Oireachtas TV

The Cush

fernrock wrote: »

Who wants to watch oireachtas tv anyway.

We should have the option to watch it.

The Cush

expectationlost wrote: »

Oireachtas Broadcast and Channel Manager (Assistant Principal Grade) in the Houses of the Oireachtas Service

job ad http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=29648&&CatID=120

I see Mark Mulqueen has departed his job as Head of Communications/Broadcasting/Information at the Oireachtas back in July for the University of Limerick.

In the discussions with Saorview on broadcasting the Oireachtas channel he appeared to have been the main point of contact as we can see from the published correspondence. Hopefully we'll see a change of policy with his departure.

The advertised position is currently held by Cait Hayes, I wonder if she's moving upwards or sideways with the departure of Mark Mulqueen.

lertsnim

fernrock wrote: »

Who wants to watch oireachtas tv anyway.

You would be surprised. I think it is absolute bull**** that many have to rely on a broadband stream to see what's happening in the Dáil.

brick man

Watching oireachteas report on RTE last night and Alex White told the seanad that he has sought legal advice regarding comregs pricing for saorview and hopes to have Oireachteas
TV on Saorview as soon as possible.

Sam Russell

brick man wrote: »

Watching oireachteas report on RTE last night and Alex White told the seanad that he has sought legal advice regarding comregs pricing for saorview and hopes to have Oireachteas
TV on Saorview as soon as possible.

That is a bit rich giving that the Government set the rules in the Broadcasting act, and that his Dept stands over the crazy restrictions on RTE allowing only two channels carry advertising while allowing TV3 extend the number of minutes advertising per hour. They are willing to pay Sky €250 k but not 2RN €500 k.

He must be getting it on the doorsteps.

The Cush

This is the discussion from the Seanad transcript. I'd be very surprised to see Oireachtas TV on Saorview this side of an election.

Seanad Éireann Debate
Wednesday, 7 October 2015

Broadcasting and Media in Ireland: Statements

Senator John Whelan: ... The Minister should instruct, or at least advise, RTE management that it is high time they provided space on the Saorview band to broadcast the Oireachtas TV channel. Under the provisions of the Broadcasting Act 2009, sections 125 and 126, RTE is obliged to do so. It is getting millions in what my colleague, Senator Mulcahy, refers to as a subsidy and yet it refuses to broadcast Oireachtas TV. It wants another €1 million from the Exchequer, the Government or the taxpayer before it will agree to do so. RTE cannot have it both ways. The Ceann Comhairle and the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission have engaged exhaustively with RTE and ComReg for four years now. I am of the view that the station has failed to live up to its public service broadcasting remit. There is a provision in the Act for the Minister to advise and direct RTE to do so.

Ironically, RTE went to the courts to seek permission to broadcast elements of debates in the Dáil. Those elements were already being broadcast constantly on the Oireachtas TV channel via the Oireachtas website, Sky, UPC and Eircom. While those three commercial channels broadcast Oireachtas TV, the State broadcaster, whose duty and responsibility it is to do so, continues to dodge the issue and refuses to broadcast it. It is time RTE lived up to its status as the State broadcaster. It must accede to our request and, if it does not, some intervention from the Minister will be timely.

Minister for Communications, Deputy Alex White: ... I have much sympathy for what Senator Whelan said about Oireachtas TV and Saorview, and others raised the point as well. There is a provision in section 130 of the Act which provides for the possibility of ministerial intervention. However, at the same time, there is a recent decision of ComReg in respect of regulating those kinds of tariffs under a European directive. There is a legal question as to the relationship between my power under the Act and that of ComReg to regulate the tariffs. I have been asked to address the issue and to intervene. I hope we will be able to resolve the matter quickly. We are taking legal advice as to whether the powers I have under the Act override the provisions that now arise in respect of the European directive or vice versa. Once we have that advice, we will be able to respond to the Senator and to the Ceann Comhairle of the other House. That is the position in relation to Saorview.

