Easy TV (DTT)
Encyclopedia
Easy TV was a consortium that have been offered a licence by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
(BAI) to run the pay television services on the DTT
platform in the Republic of Ireland
. It was last one standing and least preferred in the 2008 contest results.
Easy TV consisted of a consortium made up of a subsidiary of public service broadcaster, RTÉ and a pay TV cable provider company RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd (50%), Liberty Global (50%),
Easy TV considered its position on the license offer which it was offered on April 29, 2010. The Easy TV consortium informed the BAI on 12 May 2010 that it was declining their offer to pursue negotiations regarding the Commercial DTT Multiplex Licence. RTÉ publicly confirmed on 14 May 2010 Easy TV was "declining their offer to pursue negotiations" on the DTT contract. The BAI officially confirmed Easy TV's withdrawal and the conclusion of the current DTT licensing process on 18 May 2010.
propose a number of extra channels to be freely available unencrypted across the Republic of Ireland. These channels include the current Analogue services of RTÉ One
, RTÉ Two
, TV3 (Ireland), and TG4
. In the Broadcasting Act 2009 the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has (following the suggestion by former Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
and James Morris
the head of the Irish Film Board
) provided for the establishment of 2 new public service broadcasters to provide services currently under the working titles of the Houses of the Oireachtas Channel
and the Irish Film Channel. The Irish Film Channel will be owned and operated by the IFB/BSÉ. The addition to these with subscription basis and branded separately for the benefit of viewer clarity remains to be determined.
Manufacturers/distributors wishing to use the Saorview
logo will submit receivers to Teracom for testing. When a receiver passes the tests, it will then be eligible to be licensed by RTÉ to carry the Saorview logo.”
A November 1, 2010 FTA DTT launch is now on target following a direction from the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, to RTÉ and signing of the RTÉ (National Television Multiplex) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 85 of 2010) on February 26, 2010. The planned DTT information campaign is likely during Summer 2010 in advance of launch regardless of the outcome of the BAI commercial DTT negotiations. 90% coverage at launch is required of the RTÉ multiplex while the remainder of the country is to be covered by December 31, 2011 providing at minimum the 4 Irish terrestrial channels. This also tallies with RTÉNL proceeding with Irish DTT receiver certification announced in January 2010, following the selection of Teracom to conduct the tests and expansion of the network engineering tests during 2009.
Below are the possible channels, subject to change
's Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan
signed an agreement with the UK's Ben Bradshaw
. This agreement will enable viewers within Northern Ireland
to watch RTE One
, RTE Two
and TG4
on a free-to-air
basis as of 2012. The agreement between both jurisdictions will also guarantee that viewers within the Republic of Ireland will be able to view BBC One Northern Ireland
and BBC Two Northern Ireland on the Republic of Ireland's free-to-air service which is to debut in late 2010. A cross-border initiative has always been on the agenda for the Green Party
in the Republic of Ireland. However in recent days, a change has occurred such that BBC services are now to be offered in the Republic of Ireland on a 'paid for' basis and not the original free-to-air basis. This change has been referred to as a mistake between the MOU and press releases.
Mid Pay Pack - €TBD
Premium Packs
Sports Pack - €TBD (Subject to change)
Sky Movies Pack - €TBD (Subject to change)
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ....
(BAI) to run the pay television services on the DTT
Television in Ireland
Digital terrestrial television within the Republic of Ireland, known as Saorview, was launched on 27 May 2011. This service will effectively replace the current analogue terrestrial television system, which uses System I with 625 lines and the PAL colour standard, with NICAM digital stereo sound...
platform in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It was last one standing and least preferred in the 2008 contest results.
Easy TV consisted of a consortium made up of a subsidiary of public service broadcaster, RTÉ and a pay TV cable provider company RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd (50%), Liberty Global (50%),
Easy TV considered its position on the license offer which it was offered on April 29, 2010. The Easy TV consortium informed the BAI on 12 May 2010 that it was declining their offer to pursue negotiations regarding the Commercial DTT Multiplex Licence. RTÉ publicly confirmed on 14 May 2010 Easy TV was "declining their offer to pursue negotiations" on the DTT contract. The BAI officially confirmed Easy TV's withdrawal and the conclusion of the current DTT licensing process on 18 May 2010.
