Campaign for BBC3, 4, News 24 and BBC Radio in Ireland.

byte

Originally posted by carrolls
The third option (UK Top 40) is quite cool.
Better than Dave Fanning's 2tv ever was.

The third option is indeed good but definitely not as good as sarky Dave's 2TV. It was great. Anyway, it was on Sundays. (what was the name of the woman who was in 2tv alongside Dave whom he constantly winded up.):rolleyes:

Gadgie

Originally posted by irishbyte
what was the name of the woman who was in 2tv alongside Dave whom he constantly winded up. :rolleyes:

Bianca Luyxx?

Glenn

carrolls

Nearly right.
Her name is Bianca Luykx, the girl who used to let it all hang out and cause Fanning to get tongue tied and speechless.

PacMan

Hi Guys,
Been away at sea for four months, finally got to check back on the site today..... (In Istanbul now)
Still no UTV and Channel 4 ????
My goodness ...
Wait until I arrive back in Tipperary in August. The e-mails will be sent fast to those "Lovely" people at BBC and Sky.....

Charles, well done on your letter being published in the Herald!

Keep up the campaign ....... and well done on this thread !

carrolls

Welcome back Pacman.
What was the content of Charles letter?
I never read the Herald.

byte

Originally posted by Glennus


Bianca Luyxx?

Glenn

That's the lass!

Pity 2tv is gone Twas a lot better than top30hits!

Charles Slane

Originally posted by carrolls
Welcome back Pacman.
What was the content of Charles letter?
I never read the Herald.

The content was as follows -

"Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my disatisfaction with Sky's Irish digital service.

Irish subscribers are paying more than their UK counterparts for an inferior service.

We don't have access to the interactive services of Big Brother, the World Cup or Wimbledon. Nor can we receive ITV, Channel 4, BBC Choice or BBC 4.

If Sky want to extend their subscriber base in Ireland, it would help if their Irish service was on a par with their UK offering.

Yours faithfully,

C. Slane"

I sent it to the following addresses -


sunday.letters@unison.independent.ie <sunday.letters@unison.independent.ie>

herald.letters@unison.independent.ie <herald.letters@unison.independent.ie>

independent.letters@unison.independent.ie <independent.letters@unison.independent.ie>

independent.letters@independent.ie <independent.letters@independent.ie>

info@irelandonsunday.iol.ie
<info@irelandonsunday.iol.ie>

exam_letters@examiner.ie
<exam_letters@examiner.ie>

editor@sbpost.ie
<editor@sbpost.ie>

lettersed@irish-times.ie
<lettersed@irish-times.ie>

echo.letters@cork-echo.ie
<echo.letters@cork-echo.ie>

echo.letters@limerick-echo.ie
<echo.letters@limerick-echo.ie>

The Herald was the only one to publish it as far as I'm aware ( I didn't check them all).

It may be worth sending them some more e-mails, particularly as Sky are now saying that the latest increase is due to the arrival of the Irish channels and BBC1 and 2.

Does no one remember that the provision of the Beebs was also blamed for the last increase ?

How many times are we going to have to pay extra for them, and still get only half of their service ?

Brian OD

The Herald was the only one to publish it as far as I'm aware

Nobody else published it, I suggest, because your statements are inaccurate!

Irish subscribers are paying more than their UK counterparts for an inferior service.

Not quite. We get more channels for our money...the Irish terrestrials and BBC1 & 2. We lack Sky's interactive services (but have no right to World Cup or Wimbledon interactive because they are BBC services) and these have been promised for later in the year. I agree we were treated shabbily over BB interactive, especially as E4 is now also funded by Irish advertising.

Nor can we receive ITV, Channel 4, BBC Choice or BBC 4.

Sky subscribers in the UK do not get these channels as part of their subscription, why in the name of goodness do you think WE have any right to them?!

If Sky want to extend their subscriber base in Ireland, it would help if their Irish service was on a par with their UK offering.

We have a better channel-choice!

Charles Slane

Originally posted by Brian OD
We have a better channel-choice!

I'm not quite sure what you mean, Brian. Are you suggesting that BBC Choice, BBC 4, BBC News 24, BBC Radios 1 to 6, ITV2, CBeebies, CBBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 etc are NOT available to subscribers of Sky in the UK ?

Or do you mean that as they're not part of the subscription, they're not part of the package.

It's a moot point really. It depends on whether you're talking about Sky as a channel carrier or a subscriber service. I don't understand how you can say we have a better channel-choice.

Anybody else want to help clarify my inaccuracies ?

Brian OD

Sky subscribers in the UK do not get these channels as part of their subscription

What part of that don't you understand Charles:)

As your whole point of issue with Sky is what we get for our subscription compared to what they get...

Quoting you now...

Irish subscribers are paying more than their UK counterparts for an inferior service.

...that is what i was replying to.

The channels are not part of their subsciption. Sky subscribers, like everyone else in the UK, are entitled to receive these channels as licence-payers and by the sheer fact that they live in the broadcast area.