http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/seanad2015100700002?opendocument#CC00100

This is what Sen. John Whelan was told by RTÉ back in March at an Oireachtas Committee discussion with RTÉ (post #213)

Senator John Whelan: http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/committeetakes/TRJ2015032500002#N118

Mr. Kevin Bakhurst: On Oireachtas TV, I think Senator John Whelan was slightly unfair on RTE. I know this is a bone of contention. The Senator might shake his head as I shook mine when he was making the point but I think, as he is aware, the pricing on SAORVIEW is not a matter for RTE. We do not have the ability to give the platform to Oireachtas TV. RTE does not have the platform. SAORVIEW has statutes and they govern what people have to be charged to be on there. It is a regulated statute that RTE does not have a concession over. We have been trying, as part of the consortium that runs SAORVIEW, to bring down the cost, because we are big supporters of Oireachtas TV, and we would like to try to have it on SAORVIEW. The reason the cost has come down so far is because there have been other new entrants to SAOIRVIEW, such as UTV Ireland. The more broadcasters who are on there the greater the reduction for everyone who is one there because there is an overall cost of SAORVIEW which has to be divided up and there are statutes to govern that. It is not within the gift of RTE to give it for free. What we can do is try to build up a portfolio which brings the cost down as far as is possible and that is what we have done so far and what we will try to do in the future. We would very much like to see it on SAORVIEW.

Senator John Whelan: I am familiar with that point. However, if it is not resolved in reasonably due course I will propose that we change the law.

Mr. Kevin Bakhurst: That is an option

---

Ms Moya Doherty: One of the first questions I asked when I took up my role as chair of RTE is why Oireachtas TV was not on SAORIVEW and I was given a paper with everything that Mr. Bakhurst has outlined. I certainly know that the board and I, as chair, very much want Oireachtas TV on SAORVIEW. I have gone back several times to the Director General on that point but it is a legislative issue and the members of the committee are the legislators.

Deputy Timmy Dooley: That is very welcome because unfortunately the communications around this House about that decision, as the Senator has outlined, have shown RTE as the baddie on this one so I welcome the fact that Mr. Bakhurst and Ms Doherty have clarified that issue.

http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/committeetakes/TRJ2015032500002?opendocument#H00100

Sam Russell

It should be pointed out that if TV3, TG4, and UTVi all went HD, the cost of to te Oreachtas of OTV would drop substantially.

The BAI could insist that they all go HD.

Elmo

Deputy Timmy Dooley: That is very welcome because unfortunately the communications around this House about that decision, as the Senator has outlined, have shown RTE as the baddie on this one so I welcome the fact that Mr. Bakhurst and Ms Doherty have clarified that issue.

Not that a politician would want RTE to be made out to be the bad guy.

The IBI conference has only lead to this discussion in the Seanad. Pure lobbying. Everyone is making RTE out to be the bad guy, not the politicans who set up Oireachtas TV or continue to allow it on its current path.

Hotblack Desiato

The hyprocrisy from them is sickening, they are willing to pay a foreign pay-TV service 250k a year but want RTE to cut back on other programming to give OTV a free ride on Saorview. They must also be aware that anything that is seen to be a free giveaway on Saorview will have TV3 off to the High Court within milliseconds.

Sam Russell

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

The hyprocrisy from them is sickening, they are willing to pay a foreign pay-TV service 250k a year but want RTE to cut back on other programming to give OTV a free ride on Saorview. They must also be aware that anything that is seen to be a free giveaway on Saorview will have TV3 off to the High Court within milliseconds.

TV3 issue threats of legal action but rarely get as far as the high court - that would cost.

formerly scottish paddy

Sam Russell wrote: »

That is a bit rich giving that the Government set the rules in the Broadcasting act, and that his Dept stands over the crazy restrictions on RTE allowing only two channels carry advertising while allowing TV3 extend the number of minutes advertising per hour. They are willing to pay Sky €250 k but not 2RN €500 k.

