The ITV Thread

irishmusicfeed

So UTV Ireland is launching on January 01, 2015 with a proper launch of its schedule on January 5.... It's now November 10 and no advertising online, in magazine, newspapers, billboards etc for programmes and launch.

No news on whether it will be on Saorview... probably one of the worst channel launches in history?

Elmo

irishmusicfeed wrote: »

So UTV Ireland is launching on January 01, 2015 with a proper launch of its schedule on January 5.... It's now November 10 and no advertising online, in magazine, newspapers, billboards etc for programmes and launch.

No news on whether it will be on Saorview... probably one of the worst channel launches in history?

I think they are making a big announement at the beginning of December. But yes too low key even for a well known brand. Will a Re-tune be required for Saorview?

icdg

irishmusicfeed wrote: »

No news on whether it will be on Saorview... probably one of the worst channel launches in history?

Of all the hundreds of channel launches, in history, ever? Not a chance. It hasn't launched yet, so obviously it's very early to judge.

Even to be the worst in just the UK and Ireland alone, it would still have to beat:

RTÉ2 - played the wrong sound for first few minutes. And the announcer called it "Channel Two", which didn't bode well for the future.

ITV3 - Didn't secure Sky carriage until four hours before launch!

BT Sport - didn't secure UPC carriage until the day before launch.

ESPN - didn't secure UPC carriage until 11 days after launch

TV3 - played a god-awful 30 minute opening show that amounted to an extended promo.

Worst of all, BBC Two - suffered a power cut and had to postpone its launch till the following evening.

jca

Is it going to be on the sky epg?

Maysa07

Elmo wrote: »

I think they are making a big announement at the beginning of December. But yes too low key even for a well known brand. Will a Re-tune be required for Saorview?

Yes i believe so.

lertsnim

irishmusicfeed wrote: »

probably one of the worst channel launches in history?

Very dramatic.

jca

jca wrote: »

Is it going to be on the sky epg?

I hope so, I series link corrie and emmerdale so it better be!

Sam Russell

zorro2566 wrote: »

I hope so, I series link corrie and emmerdale so it better be!

Get a Freesat+ receiver and you will be sorted with no monthly bill.:)

h7nlrp2v0g5u48

With the Sky epg freeze over the Xmas I wonder will we see tests begin soon and maybe UTVI added to the Sky epg before the freeze.

natashaob6

natashaob6 wrote: »

With the Sky epg freeze over the Xmas I wonder will we see tests begin soon and maybe UTVI added to the Sky epg before the freeze.

If it goes on Sky,I wonder will it be in HD? Corrie and Emmerdale look good in HD!

Sam Russell

zorro2566 wrote: »

Corrie and Emmerdale look good in HD!

That is a matter of taste.

irishmusicfeed

I said probably ... and I was talking about the actual marketing for the channel not its actual launch whether it has no sound upon launch, or has a blank screen doesn't bother mein the slightest... saucer of milk anyone...

jca

natashaob6 wrote: »

With the Sky epg freeze over the Xmas I wonder will we see tests begin soon and maybe UTVI added to the Sky epg before the freeze.

What's a sky epg freeze?

Machinehead

jca wrote: »

What's a sky epg freeze?

No channel launches on the EPG till the Christmas period is over. EPG is frozen till then. They've been at this for years for some reason.

JDxtra

It's a change freeze. Key tech staff will be on holidays. Same thing for broadcasters. Making EPG changes has a small element of risk, so they want to avoid any issues - especially as it's Christmas and a peak viewing period. Makes sense in my opinion.

radiowaves

Sam Russell wrote: »

Get a Freesat+ receiver and you will be sorted with no monthly bill.:)

Strange post.

He'd also be missing tons of channels

Sam Russell

radiowaves wrote: »

Strange post.