Although ITV2 is part of their subscription packages, again, we are not entitled to receive it - in the same way as people in the north and in Britain are not entitled to receive RTÉ and TV3, which we do get for our sub, along with BBC1 & 2, making our channel package a better one for our fee. If ITV and Channel 4, plus the others you mention are added to our package, we will be asked to pay yet more for them.

As mentioned in another thread Charles, if you really had a valid point, don't you think it would have been used and battered to death by a hungry Sky-bashing media during all the recent coverage about price hikes and Irish footie?

DMC

It would get lost in the current climate.

If Sky are going to increase prices in September, like what was mentioned on a previous thread, there'd be 230k subscribers cheesed off, more so than about the football deal.

One other point. Now that British Digital Terrestrial will be relaunched as a FTA service, the control of boxes will be harder to do than before, as it was subscription based. If the signal improves, as is promised, there would be a lot of folk taking up that. All the BBC services will be available there too. We'd be looking at the 1950's all over again, with boxes heading south.

And as we dont know for sure, how many Sky FTA boxes are over here. If Sky knew the exact number, think of all that revenue they are missing out on, because we are not getting the full picture.

If Sky took more care of their publicity and marketing, folk over here wouldn't realise that there are channels missing, regardless if they are BBC or ITV or whatever.

Damo. (Live from Killarney )

Charles Slane

Originally posted by Brian OD

As your whole point of issue with Sky is what we get for our subscription compared to what they get...

Thanks for clarifying Brian, and I must agree that the e-mail that I sent to the papers did only come at the whole thing from the "subscription for channels" issue, but in truth I'd prefer not to have to pay a subscription for them at all

I wish that the Irish channels were free to view in Ireland as the UK channels are over there, but as RTE and TV3 don't pay to be on Sky, we end up paying more to Sky in our subscription.

Despite the finer points of what we get for our subscription money, you can't deny that a viewer in the UK using the Sky system either with or without any subscription, gets more channels than a viewer in Ireland.

Without wanting to sound pedantic (because there's nothing more boring), it's a fact that Sky have more channels on their EPG (and it is their EPG) in the UK than they do in Ireland.

jonny1976

Whya should the BBC be made fully available on SKY in the Republic?We pay a license fee here in the UK and do not have rights to broadcast to the Republic anyway.If you want to get our channels there then you should pay afee also!!!!You just want to get our terrestrial channels because they are much superior to yours.If you can now get BBC 1 and BBC 2 there then I think we should be able to get RTE here but thet won't allow us!!And don't say you pay a subscription to SKY for the channels as we all know that that is an entirely different payment.We pay SKY and our licence fee here.

YOU WANT UK CHANNELS THEN PAY FOR THEM!!!!!

Brian OD

Without wanting to sound pedantic (because there's nothing more boring), it's a fact that Sky have more channels on their EPG (and it is their EPG) in the UK than they do in Ireland.

I'll try not to sound pedantic either but....channels pay to be on the Sky EPG, Sky don't just offer it for nothing. Again, all this blaming Sky is coming at it from the wrong angle. If you want the UK terrestrials, it is the channels themselves you need to target and attack, not Sky, who would dearly love to offer them here.

And the chances of them being for free are about the same as RTÉ producing some decent comedy.

Richard

Originally posted by jonny1976
Whya should the BBC be made fully available on SKY in the Republic?We pay a license fee here in the UK and do not have rights to broadcast to the Republic anyway. If you want to get our channels there then you should pay a fee also!!!!

Just hold on a minute. Sky Subscribers in ROI do pay for BBC ONE/TWO in their subscription fee. I should know - I'm one of them! We don't pay as much as UK licence fee payers, but then we don't get the radio channels or the extra BBC channels, and the programmes we do get are not specifically targeted to the Republic.

I think a solution could be to merge the UK and Irish main channels so that there would effectively be a ROI region of both BBC and ITV. This is probably a non-starter however, as many Irish people (including quite a few on this board, I presume), would not want to see the death of theit national stations - which is understandable.

Having said that, a TV3/ITV merger is not that unlikely given Granada's involvement with TV3.

But as things presently stand there are certain difficulties over reception of UK channels in ROI and it is legitimate for people to campaign to make things more widely available.

You just want to get our terrestrial channels because they are much superior to yours.

I happen to think that UK rerrestrial channels are superior to the Irish ones - but then I'm biased, having grown up with only the UK channels and no RTE. And I like to be able to watch BBC NI to find out what is happening at home.

But there are many who prefer Irish Channel to the UK ones, especially because many imported programmes are shown in Ireland first - ever before their showing on Sky One.

If you can now get BBC 1 and BBC 2 there then I think we should be able to get RTE here but thet won't allow us!!

If UK viewers want to watch RTE then they should be able to, but UK broadcasters are a lot more worried about letting RTE more widely into the UK where it can take market share so they are flatly refusing. They are even unwilling at present to let RTE into Northern Ireland even though much of it has been receiving "overspill" transmissions for years. If the Irish Broadcasters/Government stopped UK TV reception in ROI there woiuld be uproar.

And don't say you pay a subscription to SKY for the channels as we all know that that is an entirely different payment.We pay SKY and our licence fee here.

