXs on under its "enginnering tests" guise.

DTT is also a lot more stable and powerful than analogue at a lower erp and I wouild imagine that it will get into some of those places that analogue never did before. The whole sat solution to that very problem may become a thing of the past. Time will tell.

Yes i get TV3 from truskmore and the DTT signal/test seems much stronger than the analouge signal. Well at least it doesnt suffer from interfearence!