TV3 cancels 'PlayTV' contract

MarkK

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0305/breaking70.html

"(TV3) said that while it had initially proved to be very popular with viewers, numbers had declined recently. "

In other words people finally got wise to the scam.

Elmo

MarkK wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0305/breaking70.html

"(TV3) said that while it had initially proved to be very popular with viewers, numbers had declined recently. "

In other words people finally got wise to the scam.

Bond-007 got this

TV3 GROUP RELEASE
IMMEDIATE: Friday 5th March 2010



TV3 ANNOUNCES THAT IT IS NOT RENEWING THE PLAY TV SERVICE



TV3 announces that it is not renewing the Play TV service. We would like to thank Telemedia for their professional service which gave TV3 the revenue to prevent further job cuts at the low point of the recession. The service was very popular with viewers but recently viewership to the service has declined.



TV3 will likely introduce different interactive services to the station subject to viewer demand. Commercial revenues from interactive services such as Play TV are an important source of funding for TV3 since TV3 receives no licence fee income. The revenue is used to fund the constantly increasing output of Irish programming, now accounting for over a third of TV3’s schedule; and has helped TV3 to produce award winning programming.



TV3 has made an excellent start to 2010 with viewer numbers up over 5%, building on the increases achieved in 2009. Neilsen data shows TV3 is the only terrestrial channel viewed in Ireland (including the UK channels) to increase its share in 2010; and 3e has rapidly become one of the top three digital channels in the market.



Ends.



Notes to editor:



PLAY TV commenced in May 2009. The service was an “infomercial” which ran between 12 midnight and 3am. Telemedia, the service provider, broadcasts similar programmes in most European countries.



TV3 won three of the major awards at the recently held IFTA’s: Best News Programme (News at 5.30); Best Factual Programme (Tonight with Vincent Browne); and Best Entertainment Series (The Apprentice)



Please see attached ratings data from Nielsen for January and February 2010, and for the full year 2009.





For further information:
Maureen Catterson
TV3 PRESS OFFICE

They forgot to mention the 12% of EU programming that they have being showing over the last 10 months.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055614836&page=1122
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055845598&page=2

Closed ac

I'll miss it.

mikeym

I wont miss it

scudzilla

MarkK wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0305/breaking70.html

"(TV3) said that while it had initially proved to be very popular with viewers, numbers had declined recently. "

In other words people finally got wise to the scam.

it was a scam??? :rolleyes:

angel01

Why would anyone miss it or watch this rubbish which was blatently a scam

Pat Gleeson

angel01 wrote: »

Why would anyone miss it or watch this rubbish which was blatently a scam

Because there are a lot of naive people out there who can be exploited - the same type that what and believe programmes like 'Most Haunted' for instance.

More Music

It was a paid for slot by Telemedia (Play TV), almost like an extended advertisement.

TV3 got paid no matter how many fools were tuned in. Why wouldn't they want the guaranteed revenue?

However, as I've said before, it was rubbish TV. Goodbye!

I suppose the other side is that a few people have now probably lost their jobs.

Gonzo

the less rubbish like this on our tv screens the better.

bl8ckh8art

Derval Mellett quit that show because she couldn't take it knowing people were being scammed left and right. The straw that broke the camels back was when she learned her grandmother mortgaged her house to pay for her gambling addiction to the show.

Fuzzy Clam

bl8ckh8art wrote: »

she learned her grandmother mortgaged her house to pay for her gambling addiction to the show.

Hardly the fault of the show though! Stupid woman.

Still, good riddance.

pikachucheeks

I think it's a wise move.
TV3 were getting some seriously bad press because of that show and copious daily complaints from viewers.

Pat Gleeson

pikachucheeks wrote: »

I think it's a wise move.
TV3 were getting some seriously bad press because of that show and copious daily complaints from viewers.