Easy TV Project
- On April 17, 2010 it was reported that crucial talks have broken down between the OneVision consortium and RTÉ on the basis of a number of issues such as DTT Promotion, multiplexing and the security bond, which a third party has reviewed and given their opinion. One Vision commented to the BAI on the 3rd party's review and the BAI considered that view after deadline of Wednesday April 21, 2010. It appears it has made a decision, not to rule on RTÉ Network's position but to determine that One Vision is unable to conclude the license as the difference in position between One Vision and RTÉ NL is too at variance to be bridged. Following communication to One Vision and responses considered, it offered to Easy TV the license and requested some indication of Easy TV's sponsors interest in same before its next Board meeting near the end of May 2010.
- One Vision has apparently withdrawn its license acceptance according to the print edition of the Irish Independent April 29, 2010, page 22 This follows an article also in the print edition of the Irish Independent on April 24, 2010 that it had queried why the independent adjudicator in the positions between One Vision and RTÉ Networks had not recommended a way forward. The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has apparently offered the license to Easy TV, and apparently an RTÉ Spokesperson has confirmed that the Easy TV Consortium has to consider its position on the offer in due course.
- On May 12, 2010 The Easy TV consortium informed the BAI that it was declining their offer to pursue negotiations regarding the Commercial DTT Multiplex Licence having carefully considered the current opportunity, both parties agreed, due to the significant lapse in time and the altered circumstances since Easy TV’s original application in 2008, that they did not wish to pursue the joint venture at this time.
- On May 14, 2010 RTÉ confirmed Easy TV was "declining their offer to pursue negotiations" on the DTT contract.
- On May 18, 2010 The BAI officially confirmed Easy TV's withdrawal and the conclusion of the current DTT licensing process. They also confirm they withdrew from contract negotiations with the Onevision consortium in April 2010 due to their failure to conclude a contract with RTÉ NL for the provision of transmission services.
Proposed offering operated by RTÉ NL
RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
propose a number of extra channels to be freely available unencrypted across the Republic of Ireland. These channels include the current Analogue services of RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
, RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
, TV3 (Ireland), and TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
. In the Broadcasting Act 2009 the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has (following the suggestion by former Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
and James Morris
James Morris
-Arts:*James Morris , American opera singer*James Shepherd Morris , Scottish architect, partner in Morris and Steedman*James Corbitt Morris , US musician known as Jimmy Driftwood...
the head of the Irish Film Board
Irish Film Board
The Irish Film Board is Ireland’s national film agency and major film funding body. It was recommended for abolition by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes in 2009.-Formative years:...
) provided for the establishment of 2 new public service broadcasters to provide services currently under the working titles of the Houses of the Oireachtas Channel
Houses of the Oireachtas Channel
Houses of the Oireachtas Channel or informally Oireachtas TV is a public service broadcaster for the two houses of the Oireachtas . The channel was created under the Broadcasting Act 2009 for broadcast on the proposed roll out of Irish Digital Terrestrial Television...
and the Irish Film Channel. The Irish Film Channel will be owned and operated by the IFB/BSÉ. The addition to these with subscription basis and branded separately for the benefit of viewer clarity remains to be determined.
Free-to-air or Public Service Broadcasting Multiplex (Saorview)
It has been announced in mid January 2010 that RTÉ has appointed Teracom AB to conduct receiver compliance testing for Irish free-to-air (FTA) DTT receivers. Those receivers which pass the tests thereby meeting the Irish DTT specification will be eligible to be licensed to use RTÉ’s “Saorview” logo, which will confirm to consumers that the receiver is Irish FTA DTT compliant. RTÉNL will publish a full list of compliant DTT receivers on its web site.Manufacturers/distributors wishing to use the Saorview
Saorview
Saorview is the national free-to-air digital terrestrial television service in Republic of Ireland.The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation it was required to be available to approximately 90% of the population by end of...
logo will submit receivers to Teracom for testing. When a receiver passes the tests, it will then be eligible to be licensed by RTÉ to carry the Saorview logo.”
