RTÉ DG's speech at the Belfast Media Festival

The Cush

Noel Curran was invited to give the speech in Belfast today.

The following points from the speech

- Before the end of the year we will launch an international premium RTÉ Player service, bringing additional content to international audiences on a subscription basis.
- Building on the growth of audiences for RTÉ television services in Northern Ireland since digital switchover, in the next year we plan to offer Northern Ireland advertisers opt-out advertising opportunities on RTÉ’s TV services here.
- We are also looking at launching a TV service into Britain, also with localised advertising. This would also improve our overall offering to the Irish community in Britain, an important responsibility we have, while also enabling us to generate some additional advertising revenues. (RTÉ Ireland from the 5yr strategy)

RTÉ are also looking at charging Sky and UPC retransmission fees for its channels

We have been considering this issue in an Irish context for some time.

Over the past six months RTÉ has conducted detailed research to understand much more clearly who creates value for whom in the relationship between Irish terrestrial broadcasters and the major Pay-TV platforms operating in Ireland.

Working with us, later this month Mediatique, a UK based consultancy firm will complete a comprehensive report on the value to Pay TV operators in Ireland of having access to Irish free-to-air services. While the report isn’t complete yet, much like in Britain, the analysis is telling us that the financial benefits of the relationship are currently completely imbalanced in favour of the Pay-TV operators.

Unlike the US or the UK, in Ireland this imbalance causes a particular difficulty because it results in huge amounts of potential investment for Irish programming and content leaving the country. This is an issue that Irish broadcasters need to work together on.

We believe it is absolutely in the interests of Irish broadcasters, the broader Irish television production sector, and most importantly Irish audiences that the Government and regulator look closely at the legislation that underpins the current imbalance.

We will be making the case clearly to Government in the coming months.

https://static.rasset.ie/documents/about/rts-belfast-speech-7-november.pdf

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/media-and-marketing/rt%C3%A9-considering-tv-service-in-britain-1.1992474

Longwave Listener

No mention of the alleged big Longwave backlash ?

Antenna

The Cush wrote: »

- Building on the growth of audiences for RTÉ television services in Northern Ireland since digital switchover, in the next year we plan to offer Northern Ireland advertisers opt-out advertising opportunities on RTÉ’s TV services here.

What percentage of NI RTE viewers are receiving it via terrestrial transmitters south of the border (Clermont Carn, Truskmore ..)? It is not going to be technically possible to provide opt-out advertising on those.

The Cush

Antenna wrote: »

What percentage of NI RTE viewers are receiving it via terrestrial transmitters south of the border (Clermont Carn, Truskmore ..)?

Officially, approx 56% of the population are within coverage. (NImux approx. 78%)

Antenna wrote: »

It is not going to be technically possible to provide opt-out advertising on those.

That's correct, they're probably referring to the channels carried on the NImux and cable.

Elmo

OfCom did some stats recently on viewing figures, 25% watch the 4 Irish channels daily. Last time RTÉ where on barb they had 30,000 viewers watching across RTÉ ONE and 2 (Top 10).

But lets just remember that RTÉ have said this on so many other occasions in the past, why does he think it will happen now and why do we think he'll deliver?

The Cush

Article on the speech in the Sunday Times

Main points
- RTÉ is targeting up to €6m in advertising revenue from NI
- RTÉ is negotiating various regulatory hurdles so it can offer "opt-out" services in NI in late 2015
- UTV is the only broadcaster taking advertising for NI audiences. UTV's 2013 revenue was about €45m, RTÉ targeting a 15% share.

- The planned TV service for Britian would be a public service operation rather than a commercial venture.

- Retransmission fees from UPC/Sky could be worth several million euro.



Regarding retransmission fees, this from Sat's Irish Times

... research by Nera Economic Consulting (...) found the introduction of the “retransmission consent scheme” in the US in 1992 meant the television companies there had billions more to invest in programming – in 2013, US free-to-air broadcasters received about $3.3 billion in retransmission payments.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/media-and-marketing/rt%C3%A9-seeks-new-deal-on-transmission-fees-1.1992826

MarkK

The Cush wrote: »

Article on the speech in the Sunday Times
- UTV is the only broadcaster taking advertising for NI audiences. UTV's 2013 revenue was about €45m, RTÉ targeting a 15% share.

C4 and C5 both have NI advertising regions don't they?
Or is that not what they meant.

icdg

Channel 4 does and always has had. Couldn't tell you about C5?

The Cush

There's a Channel 5 Northern Ireland part-advertising region - http://about.channel5.com/sales/spot-advertising/macro-map

formerly scottish paddy

Elmo wrote: »

But lets just remember that RTÉ have said this on so many other occasions in the past, why does he think it will happen now and why do we think he'll deliver?

Ehhhh..........because there's money in it?

Rick_

Channel 5 now has 5 regions, the 5th being for NI. Channel 5 HD and Channel 5+1 are just the London feed.

Elmo

formerly scottish paddy wrote: »

Ehhhh..........because there's money in it?

They will need to have everyone on the same page. DCERN, the minister, TV3, TG4, the BAI and even then the minister will say that he has received the proposal and he is now consulting with blah blah blah and he will make a decision on it "SOON"..... though expect it to hapeen in the next government time in office, it won't be Minister White.