Agreed, but that won't stop them (or someone else) trying the same thing again under a different guise.

heffomike54

Yes thank god best news I have heard in ages. Does anyone know when will it actually be gone of the tv?

Elmo

heffomike54 wrote: »

Yes thank god best news I have heard in ages. Does anyone know when will it actually be gone of the tv?

Of the air for a number of weeks now.

CFC1905_NK

That show was so AWFUL, it's about time it got axed.

wildwildwest

No loss at all. It was simply a scam. Its a shame about TV3 it started off fairly good, but its simply a crap channel. It feels more like trash tv, they had some show on before where they showed CCTV footage of people being drunk or fighting. Similar to the crap shown on skyone.

Pat Gleeson

The vast majority of channels nowadays - to a greater or lesser extent - do the same thing: serve the lowest common denominator.

Sam Russell

I do not think TV3 has any excuse for the low quality, poorly produced, badly scripted, cheap programmes that they produce themselves or have independant production companies cobble together for them. They are appalling by even the lowest standards. If D'Unbeleivables did a skit on a TV channels, it would resemble TV3, but not be quite as bad. Atl least they would have some humour incorporated into the script.

It is a blessing for those in 3 channel land that they cannot receive it. TV3 comes across as pursuing the same audience that the worst of the British red-top tabloids pursue. More comic than funny.

Koloman

Sam Russell wrote: »

I do not think TV3 has any excuse for the low quality, poorly produced, badly scripted, cheap programmes that they produce themselves

Let's see now...

"low quality", like the IFTA winning TV3 News?

"poorly produced", like the IFTA winning The Apprentice?

"badly scripted", erm,,,, TV3 don't produce much drama the last time I looked!

"cheap programmes", Well they got rid of Play TV so give them some credit!

TV3 are not the BBC by any stretch of the imagination, but to have the same old tired clichés about a channel which has steadily improved (far too slowly I admit) over the years is beginning to sound a bit jaded, surely?

Sam Russell

Koloman wrote: »

Let's see now...

"low quality", like the IFTA winning TV3 News?

IFTA is a mutual admiration society for the industry. Who puts on the show? The output from TV3 is best descibed as picture fuzzy, 4/3, with jerky, poorly edited, if edited at all, video.

"poorly produced", like the IFTA winning The Apprentice?

Just watch the programmes, and see how clunky they are. Did not the Apprentice win the accolade of 'Product placement' from the IBA complaints department recently? And did they not have to read the humiliating judgement on PLAYTV twice because they left out the bad words?

"badly scripted", erm,,,, TV3 don't produce much drama the last time I looked!

The scripts are on the autocue. They do not speak unless it is written down. Just listen to the stumbles.

"cheap programmes", Well they got rid of Play TV so give them some credit!

Watch Exposed and Midlife, both aimed at females of varing ages, but definitely not males. Look at the sets, Exposed has a backdrop of plasma screens running a succession of letters spelling the name of the programme. Very inventive.

TV3 are not the BBC by any stretch of the imagination, but to have the same old tired clichés about a channel which has steadily improved (far too slowly I admit) over the years is beginning to sound a bit jaded, surely?

It is not even TG4. Or RTE2. It has a schedule that is largely sourced from ITV and a few BBC programmes, and lots and lots of cheap US programmes. Oh, and a few home produced, talking head to camara with archive footage documentary type programmes. Nothing current, no drama, nothing investigative.

And the thing I hate the most is the jumping zoom/focus and swinging camara shots that they seem to have as a house style. It adds interest to a booring bit of footage. "Don't bother editing, just show it" approach to production. That is what I call cheap. Do they actually have editing facilities?

The are improving, but they have a long way to go. A very long way to go.

Elmo

Koloman wrote: »

"low quality", like the IFTA winning TV3 News?

The 2 other nominees were City Channel News (Quality???) and Newsline which had won each of the previous years. TV3 boycotted the IFTAs in 2009, in other words throw a hissy fit and we'll throw an award your way.

