Applicants for television programme services contracts

icdg

Been up BCI.ie a while, but I haven't had time to do anything on it for ICDG...

http://www.bci.ie/exprtv.html

Main points:

TV3 has applied for contracts to operate three new stations, a youth, drama, and lifestyle channel.

WLR wants to continue its Waterford TV service. Several other ILRs have applied too for contracts.

The BCI's old "friend" Ger Madden is among a number of people who want to set up a music television channel. (The proprieter of Limerick 95FM, the only station ever to have their BCI contract terminated early)

A number of people want to provide local television channels for Dublin, most notably Sirus Broadcast Services who run NTL's Link Channel. Sirus are also backing Province 5 (didn't know they were still on the go).

Strangest application is from the Houses of the Oireachtas to provide a parliamentary television channel. Well as anyone whom has been to Lenister House knows, there is already a video feed (captions are even provided) for both Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann. All one needs to do is distribute it.

Jasper

Originally posted by icdg
Been up BCI.ie a while, but I haven't had time to do anything on it for ICDG...

http://www.bci.ie/exprtv.html

Main points:

TV3 has applied for contracts to operate three new stations

Oh dear! How about getting the first one right, before they embark on new ventures!

byte

How would TV3 go about broadcasting these channels? I'd assume they'd have to be digital-only as terrestrial analogue would be a no-go area. They'd be better handing RTE an extra few bob to sort out transmissions from some more terrestrial sub-stations.

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by irishbyte
They'd be better handing RTE an extra few bob to sort out transmissions from some more terrestrial sub-stations.

good point. TV3 around this area is useless without a masthead amp while RTÉ1, Network 2 and TG4 are perfect. even with the amp TV3 has a lot of ghosting

Elmo

I am assuming that these contracts are for cable only or satalite and not FTA, Therefore it is up to NTL etc. I they happy about this.

Also TV3 broadcast digitally themselfs and then changes to analogue, as far as i know.

icdg

You're right - the contracts are not for analogue terrestrial at all.

There are a number of types of contract on offer under the Broadcasting Act 2001 (Part V) :

"Cable / MMD Content Contract", "Local Content Contract", "Community Content Contract" - for cable / MMDS services.
"Digital Content Contract" - for DTT, cable, MMDS.
"Satellite Content Contract" - for satellite, cable, MMDS.

The wierd thing is that according to Section 34, TV3 did not need to apply for one of these contracts at all. It could have instead asked the Commission to merely amend the existing Television Programme Service Contract it holds for analogue. In addition, any service supplied by TV3 which is free-to-air is a must carry for Chorus Digital and NTL Digital.

father_ted9t9

TV3 is broadcast digitally to rte who concert it to analog for broadcast through their network