Also how much money did the government put into setting up Saorview?
RTE (NL/2RN) had to borrow the millions that the Saorview network cost to build and have to repay that money, while everyone else wants a free ride on the system. :mad:

Sam Russell

The Government allocated €0 for Saorview. RTE (or 2RN) own the whole lot, but they are restricted by the BAI and ComReg as well as the Minister in every thing they do.

In the past, TV3 have been favoured in most decisions (they lost the UTVi ones) which has left us with 2 RTE channels not earning revenue and RTE 2 having to get Ministerial approval to stop having kids programmes without adverts while there is RTE Jr is showing the same programmes. No ads on RTE NN either which means there are no journos or programmes on it.

And they have the cheek to complain of not getting a free ride for OTV on Saorview while agreeing to pay a foreign company €250k a year to carry it on satellite behind a pay wall.

Beyond belief.

StreetLight

Sparks are apparently flying now:

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/dail-sparks-fly-over-oireachtas-coverage-on-tv-34118510.html

Sam Russell

I think the Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett is confused by the Free in the term Free to Air, and being a long term TD he expects everything to be free.

They make the rules - let them change them.

Hotblack Desiato

"The minister, who seems to have a soft sport for RTE, should now intervene to break the impasse and use his powers under the Act and direct RTE to provide a free-to-air platform on Saorview. Otherwise, RTE are most certainly abusing their monopoly hold over Saorview."


What would be abusing their monopoly would be charging some channels to use the service while giving one a free ride.

The Cush

The Cush wrote: »

The current contract is due to expire at the end of the year. It's currently held by Pi Communications Limited who were awarded a 3 year contract in Dec 2010 to manage, operate and maintain the technical facilities for the televising of the Oireachtas, the value of the contract was €3.2 million plus VAT (copy of contract). The previous 5 year contract was held by Windmill Lane Ltd.

Tender - https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=88664&B=&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders
Tender for consultancy in relation to the above contract - https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=88581&B=&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/PublicTenders

Full tender published 9th Oct, closes 9th Nov - https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=93396&B=&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:361434-2015:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

36 month contract with a 24 month renewal option, estimated cost €8m.

The Cush

No change

the Oireachtas is still in talks about getting its television channel on free-to-air platform Saorview, which is operated by RTÉ subsidiary 2rn.

“ RTÉ/2rn are seeking significant and in our view unsustainable carriage fees for the service,” says a spokeswoman.

“We are disappointed that this continues to be the case and we are working towards a solution which will be at least cost to the taxpayer.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/oireachtas-gets-fresh-with-seeforyourself-tweets-1.2435050

Elmo

The Cush wrote: »

No change

Funny just saw that.

As we know Minister insists TV3 HD on Saorview due to Virgin Media takeover, insists that TG4 HD on saorview will reduce cost of SD to Oireachtas and cost of HD to UTV Ireland.

Of course Oireachtas TV could provide an audio feed on Saorview at the very least.

Sam Russell

They set the rules through Comreg. They should change them if they do not like them. All it takes is a statuary instrument (SI). They could also change the definition of SD to mean 720 by 576 or 704 by 576.

They are prepared to pay a foreign supplier €250,000 a year for encrypted coverage by satellite. I think this is not just the money - it is anti RTE.

The Cush

Elmo wrote: »

As we know Minister insists TV3 HD on Saorview due to Virgin Media takeover,

Can you clarify this statement?

Elmo

The Cush wrote: »

Can you clarify this statement?

Sorry.