As I have explained above, BBC 1/2, the only two BBC Channels on Sky in ROI are paid for by subscription. Compare the Family Pack figures and you'll see ROI viewers pay more. And ROI residents pay a licence fee too - to RTE!

YOU WANT UK CHANNELS THEN PAY FOR THEM!!!!!

Absolutely - but you really don't need to be so agressive about the whole thing. Don't Shout!



Mod edit: No text edited, just tidyed the

business

DMC

Oh I think the point has been well and truely missed ....

Richard is totally right in what he has said, and I'll come to the point of merging..

It won't happen, RTÉ in a way is inferior to the BBC, but only because the size of the audience it has to serve and the amount of money each get.

Growing up with the BBC and the other UK terrestrail has spoilt us, no doubt. We pay to watch BBC 1 and BBC 2 via cable, MMDS or satellite, But like a lot of others here, I would not have a problem paying more for the extra BBC digital services

carrolls

And don't say you pay a subscription to SKY for the channels as we all know that that is an entirely different payment.

How many times has it to be explained to the likes of "jonny1976"
that Southern Irish subscribers pay a BBC toll concatenated
to the Sky Subscription fee to obtain BBC 1 and BBC 2, whereas UK subscribers have no such concatenated fee. (Because they supposedly have a UK License.) Surely the concept is not that hard to grasp.
Jonny1976, next time you post stay off the silly pills.
By the way RTE compares very favourably with BBC in a lot of areas.

jonny1976

That just shows your ignorance Carolls. Why are you bringing my IQ into things? I'm actually a university lecturer in Belfast with 2BSc Degrees,an MSc Degree and a PhD. Not that that has anything to do with satellite television but you obviously think it does.Maybe there are issues with your IQ?

carrolls

YOU WANT UK CHANNELS THEN PAY FOR THEM

Also don't shout.

DMC

Whoa, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

How many times, carrolls? Too many times, but newbies come along, and if it has been discussed to death (like this one has) we kindly refer them to the times when we have discussed this. Incidentally, IIRC, its in this thread.

jonny1976, have a look back in this thread, and see where we have discussed this earlier. It's common enough here on the boards. And please don't shout. It makes mods very emotional.

carrolls, no need to go around slapping newbies with a wet fish about this, all newbies are welcome and don't have the time to go through the threads, but us established forum members can show them old thread and put them in the right direction. Richard did this very eloquently already.

Charles Slane

Originally posted by Brian OD
If you want the UK terrestrials, it is the channels themselves you need to target and attack, not Sky, who would dearly love to offer them here.

Hi Brian,

I agree totally, and we have petitioned the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 etc through this thread (the evidence is in the preceding pages, but there are so many now that it's time-consuming to find it).

As regards the later posts, there's always been issues surrounding Ireland receiving UK channels and vice-versa, but as far as I'm concerned I'd love to be able to get all UK terrestrials, and equally that UK viewers could get all Irish channels.

Of course there are rights issues/license fee issues, but let's be idealistic about it and aim for access for all. What have we got to lose ?

This is a great forum to discuss these issues, and generally contributors are kind, informative and supportive - let's keep it this way.

robert muldoon

I keep hearing about "rights issues" for ITV, Channel 4
Could someone please give me an update as to who, at this stage, is talking to whom, in relation of UTV coming on the Sky platform in ROI, the whole affair seems to have gone strangely quite

Originally posted by Charles Slane
Hi Brian,
I agree totally, and we have petitioned the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 etc through this thread (the evidence is in the preceding pages, but there are so many now that it's time-consuming to find it).

Paradoxically, though, all those e-mails to ITV played a part in speeding up the blocking of viewing ITV via "other channels" with ROI cards.
mm

Charles Slane

In my own defence, I didn't e-mail ITV/UTV until after they had encoded. I was perfectly happy to access ITV through "Other Channels" and was even happier to have a choice of any ITV station other than UTV.

sorry, Charles,I was not critisising you
My post was in frustration really.
In truth a lot of e-mails made their way to ITV prior to the blocking.
Whether it speeded up their blocking, we will never know.
Somewhere in the preceding pages I blamed De velara...
I stand by that:D
mm

Mossy Monk

how many people are receiving ITV and Channel 4 without paying them a cent while also having Sky. lots of people. it amazes me that they will be happy to allow people watch for nothing rather than getting something in return. i thought commercial channels are in the business of making money . let's hope that they'll be on board by Christmas as mentioned else where on this board

Tarabuses

The reason you can receive them is because there is no way of stopping the analogue signal. Unfortunately Digital is only too easy to switch off.

carrolls

Somewhere in the preceding pages I blamed De velara

Eamonn or Sile?
I blame Eamonn:D

ShaneOC

Originally posted by Tarabuses
The reason you can receive them is because there is no way of stopping the analogue signal. Unfortunately Digital is only too easy to switch off.

I think that Mossy was referring to the increasing number of people with FTV cards.

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by ShaneOC


I think that Mossy was referring to the increasing number of people with FTV cards.

yes i was but analogue reception could also be brought into this. 14:9 (4:3 for those on deflectors) vs. 16:9 widescreen and no chance of ****e reception. no contest IMO