He'd also be missing tons of channels

He said he wanted to series link Emerdale and Corrie. Well, he can do that with Freesat+ with no monthly bills. Poster never mentioned 'tons of channels'. If he gets Freesat, he will get the tons of channels that are availabe in the UK. If he has Sky, he can series link, but he says he wont be able to so presumably he does not have Sky. Also, Freesat has many channels not on Sky or not recordable on Sky for an Irish subsciber.

radiowaves

Sam Russell wrote: »

He said he wanted to series link Emerdale and Corrie. Well, he can do that with Freesat+ with no monthly bills. Poster never mentioned 'tons of channels'. If he gets Freesat, he will get the tons of channels that are availabe in the UK. If he has Sky, he can series link, but he says he wont be able to so presumably he does not have Sky. Also, Freesat has many channels not on Sky or not recordable on Sky for an Irish subsciber.

?

Did you even read the posts?

He does series link them.

zorro2566 wrote: »

I hope so, I series link corrie and emmerdale so it better be!

That was in response to a hope that it would be on the Sky EPG.

Strange he'd hope it'd be on Sky if he hadn't got Sky, no?

I have Sky + HD and I hope UTV Ireland will be on the Sky epg to enable series linking and recording for Corrie/Emmerdale because TV3 won't be showing them after December 31st. I sometimes watch them on ITV HD through the 'other channels' but since the card trick died I can't record them anymore with my Irish sub card!

mikeym

Tv3 will get their comeuppance

For years we've been denied UTV on the Sky Epg.

Sweet revenge.

dublinman1990

This is from UTV Irelands Twitter account from the last few days. Lucky that I had found these pics.

https://twitter.com/UTVIreland/status/530767354574409728/photo/1

https://twitter.com/UTVIreland/status/530388726158229504

galtee boy

The silence on carriage deals is deafening, never mind epg numbers. It would seem all is not well, with only 50 days to go. By early December UTVI should be running loop promos highlighting forthcoming programmes etc on all platforms, therefore I would have thought that testing would be up and running by now.

h7nlrp2v0g5u48

galtee boy wrote: »

The silence on carriage deals is deafening, never mind epg numbers. It would seem all is not well, with only 50 days to go. By early December UTVI should be running loop promos highlighting forthcoming programmes etc on all platforms, therefore I would have thought that testing would be up and running by now.

Yes I thought some announcement would have been made on platform deals and testing would begin shortly. Saorview were doing abit of tweaking yesterday. Most of the hidden test channels were showing RTE2 for awhile but have now gone back to test cards so maybe we might see a UTVI promo appear out of the blue.

watty

No testing needed.
AFAIK there is a platform deal in principle. Unlike TV3, UTV can read the published 2RN (formerly RTE NL) charges and see they are commercially normal. After all unlike TV3 here, they don't whinge about the Transmission charges up North (much smaller area).

They aren't going to waste money having publicity too early. No doubt their own Local Radio here will mention it.

channelsurfer2

its time enough. They dont actually have the rights to broadcast anything until January1st so they will probably start a loop on Saorview in mid-december. Not sure about Sky but assume they have that sorted for launch also.

icdg

Their biggest problem re carriage may be UPC and the question of what will happen to UTV NI. That was one of the major reasons UTV pulled out of TV3 in the mid-1990s.

Here is some latest news

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/media-and-marketing/shares-in-utv-drop-by-6-7-as-revenue-growth-eases-1.1999249

http://www.independent.ie/business/media/utv-media-upbeat-on-irish-economy-on-higher-radio-sales-30741226.html

h7nlrp2v0g5u48

This from radiotoday.ie/2014/11/revenues-up-for-utv-radios-irish-radio-business/. Apologies if link doesn't work. It states that their studios are now ready and that they have commissioned new programmes.

I posted links to that news in my previous post!

Your one is ....

http://radiotoday.ie/2014/11/revenues-up-for-utv-radios-irish-radio-business/

h7nlrp2v0g5u48

zorro2566 wrote: »

I posted links to that news in my previous post!

Your one is ....

http://radiotoday.ie/2014/11/revenues-up-for-utv-radios-irish-radio-business/

sorry about that. I couln'd get the link to work. Thanks for posting the link.

icdg

There's pretty much nothing else UTV Ireland related in that statement other than that quote, unfortunately. Presumably there will be at least one major media event in the run up to Christmas - there will need to be advance listings for the Christmas TV guides which normally come out around the second week of December. Also I'd imagine that UTV NI will be relegated to the "Regional Variations" column as of 1 January.