TV3, the way forward?

Round Cable

Well I sent an email to TV3 asking about showing Enterprise and widescreen. To my surprise I got a responce three days later. With RTE it took three months, it's quite clear that the licence fee does not go to customer services.

Thank you for your email. Please see below regarding Widescreen.
Regarding the sci fi titles you mentioned, I am afraid at this time there are no
plans to show them. Perhaps in the future.

Was this a joke

TV3 SWITCHES TO WIDESCREEN

TV3 is pleased to announce that it will commence widescreen broadcasting in
mid-2005. While the network has been capable of widescreen broadcasting since
its inception in 1998 it is only recently that the amount of available
widescreen programming has reached a level to make the service a consistent one
for the viewer.

This a further enhancement of TV3's services and a reflection of our firm
commitment to evolve with technological advances, which ultimately serve Irish
viewers.

TV3 will be available on widescreen on Digital Cable and Digital Satellite,
subject to arrangements being finalised with the digital platform operators.
TV3 will continue to be available in standard form on the analogue terrestrial
network and on analogue cable for the foreseeable future to facilitate viewers
with non-widescreen TV sets.

TV3 Director of Operations and Technology, Peter Ennis said: "We are delighted
to be able to make this change to provide an even better service to our viewers
and advertisers, so that the exciting and entertaining range of TV3 programming
will now look even better - and all at no cost to the taxpayer and viewer."


Well things for TV3 are looking up, for the first time in years I'm actually watching the channel, enjoying Tru Calling, Arrested Development and Popcorn. They have some good films coming up also, so I ask the question: Could TV3 be the future of Irish broadcasting? It's not costing us a penny, if TG4 ever get free of RTE, would Irish broadcasting be better off with the abolition of the licence fee and the death of RTE. People may call that crazy but if RTE 1 and RTE 2 were closed the programming rights to foreign programmes would fall dramatically, and TV3 and TG4 and perhaps others could better afford programming and a larger share of the audience.



On the matter of Irish digital terrestrial, the following is taken from TV3's website:

We are aware of reception difficulties in some parts of east and west Cork, western fringes of Kerry, Connemara, western Mayo and some parts of Donegal. The TV3 transmission network has been built from scratch over the last three years, and it currently covers more than 90% of the population. Unlike the RTE network this network is entirely funded by TV3, with no use of public money.

We very much wish to extend our coverage to as many viewers as possible and fully intend to do so when financially viable.

It is our intention to broadcast on the new Digital Terrestrial Transmission network, which is expected over the next few years replace the analogue networks currently in use by TV3, TG4 and RTE.

The enabling legislation was placed before the Dail last year, but has only just been adopted due to a number of outstanding issues which still remain to be resolved, not least the proper role of RTE in the commercial marketplace. This transmission network will serve areas not currently covered by the existing analogue network.

TV3 will be pressing for Digital Terrestrial services to be made available first to those areas not currently served, or partially served, by the existing network. The Digital rollout should be focused on the least served, followed by the best.


It seems that RTE are lagging behind, and dragging everyone else with them.

So the question for you, would you take just TV3 and TG4 and never pay the licence fee or are you happy with the state of Irish TV and are happy to pay it?

byte

How can the TV3 Transmission Network be built from scratch with their own money? They are using the RTE Network for transmission!

And also laughable is the part about DTT serving areas not covered by existing analogue network? How can this be? DTT signals would need to be outputted at very levels to achieve this, even if it is achieveable?

Elmo

Could TV3 be the future of Irish broadcasting?

Please God No. Just more of the same old same old.

Coro St, Emmers, Heartbeat, Im a celen etc. ITV shows.

Fine about the american shows, but lets face it TV3 aren't providing their aims.

TV3's aim is to tap the qualities of community pride, independence, creative talent, humor and determination that are a vital part of Irish society, and, in so doing, to bring to its audience a full representation of life in Ireland and of its interaction with the rest of the world.

So the question for you, would you take just TV3 and TG4 and never pay the licence fee or are you happy with the state of Irish TV and are happy to pay it?

No not until TV3 start to actually make programming for Prime Time prehaps even a Soap :eek: anything for prime time would be nice.

Some how I cann't see them ever show Star Trek.

icdg

Elmo wrote:

No not until TV3 start to actually make programming for Prime Time prehaps even a Soap :eek: anything for prime time would be nice.

Some how I cann't see them ever show Star Trek.

Well, they had some programming at the start... their version of 20/20 (although that was the ABC programme with Irish links and one story thrown in), and Messrs Tylak and Rooney. But I can't remember the last time I saw the TV3 logo on an endcap at prime time (well except for Watermelon, which was an ITV network commission and mostly made by Granada anyway).

As for Star Trek, well that has not been shown on Irish TV since about 1995. RTE got as far as the second season of Deep Space Nine then dropped it completely.

Genghis

TV3 is no model for Irish broadcasting. They are commercial, conservative and highest-conmmon denominator broadcasting of the worst kind. There is a place for them in four-channel Ireland, but imho a small country like Ireland needs RTE and TG4.

parasite

^^^ - lowest common denominator, surely?
anyway tv3 is the opposite of the way forward, it's a frightening warning of a possible future without a public service broadcaster :eek:

Genghis

parasite wrote:

^^^ - lowest common denominator, surely?
anyway tv3 is the opposite of the way forward, it's a frightening warning of a possible future without a public service broadcaster :eek:

Correct, lowest common denominator!

Round Cable

icdg wrote:

As for Star Trek, well that has not been shown on Irish TV since about 1995. RTE got as far as the second season of Deep Space Nine then dropped it completely.

Season 1 of Voyager was shown on Network 2 in 2000, at a horrible midnight Monday time.

