BBC NI to geoblock news content to the Republic [MOD NOTE: Denied by BBC].

10000maniacs

Looks like they will be targeting Virgin and Eir as thats all they can target. Seems like a futile move when most people can get direct brodcasts over FTA.

If they are blocked, maybe now is the time for the cable operators to get the BBC London feeds. Some of the NI content is horrendous anyway on BBC.

Colum Eastwood writes to BBC NI over reports it may block news to viewers in the Republic

MOD NOTE:

The BBC have since denied this was ever under consideration.

Delta2113

I must say I was amazed when I discovered the case had been taken in the Republic. I had just assumed it was up the North.

I hope this comes to nothing as it would be ridiculous. Yes and I would love having BBC London. I miss BBC2 England on Virgin which was replaced with BBC2 Northern Ireland.

Charles Babbage

This is Ireland, we should have Irish content. If there is demand for London content then thst can be on a different channel. BBC news always has London content anyway.

afatbollix

This is in the Good Friday agreement, and I'd happily join the court case against them.

JVince

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511384#Comment_123511384

Can you show where it states that BBC news must be broadcast to the republic of Ireland?

I'll wager that you can't - primarily because it is not there.

Charles Babbage

Whether it is written down in the GFA or not, broadcasting NI current affairs content is clearly within the spirit of the agreement. The BBC need to stop acting the blx.

FrancieBrady

I suspect it is more of the chomping at the bit we saw around Brexit time. Scaremongering, in other words, about what they will do.

They have basically got to come to terms with the fact they were hoist by their own petard.

I think the most damage done by this whole thing is that it has shattered the myth among journalism (and particularly BBC journalism) that they are a profession of unimpeachable integrity and therefore should be allowed do what they want.

That bubble was unequivocally burst and the journalist fraternity don't like it.

michael-henry-mcivor

The BBC is still deciding today to appeal or not-( it's tax payers money after all-

Can't see them making any changes- apart from not slandering one of the leaders of the Irish resistance-

Infoanon

BBC NI have confirmed in the last few minutes that they have "No Intention " of blocking its news in the Irish Republic. An email has also been sent to all of the staff confirming this.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512180#Comment_123512180

The flames of that scaremonger were fanned by a few disgruntled NI journos.

icdg

Seems to be a non-story prompted by speculation arising from the outcome of a recent well-publicised defamation case. Presumably the thinking was that if the BBC wasn’t available it would be some sort of defence against any future such proceedings.

However even if they could have geoblocked cable platforms and the versions on the Sky RoI EPG they still would not have been able to block FTA satellite and given its penetration here I have my doubts blocking on cable only would have been a sufficient defence to a hypothetical future case.

Anyway, as I say, appears to be a non story. The article in the OP is paywalled, but here’s one from the horses mouth.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyg79x01pno

icdg

By the way, the only mention in the Good Friday Agreement of broadcasting concerned availability of what was then still TnaG in Northern Ireland. (Which was done).

michael-henry-mcivor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512227#Comment_123512227

Yes- read them- especially Sam's in the Belfast telegraph-

Should never be forgotten that during the 80s etc when innocent Catholics were murdered by the brit loyalists that certain sections of the media described those murders as Tit for Tat-

When brit soldiers were executed or RUC members I can't recall Tit for Tat being used for those deaths-

But for innocent Catholics- that's the hate there was and some of it still shows itself today-

PixelCrafter

I assume they make quite significant money on royalties for being officially carried on various platforms here, including Sky Ireland. They don't just get carried as overspill these days.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512945#Comment_123512945

Via those feeds certain programmes can be blocked eg some sports coverage on Channel 4, ITV. It could be done if they wanted to but seems like not going down that route.

PixelCrafter

Mostly these organisations carry libel / defamation insurance for scenarios like this too.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512811#Comment_123512811

As far as I know BBC I player is geoblocked in the Republic of Ireland.

Also BBC Radio 5 is sometimes geoblocked, especially the football commentary.

So much for "no intention".

Wasn't that in Berlin where "nobody had an intention to build a wall"…..?

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512980#Comment_123512980

iPlayer has been blocked in the Republic since the day it launched 18 years ago. Nothing to do with this story whatsoever.

likewise the blocking of certain Radio 5 programmes is to do with sports rights and has been happening for as long as it’s been streamed on the internet. News programming is not blocked. Again zilch to do with this story.

icdg

MOD NOTE:

The politics of Northern Ireland are off topic for this forum. Can I please ask that posts limit themselves to the broadcasting related issue (if there is one) here.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512999#Comment_123512999

Then the BBC statement is simply wrong or simply misleading.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyg79x01pno

"BBC Northern Ireland has "no intention" of blocking its news or other output in the Republic of Ireland, its director Adam Smyth has said in an email sent to staff."

