Saorview Changes - 2026

It doesn't matter whether Saorview is delivered over IPTV or not, 8 or 9 channels ( leaving out +1s etc), won't entice anybody, people will continue to go to the pay operators for choice, HD, sports, movies etc.

IMHO people expecting more Saorview channels of any worthwhile sort should ask Santa Claus.
RTÉ announced a €30M tender for their player. I would take that as a clear sign of intent. Terrestrial transmission is an expensive way of doing things.

That RTE and VM tried to sell those same ad spots during the 6 nations games and were unable to tells you more about the state of Irish broadcasting.

Why is it so expensive to add channels or even run channels like the +1. I’d have assumed (naively possibly) that all the infrastructure is running anyway even test channels are transmitting in some instances so were is the cost for just transmitting a +1 channel or pulling a channel of a satellite feed and retransmitting it in place of a test channel?

The +1 channels need to go from all platforms. With streaming so prevalent, they are a dated concept.

The +1s are handy for sticking on the news or things like that an hour late. Also I know some older folk in my family use them quite a bit for example. I don’t see the issue with keeping them going.

If we were getting more channels and space was needed then that’s a more valid argument for getting rid of +1s. But if it’s getting rid of them for the sake of it then I don’t see the point.

I see several storys in papers lately of how Sky and Virgin are in Trouble with subs due to dodgy boxes. Could FTA and Saorview services weather delivered through Aerials or Freely type services actually be saved by dodgy boxes as Studios and sports services may see traditonal broadcasting as a saver bet with a sure income stream?

Doesn't really apply to sport though. People watch sport live and advertising costs reflect this.

No getting around the ads on the streaming services either so I don't think its dead to be honest.

It’s hard to see how sport can in general be viable on fta given the costs of rights but in general the dodgy boxes in my experience mean more people using saorview and freesat coupled with a dodgy box for sport etc. Rather then people getting call their content though a sub to sky etc.

DVB-I? IPTV? Can't see that ever taking off… Too much of a delay, especially for live sport. Was at a friends house on Friday watching the Irish match. Kitchen TV was using saorview and the living room TV was using sky stream. Sky was over 2 minutes behind the saorview feed. Can't see IP ever replacing terrestrial

If Virgin Media had their way they'd still be in black and white

42 seconds is the delay.

IPTV is the future ,will there come a time when saorview is switched off ?, by 2040 at the latest would by my prediction