About TV3, I'd love to see them have a stab at home programming, other than Ireland AM and the News, no doubt it's cheaper to import stuff than to make it.

jhegarty

i am sure i am going to be flamed for this but...


anyone who doesn't like tv3 can ask for their money back... would you like your €0.00 in for the form of a cheque or a swift kick to rear end...

meditraitor

Rte-public service braodcaster(rubbish) Tv3(rubbish)--- They could learn a thing or two from the BBC,ch4
Now thats how stations should be run, (i know there is a different scale on financial terms but that is always going to be rte s excuse as long as the mutts who run it now still have the backing of the the mutts in governemnt)

krinpit

RTE current affairs programmes are excellent. Prime Time, Questions and Answers and the News beat TV3's entire programming to a pulp.

parasite

jhegarty wrote:

i am sure i am going to be flamed for this but...


anyone who doesn't like tv3 can ask for their money back... would you like your €0.00 in for the form of a cheque or a swift kick to rear end...

we have a right to bitch about them, they were given a license by a public body on the basis that they create indigenous programming and contribute to Irish culture, not a license to print money

oconnorw

It is commercial tv at its worst. It is all imports nothing irish is produced.
Long live the BBC and RTE

weehamster

RTE is not that bad.

Having a motorised satellite, I can pick up TV from around the globe and I can tell you that RTE is far from rubbish when comparing to these channels. RTE is also far better that any US network TV station. It is a bit unfair to compare RTE to the likes of the BBC and CH4, which in my opinion are the best on the whole planet.

However to say that TV3 is the way forward, well, that just a joke. They show more american muck than Five and the rest of the programmes come from ITV, which in my opinion is the worst channel in the world just because they spend loads of money on shows and they all turn out to be very crap. Also how much home-grown stuff does TV3 actually make (that doesn’t include any sport)?

RTE is not perfect, but rubbish is a bit much.

---

While on the subject of RTE, I bumped into a friend who works in RTE technical. So here’s some answers to a couple of questions I bored him with that have been floating around.

RTE1,2,TV3 & TG4 will be available on Sky in the North at the end the end of February 05 as part of the family pack. This time was chosen as they would save them around €200K as many rights issues would be resolved by then (???)

RTE is going full widescreen in March 05 on digital platforms.

DTT and DAB Dublin trials are dead until the government coughs up the money (nothing new there)

SteM

weehamster wrote:

RTE is going full widescreen in March 05 on digital platforms.

Don't get me wrong, I hope it happens but I'd be shocked if this comes about by March next year. RTE don't seem to know the meaning of the word 'widescreen'.

Round Cable

weehamster wrote:

However to say that TV3 is the way forward, well, that just a joke.

RTE is going full widescreen in March 05 on digital platforms.

Well TV3 costs nothing to me, and I watch it more than RTE, so the way forward seems like a good choice of words.

In fairness to RTE, recently they seem to be showing more programmes in 'full widescreen' ie 16:9, and it would be welcome to see them going widescreen also.

Also next time you are talking to your friend at RTE, perhaps you could mention something about that abomination of a DOG on RTE 1/2, honestly, just flicking onto Network 2, how can children watch this???

Mossy Monk

Round Cable wrote:

how can children watch this???

how can adults watch it?

Elmo

Well TV3 costs nothing to me

Come on TV3 don't actually produce any TV for you.

I would be happy to say that TV3 is a success but in the last 7 years it hasn't produced anything of relevance for the Irish public. TV3 cannot continue to stand on already popular shows and then have us pat them on the back for a job well done. They haven't changed the face of Irish TV radically at all.

Over the last 7 years, Coro St, Fair City and The Late Late remain popular shows weather we like it or not. Emmerdale has been major success but then putting on before Coro St will do that for it, also it was very popluar on RTE during the day. Remember when Eastenders was on TV3 it was lucky to get 150,000 viewers now that RTE One has it gets up 450,000 viewers.

TV3 is just ITV Eire nothing more nothing less. It is happy to have a 15% share of the audience (it would prob be happy with only 10%) and it will do nothing of any substance to increase the 15% share of the audience. 20% would just be icing on the fat cash cake that is TV3. Canwest Received 8.6 MILLION Euro from TV3 in 2003.

The question is total unfair in the poll by the way.

I don't regard TV3 very well and the same goes for RTE however TV3 have yet to prove that RTE/Irish TV should not be public funded. Certainly ITV have proven that the licence is not needed by the BBC.

byte

Hmm, I think the BBC is much superior to ITV and usually seem to make good enough use of license fee. If they were a commercial network, I would imagine standards would drop.

Elmo

Yes I agree the BBC standards are far superior to ITV yet if ITV took on BBC standards they would not see a major reduction in viewers or advertising revenue nor would the BBC see a dramatic decrease in viewers if they started showing many of the shows shown on ITV.

ITV and the BBC compete equally for home sporting rights. If TV3 can compete for home sporting rights with RTE then fine the licence fee should be abolished.

ITV produce simlar strands of programming as the BBC. If TV3 can produce simlar strands of programming as RTE then fine the licence fee should be abolished.

Fine I don't expect TV3 to produce major TV series after major TV series but I expect them to produce something other then the News, Sports Tonight and Ireland AM. Even if they allowed The Political Show go out on Monday nights at 8 between Coro St. (I like Malcom to but it could be shows on Sundays).

Capt'n Midnight

Excluding current affairs and news and topical daytime programs, which can't be made abroad, compare TG4 and TV3. Continuity, original programming, foreign programming, Irish made productions etc. If you have a FTV card or other means of looking at regional variations in ITN then TV3 is almost totally overlapped by UTV/HTV/ITV2/ITV3 whereas TG4 shows stuff you just don't see anywhere else. TV3 is really only of value to those who don't live in multichannel land...