OFFICIAL RTE ANNOUNCEMENT RE: SKY DIGITAL

LegacyUser

RTE has just officially announced there are no plans to launch its TV services on the Sky Digital platform. The full text can be seen on Aertel page 530 on Network 2.

LegacyUser

get it here either....

http://www.rte.ie/aertel/aertelplus/P530.HTM

Cloud

Or for those who don't want to click :-)

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
RTE TV NOT AVAILABLE ON SKY DIGITAL

Recent media reports suggest that RTE
has plans to launch its RTE 1 and Net 2
services on Sky Digital's platform. It
has come to RTE's attention that agents
retailing digital satellite
subscriptions to Irish licence payers
have also made statements about the
imminent arrival of RTE services. This
is not the case and we wish to confirm
that RTE has no plans to launch its
services as part of the Sky Digital
satellite package. RTE cannot be
responsible for claims made without its
knowledge or approval.
</font>

DeVore

Who cares, I'm getting SD on FRiday with the full package.

12 film channels and interactivity moohhahahah

*cough*

DeVore.

Cloud

I'm afraid I can only afford the basic package but I still love what I have.

John.
--
DeV - Battle of the Planets on Bravo (124):
Sat / Sun 2 PM / 5 PM / 5.30 AM
Weekdays 6 PM / 5.30 AM
http://www.battleoftheplanets.net/

DeVore

O
M
G
!

DeV.

ps: the premium package is only 36 a month, which between myself and slosh seems eminently affordable...

LegacyUser

Shame to see that RTÉ think like this. Guess they will go throught the same rigmaroll that ITV went through making ITV available on ONdigital only, not SD. Then they lost advertising revenues plus the DTT platform is losing to Sky Digital so they had to bite their tongue and ITV will be on Sky D before end of year. Same will probably happen here. RTÉ will only be available on Irish DTT (and analogue of course) whenever it's rolled out. Irish DTT is a bit behind though as Sky have quite a big stronghold on ROI now. RTÉ will then lose advertising revenues and reconsider Dsat transmissions.

Wonder what TV3 plan to do considering its channel isn't quite as readily available as the 2 RTÉ's?

WILL

icdg

TV3 will probably be available on Sky Digital in the medium term. As for RTE, well they will eventually decide that not having 1/2 million people viewing their channels is not something they want to do. Commercial realities will hit them. Eventually. I've asked them about this at their public meetings (for the 2-3 minutes that they actually stop discussing why Arthur Murphy isn't on any more and discuss the Future of Broadcasting) and they usually start saying how they don't want Rupert Murdoch to control Irish broadcasting and want to encourage Irish people to buy Irish. But if people are voting with their feet and joining Sky they as a commercial service will have to make a decision to join too.

In the meantime, the only digital platform carrying RTE for the foreseeable future is digital cable/MMDS. And DTT if it ever appears...

LegacyUser

Ah yes,but of that 500,000[i assume that u are meaning that on avarage each subscriber has about 4 ppl living in his house the vast majority of them can still get RTE.And of adults,lets say,over 40, i know,most watch alot more analogue than digital.

LegacyUser

Yes, but also remember that the viewer profile of many who have Sky digital is the target market of many advertisers-relatively young/affluent families; sports viewers (a hard to reach lot otherwise!); more frequent/heavier viewers etc.
Also a factor that mnust concern them in time is the level of penetration achieved by Sky, and the fact that once a home has Sky, channels on its platform are more likely to be viewed. Non-viewers, or a significant decline in viewers will cause advertisers to make their feelings known...

LegacyUser

No messin but it's rte and well... Their cr@p, who gives a phuk if they don't join the sky digital package. I for one will be happy I don't have to flick pass the cr@p with the remote.

Thumbs up to rte bein cr@p

LegacyUser

Yeah pd,i NEVER watch RTE/Network2 anymore.Nor ITV.

icdg

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by The Gopher:
Ah yes,but of that 500,000[i assume that u are meaning that on avarage each subscriber has about 4 ppl living in his house the vast majority of them can still get RTE.And of adults,lets say,over 40, i know,most watch alot more analogue than digital.</font>

Fair enough now, but if we ever get to the stage where analogue switch-off occours (doubtful, but anyway), then RTE will have to

(A) Persuade every SkyDigital customer to also sign up to digital terrestrial/digital cable/MMDS.

(B) Go on SkyDigital.

The latter is much cheaper...

LegacyUser

And theyll have to make sure that all IDTVs imported are suitable for Irish DTT transmission technology cos there will be alot of ppl who wont want another box along with their skybox,video,games consoles,DVD etc etc

icdg

Yes, a fair point, since UK DTT iDTV's won't work here due to different standards for DTT - see Richard Logue's site (on the Links page) for details on this.

DSat iDTVs (there are a few) will work here however.

LegacyUser

And if UTV want to be recieveable down here they will have to use both UK and ROI DTT technology.As would BBC and Channel4.And if they dont itll mean that Irish DTT customers will have to buy a second box to recieve British channels[though i guess theres probably some legal catch to this ].Or alternatively they could get skydigital as all these channels will probably be on it by that stage.But then if RTE refuse to join sky itll mean more box buying!When they realise all this crap theyll have to go on sky.Nobody could be bothered with all that crap!

icdg

The BBC, UTV, and Channel 4 will be offically broadcast in ROI using Irish DTT technology by the multiplex operator here. DTT viewers will more than likely have to sign up to pay-TV channels to recieve them however, as indeed people with DSat currently do to recieve BBC ONE and BBC TWO. Off air direct reception of these channels from the UK (directly as opposed to deflectors) will become harder once Irish DTT launches.

However I agree that most people are unlikely to sign up to more than one digital platform for pay-TV. So all Irish and UK terrestrials should be on all three platforms.

[This message has been edited by icdg (edited 15-07-2001).]