Christmas RTE Guide out too early

Pokemon Battle

The Christmas RTE Guide is out next week and covers listings from December 17 = December 30th, this is too early imo, why can't they do listings from December 24 = January 6 ? and I bet they'll make a mess of some of the listings as well.

colm_mcm

So you'll buy again the week after?

I'd say the majority only buy it as a tradition. Most people use EPGs to plan their viewing and only think hours rather than days/weeks ahead.

ziggyman17

As a kid I use to love when my Grandmother would buy the TV Times and BBC Radio Times at Christmas......... Flicking through the pages marking off what I wanted to watch and record on our VHS video recorder...

medoc

colm_mcm wrote: »

So you'll buy again the week after?

I'd say the majority only buy it as a tradition. Most people use EPGs to plan their viewing and only think hours rather than days/weeks ahead.

For sure. I only buy it for the Christmas edition and don't even use it fully. In this day and age of EPG's and HDD recorders it's a bit pointless. Still it's a Christmas tradition.

One issue I have with the Irish channels is when schedules change they don't update the EPG. The BBC can manage it at very short notice. So what chance has a printed guide. Some of the Irish papers even had the 7o clock show listed even days after the change to 6 o'clock on TV3

iseegirls

Way too early, and they should have went with 24th Dec-6th January.

I doubt there will be much films or changes in the listings between the 17th Dec - 23rd.

It just hasn't worked out well the way Christmas Day has fallen this year.

Anyone know if TV Now are the same? Sometimes they release 3 weeks of listings at Christmas.

FRIENDO

Its silly of RTE, traditionally the best movies are shown on Christmas day and New Year's day, when you buy a tv magazine at Christmas you expect it to cover these dates.

RTE are making a mistake, people may buy it this year, but will be annoyed on realizing it's not covering New Year's day and won't buy it for next Christmas.

iseegirls

FRIENDO wrote: »

Its silly of RTE, traditionally the best movies are shown on Christmas day and New Year's day, when you buy a tv magazine at Christmas you expect it to cover these dates.

RTE are making a mistake, people may buy it this year, but will be annoyed on realizing it's not covering New Year's day and won't buy it for next Christmas.

Exactly. They are missing 3 big days in terms of films and specials - New Years Eve, New Years Day and the Bank Holiday on the 2nd of January

ArmaniJeanss

BBCs Radio Times Christmas edition is the same, 17/12 to 30/12 listings.
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-02/whats-inside-the-legendary-radio-times-christmas-issue

FRIENDO

ArmaniJeanss wrote:

BBCs Radio Times Christmas edition is the same, 17/12 to 30/12 listings.

Thats also ridiculous

lertsnim

FRIENDO wrote: »

RTE are making a mistake, people may buy it this year, but will be annoyed on realizing it's not covering New Year's day and won't buy it for next Christmas.

People will buy it regardless. The amount of times I have bought it over the years and not looked through it more than once is ridiculous and I'm sure that's repeated elsewhere too.

ArmaniJeanss

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

BBCs Radio Times Christmas edition is the same, 17/12 to 30/12 listings.
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-02/whats-inside-the-legendary-radio-times-christmas-issue

Picked it up this morning,always preferred it as I dont watch rte much!

Digifriendly

FRIENDO wrote: »

Its silly of RTE, traditionally the best movies are shown on Christmas day and New Year's day, when you buy a tv magazine at Christmas you expect it to cover these dates.

RTE are making a mistake, people may buy it this year, but will be annoyed on realizing it's not covering New Year's day and won't buy it for next Christmas.

I tend to agree but doubt they will remember next year what this year's RTE Guide was like. Radio Times doesn't do New Years Day either unfortunately.

afatbollix

medoc wrote: »

For sure. I only buy it for the Christmas edition and don't even use it fully. In this day and age of EPG's and HDD recorders it's a bit pointless. Still it's a Christmas tradition.

One issue I have with the Irish channels is when schedules change they don't update the EPG. The BBC can manage it at very short notice. So what chance has a printed guide. Some of the Irish papers even had the 7o clock show listed even days after the change to 6 o'clock on TV3

Red bee/Ericson do the play out for BBC/ITV and channel 4 and they can do live changes to the EPG on sky so that is why they can do changes at the last second. You also have to pay for it so more than likely being cheap.

coylemj

Christmas Eve is a Saturday in 2016 and the Irish Times will have the full listing for the week, can't see any point in buying a TV listings magazine these days, especially when you can lookup the listings on a smartphone.

ArmaniJeanss

coylemj wrote: »

Christmas Eve is a Saturday in 2016 and the Irish Times will have the full listing for the week, can't see any point in buying a TV listings magazine these days, especially when you can lookup the listings on a smartphone.

Maybe I'm using smartphones and EPG wrong, but I find it far easier (roughly 27 times easier) to use a TV magazine to quickly scan all the listings at once when someone asks 'whats on next' at 11.30pm Christmas Day.

Sam Russell

I think the RTE Guide should have been a three week edition this year.

The main problem with the RTE Guide and other listings is they are geared towards Sky and other pay TV platforms and do not cater for Freesat/Saorview users. Particularly, they do not list the ITV channels (2,3,4) and the Ch4/Ch5 variations.

I think most journos and RTE employees have pay TV and are not aware of Freesat/Saorview at all.

My Freesat is set to London and the listings always give NI variations so many times I see NI opt outs listed rather than London programmes.

Overall, I think the listings are close to irrelevant.

FRIENDO

Sam Russell wrote:

The main problem with the RTE Guide and other listings is they are geared towards Sky and other pay TV platforms and do not cater for Freesat/Saorview users. Particularly, they do not list the ITV channels (2,3,4) and the Ch4/Ch5 variations.

Ye, I have also found the same, I would have to buy the RTE Guide along with an English magazine for full listings

I basically think the RTE Guide is aimed at Dublin UPC customers ( sorry upc/cablelink may be called something else now)

Think I'll just use the 7 day listings on the set top box's and both the Saorview & Freesat app's for recommendations.

The Parish priest

The Christmas RTE Guide has published incorrect listings for 2fm, do the radio times publish incorrect listings for BBC R1 ? My arse they do

reubenreuben

Pokemon Battle wrote: »

The Christmas RTE Guide is out next week and covers listings from December 17 = December 30th, this is too early imo, why can't they do listings from December 24 = January 6 ? and I bet they'll make a mess of some of the listings as well.

Not just RTE, the other guides were the same.