Saorview Updates - 2025

Saorview Information (29 and 30) have switched from MHEG5 screens to video this morning

Surely they could increase RTE One's bitrate instead of wasting the bandwidth on a screen with an email address on it

They’re still transmitting the MHEG stream too. My TV briefly displays the normal video but then flickers and changes to the MHEG version.

Can someone explain why they keep changing the test card , like is it a technical reason? Just curious

And it has been removed from the list on Saorview Information channel 30

Just did a rescan and 211 has now been removed

Not a chance. BBC has a funding crisis, it's cutting non-UK access to services not increasing it.

that I don’t know but it could be sky mix or sky arts but as I said the other day it maybe bbc news euro news France 24 English DW English and I also said this that I don’t see the point of having BBC 1 BBC2 and channel 4

Many years ago on Boards I argued the way DTT was going it Ireland it would largely just be RTÉ ONE, 2, TV3 and TG4, I feel outside of sky that's largely been proven to be the case. (Not sure if I can count RTÉ News as a Channel)

So the only change expected to the Saorview line up is the dropping of the RTÉ Digital Radio Stations? And that might not happen until 2026! Though I do expect the minister to make a decision "soon".

Under section 103 of the broadcasting act 2009 RTÉ have put in a proposal to axe their Digital Radio stations (Save for RTÉ Gold which will remain on Saorview, I believe some must people listen to radio on saorview if it is to be saved, but most don't so I don't really know why they'd save it and not the others).

RTÉ put the proposal for the closure of their digital radio station to the minster at the end of the 2024, and failed to meet their target of 2024 to close the digital radio stations as per their "New Direction" strategy, which was produced following the RTÉ scandal of 2023.

It was expected that the CnaM would forward their Strategic Assessment to the Department this month, who will now carry out another of other aspect of the decision before the minster makes a decision later this year.

Due to the low number of TV stations, I'd not be surprised if a large number of people in Saorview land end up listening to the Radio more than lets say via satellite or cable. But I don't believe that the JNLR actually takes into consideration Radio viewing on TV, I suspect that TAM Ireland does, it would be interesting to know what radio listership is like if collected by TAM Ireland.

RTE had announced plans to close all of the ex-DAB stations before, but there was a backlash specifically for Gold. I'd say that was factored in this time around. I don't really listen to Will Leahy's show much now (I don't listen to morning radio that much in general) but I did remember requests coming in from people who were tuned in on Saorview.

They were never going to axe Lyric FM, that was a "nuclear option".

Reminiscent of the years when Dept. of Foreign Affairs were asked for possible cutbacks and taking the absolute pish they put the Vatican at the top of the list - in fairness, having two embassies in Rome is a waste of money. But they knew that the government would never allow that cut to be made - until they did! They should never have brought it back either, the pseudo-state called the Vatican is an enemy of the Irish people as far as I'm concerned.

Was the plan ever to close Lyric or close the Limerick studios and move the studios to Dublin and Cork.

I don't think there is any FM frequencies available for RTE Gold.That won't cause co channel in interference

Of course there is, even in Dublin. 105.2 does nothing most of the year, for one.

Could get a bit messy though with very different frequencies in different places - having another national network with all transmitters within a well defined range e.g. 100-102 Today FM isn't as easy.

Don't see it happening though. RTE can't afford to run it without advertising (which would be seen as unfair to stations with advertising) and if they did have ads on it, that would also be seen as unfair by the stations with advertising… basically the commercials don't want RTE to be let do anything