"or other output" would be BBC Radio 5 or the BBC i Player in my understanding.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513221#Comment_123513221

In fairness to Smyth, he is really just saying the operation of the BBC's broadcasting will remain as it is, with some blocking due to legal/rights constraints.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513339#Comment_123513339

I would in general find it very hard to block the BBC TV in the Republic of Ireland.

Freesat is available in the whole of Ireland, in border regions one most likely will be able to pick up Freeview.

Apparently the British want to shut down Freeview on DVB-T2 at some point in the early 2030ies.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513404#Comment_123513404

That for operational/cost reasons though and not to insulate them from legal claims?
It's as you were as far as I can see and the BBC via Smyth is saying no change will happen in how they broadcast as a result of this case.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511717#Comment_123511717

Surely, in "acting the blx" the Beeb is merely following Ireland's greatest Peacemaker's inspirational example?

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513412#Comment_123513412

Yes, both the BBC as well as ITV, Channel 4 and 5 find the operational cost of DVB-T2 too expensive in the long run. The date they have in mind is 2034.

The operator is Arqiva and they would naturally like to continue for longer, like until 2040. It's a business to them, but an expense to the others.

It's expected that linear TV will be less and less in popularity and online streaming and on demand will be the future. Its possible that BBC as well as ITV, Channel 4 and 5 might consider streaming live 24 hours and all the other channels would be on demand only at some point? Existing TVs could be fitted with some kind of USB stick?

We don't know the future, - all specualtion and to a certain degree likely. Freesat would still cover the Republic of Ireland.

Fact only is that linear TV usage is going downhill every year and the cost vs audience reached won't go away.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513517#Comment_123513517

Yes. It’s a fast, very fast changing world.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513517#Comment_123513517

They can easily save money by not broadcasting both SD and HD versions of their service. I think that a basic set of channels should be broadcast, there many not be a need for all the minor channels.

tinytobe

The minor channels would most likely be some kind of an on demand or i player function.

BBC 1, 2, ITV, Ch4 and Ch5 could still be streamed 24 hrs online, like Sky News does these days already.

They could consider older users to be offered some kind of box or USB stick with some easy to use app / function to still continue watching.

Linear isn't dead, but it will be less and less. Only major events will make linear popular, like sports coverage.

Of course, if you're connecting via IoT you can geoblock and you could do that with any country or region, even the Republic of Ireland. Only those in the Republic who live very very close to the border and are able to connect to an IP address in the North would be able to access the British content.

Don't know the future of Freesat. There is no discussion or date set for any possible shutdown.

icdg

Freesat cannot be geoblocked, it exists as a knock on consequence of the BBC not wanting to pay Sky encryption fees any more.

As to how long it will last, there have been a number of threads in Satellite in which this issue has been touched on. The Astra satellites at 28.2 E are reaching end of life but SES has a history of squeezing a few more years out of them. It will be a case probably of how quickly Sky can move the majority of its customer base from satellite delivery to Stream/Glass, and once Sky are gone the business case for Freesat lessens considerably.

The OP is however a non story. It’s unclear apart from the report linked to in the OP (which was rewritten after the BBC issued the denial) as to where it actually came from. But what’s the worst that would have happened? If BBC NI really had decided to block NI local programmes in ROI, then cable providers would have switched to another BBC region (probably London or Wales) , and life would have continued and most viewers in ROI wouldn’t have noticed the difference until an Ulster GAA game not being broadcast on TV in the south was being shown and then there would be some complaints. But other than that life would have gone on. There’s no evidence even in the OP that all BBC channels would have been pulled in ROI and even if they had gone that far they would have still been available via Freesat.

Digifriendly

Interesting here in N. Ireland I have Sky Stream - RTE 1/2 as well as TG4 are unblocked including all live sports content. This is not the case with Sky Q which I had until I moved home just under a year ago.

10000maniacs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513666#Comment_123513666

The Irish News edited and changed the story contained within the link quite considerably about 12 hours after I posted the link.

It went from "BBC news being blocked to the Republic" to "BBC denies news will be blocked".

The OP is no longer what I originally posted.

Just making that fact crystal clear.