The Minister could insist that TV3 HD appear on Saorview when he makes a decision on the takeover of TV3 by Virgin Media, IMO CPCC should have made that a requirement of the takeover, as from a consumer point of view it puts TV3 HD purely in the hands of Virgin Media who could take it off Sky and as it currently does keeps it off a FTA platform thus reducing consumer choice.

ftakeith

http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2015/1119/746592-comreg/

saorview is catching up on virgin media tv

saorview should be the TV market leader like in the UK

RTE and the state made a mess of DSO

formerly scottish paddy

ftakeith wrote: »

RTE and the state made a mess of DSO

I don't think that is strictly true. Yes the government of the day kept going up the blind alley of a commercially run Pay DTT service only to have it fall apart each time. In the end RTE in the shape of 2RN had to step in, pick up the pieces and build a DTT network from scratch in order for this country to meet it's EU obligations in regard to ASO. The government then promptly sold off spectrum for the "digital dividend".

Elmo

formerly scottish paddy wrote: »

I don't think that is strictly true. Yes the government of the day kept going up the blind alley of a commercially run Pay DTT service only to have it fall apart each time. In the end RTE in the shape of 2RN had to step in, pick up the pieces and build a DTT network from scratch in order for this country to meet it's EU obligations in regard to ASO. The government then promptly sold off spectrum for the "digital dividend".

We could replay this argument. All stakeholders are to blame for DSO.

Successive governments and legislators not taking an interest.
TV3 really not wanting it or having anything to do with.
The Departments DSO campaign, it spent money on a campaign with no website and had to provide the website in house, it disappear the day after DSO and the campaign did little after that, a total waste of money for a badly driven campaign, which ran along side a completely different campaign from RTE for saorview.
The government's inability to consider at the very least setting up OTV with IFB TV as a shared broadcaster with IFB starting at 7pm and running until 1am (3 films per day), with OTV having the rest. At this stage both having the ablity to stand on their own.
TG4 HD why its only available as a trial on Virgin Media is just daft.
3 years for a decision on RTEjr
and the list goes on and on and on

Not to mention Irish TV broadcasters are loosing viewers at a rapid pace this year alone.

expectationlost

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/oireachtas-gets-fresh-with-seeforyourself-tweets-1.2435050 “

Meanwhile, the Oireachtas is still in talks about getting its television channel on free-to-air platform Saorview, which is operated by RTÉ subsidiary 2rn. RTÉ/2rn are seeking significant and in our view unsustainable carriage fees for the service,” says a spokeswoman.
“We are disappointed that this continues to be the case and we are working towards a solution which will be at least cost to the taxpayer.”

among a silly little article

Sam Russell

2RN are not seeking any fees from OTV that was not set down by Comreg. Comreg decided, presumably with the approval of the Dept, that 2RN would get €12m per year for running Saorview broadcasting system, and the costs would be distributed according to the bandwidth used. Unused bandwidth would be ignored. As a consequence of this, there are no free rides, mates rates, or any of that kind of thing.

The solution is simple - pay the agreed rates or change the rules set down by Comreg - simples.

By the way, it was RTE that built the network from their own resources. And it was the government that snaffled the proceeds of the sale of the spectrum. It was TV3 that threw their toys out of the pram when they were billed for transmission charges for Saorview. It was the Government that allowed a write off of €80 million of TV3 debts and a buy back of more of their debts at a discount. It is the Government that is paying Sky to be on satellite encrypted (and so behind a pay wall). And it is the Government that is trying to get a free ride on Saorview. It is clear there is an anti RTE bias in there somewhere.

And they have the temerity to blame RTE for this stand off. Only Irish politicians ....

Hotblack Desiato

Sam Russell wrote: »

It is clear there is an anti RTE bias in there somewhere.

Either that, or Hanlon's razor.

stereomatic

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Either that, or Hanlon's razor.

Either that or Occam's_razor

Johnboy1951

In whose power is it (should they wish) to drop offers of SD Saorview channels and insist that all Saorview TV channels must be HD? ..... I don't mean the content, but the 'space' sold.


Could 2RN do this?

Sam Russell

I think the first step is to go from 576 by 504 to 576 by 704 (or 576 by 720).

The whole signal side is governed by Comreg or the DCENR/Minister. A Statutory Instrument would probably do the job.