"poorly produced", like the IFTA winning The Apprentice?

Yeah you are right it is poorly produced http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055848777, fortunately it is a good format.

"badly scripted", erm,,,, TV3 don't produce much drama the last time I looked!

No they don't and that is the point.

"cheap programmes", Well they got rid of Play TV so give them some credit!

After how many complaints were upheld by the BAI? and after a bill brought into to insure people aren't cheated out of Premium rate phone ins. There response to the axing of Play TV was to whitewash it with the awards that it received at the IFTAs and to state that viewing figures for the show had declined. If they had apologized fine but they didn't, they have even suggested that they may bring an "interactive" series back to the channel.

TV3 are not the BBC by any stretch of the imagination, but to have the same old tired clichés about a channel which has steadily improved (far too slowly I admit) over the years is beginning to sound a bit jaded, surely?

TV3 has not improved. It still relies heavily on ITV imports and its 30% of Irish programming comes from cheap in-house productions, with one or to proper prime time shows thrown in such as The Apprentice and a few Co-funded Licence Fee documentaries and dramas. The rest are often just spinets of Entertainment news from expose, with "outrageous" news rehashes like the "hard hitting" Lawless Ireland.

Sam Russell

The biggest joke about TV3 was their supposed sueing of the RTE Guide for juxtaposing the schedule of UTV and TV3 last St Stephen's Day. As if anyone would have noticed. As if anyone cared. And as if any court could hold a staight face during the case. They were both fully sourced from ITV, with little or nothing of their own.

Over any week, UTV and TV3 share 90% of the same stuff. Both rubbish, IMO.

Sam Russell

I see in todays Irish Times, refunds are to be made to punters ripped off by Play TV's unfair games.



Viewers of 'unfair' TV quiz to get refunds on premium call rate




PAUL CULLEN Consumer Affairs Correspondent


VIEWERS OF TV3’s controversial Play TV quiz programme are to receive refunds totalling €47,000 after it was found they had racked up premium-rate phone charges without a fair chance to win.
The refunds will go to viewers of two programmes broadcast in December found to contain unfair and misleading questions.
The Broadcasting Authority has upheld more than 30 complaints against Play TV but the latest ruling comes from RegTel, which has responsibility for regulating premium-rate phone services used by television programmes.
TV3 axed the show, in which viewers answered general knowledge questions by ringing a premium-rate number, last March, saying the audience had fallen off.
All callers to the show were charged €1.50 a call, more for ringing from a mobile, but only a few got to take part in the quiz. Television shows using such numbers require authorisation from RegTel, which then monitors compliance with a code of conduct.
Yesterday, it said Play TV did not operate within the terms of the authorisation it received in May 2009. Two programmes were investigated and found to contain misleading and unfair questions.
In one programme, a “matchsticks competition” mixed mathematical symbols, making a unique correct answer impossible, according to the regulator. It ordered the refund of almost €36,000 spent by viewers on this programme. Separately, the “legs on the bus competition” broadcast on Christmas Eve did not have one unique answer, it was found.
This accounted for another €11,000 in refunds. RegTel imposed an administrative charge of more than €2,000.
The refunds will be made by Phonovation, an Irish company which provided the premium-rate services. TV3, which broadcast the programmes made by Telemedia-interacTV of Hungary, said the ruling had nothing to do with it financially.
Last January, the Broadcasting Authority found Play TV had engaged in “misleading and unfair” practices, criticism rejected at the time by TV3.
Under new legislation, television stations and service providers will have to apply to communications regulator ComReg for a licence to broadcast competitions or to run phone-in contests.
ComReg will take over responsibility for the monitoring of premium rate services from next July.



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0506/1224269791870.html

ApplefyMe

MarkK wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0305/breaking70.html

"(TV3) said that while it had initially proved to be very popular with viewers, numbers had declined recently. "

In other words people finally got wise to the scam.

About time