A November 1, 2010 FTA DTT launch is now on target following a direction from the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, to RTÉ and signing of the RTÉ (National Television Multiplex) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 85 of 2010) on February 26, 2010. The planned DTT information campaign is likely during Summer 2010 in advance of launch regardless of the outcome of the BAI commercial DTT negotiations. 90% coverage at launch is required of the RTÉ multiplex while the remainder of the country is to be covered by December 31, 2011 providing at minimum the 4 Irish terrestrial channels. This also tallies with RTÉNL proceeding with Irish DTT receiver certification announced in January 2010, following the selection of Teracom to conduct the tests and expansion of the network engineering tests during 2009.
Below are the possible channels, subject to change
- RTÉ OneRTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
- RTÉ One +1RTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
(proposed channel) - RTÉ TwoRTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
- RTE ThreeRTÉ ThreeRTÉ Three was a proposed channel by RTÉ Television.It was the working title of a proposed general entertainment channel. It was initially proposed that the channel would air a variety of programming not currently being shown on RTÉ One and RTÉ Two as well as having access to the RTÉ archives, and...
(proposed channel) - RTÉ News NowRTÉ News NowRTÉ News Now is a 24-hour news television network in the Republic of Ireland operated byIrish public service broadcaster RTÉ. The channel launched as RTÉ News Now available exclusively online on June 12, 2008. The channel began broadcasting as a free-to-air channel on October 29, 2010 on...
- RTÉ HD (proposed channel following analogue switchoff in 2012)
- TV3
- TG4TG4TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
- Irish Film Channel - unclear, current status, given economic downturn. However enshrined in Broadcasting Act 2009 as new broadcaster.
- Houses of the Oireachtas ChannelHouses of the Oireachtas ChannelHouses of the Oireachtas Channel or informally Oireachtas TV is a public service broadcaster for the two houses of the Oireachtas . The channel was created under the Broadcasting Act 2009 for broadcast on the proposed roll out of Irish Digital Terrestrial Television...
- unclear, current status, given economic downturn. However enshrined in Broadcasting Act 2009 as new broadcaster.
Cross-border partnership
On 1 February 2010 the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
's Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan is an Irish politician and leader of the Irish Green Party. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South constituency from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011....
signed an agreement with the UK's Ben Bradshaw
Ben Bradshaw
Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw is a British Labour politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Exeter since 1997, and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport....
. This agreement will enable viewers within Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to watch RTE One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
, RTE Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
and TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
on a free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
basis as of 2012. The agreement between both jurisdictions will also guarantee that viewers within the Republic of Ireland will be able to view BBC One Northern Ireland
BBC One Northern Ireland
BBC One Northern Ireland is the national variation for BBC Northern Ireland of the network BBC One service broadcast by the BBC. The service is broadcast in Northern Ireland from Broadcasting House in Belfast...
and BBC Two Northern Ireland on the Republic of Ireland's free-to-air service which is to debut in late 2010. A cross-border initiative has always been on the agenda for the Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
in the Republic of Ireland. However in recent days, a change has occurred such that BBC services are now to be offered in the Republic of Ireland on a 'paid for' basis and not the original free-to-air basis. This change has been referred to as a mistake between the MOU and press releases.
Pay per view channels
Soft Pay Pack - €TBD(Channel line-up and cost structure subject to change)- BBC One Northern IrelandBBC One Northern IrelandBBC One Northern Ireland is the national variation for BBC Northern Ireland of the network BBC One service broadcast by the BBC. The service is broadcast in Northern Ireland from Broadcasting House in Belfast...
- BBC Two NIBBC Two NIBBC Two Northern Ireland is a television station operated by BBC Northern Ireland. It is broadcast via analogue and digital television.The channel was branded onscreen as 'BBC Two NI' from October 2006 until February 2007, though not referred to as such by continuity announcers...
- BBC ThreeBBC ThreeBBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
- BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
- Channel 4 Northern IrelandChannel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
- 3e3E3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
- City ChannelCity ChannelCity Channel was an Irish television network that began broadcasting in October 2005, which focused primarily on local and regional television. It operated three stations: City Channel Dublin, City Channel Galway, and Channel South.-Launch:...
- Extreme Sports
Mid Pay Pack - €TBD
- MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- YesterdayUKTV HistoryYesterday is a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 30 October 2002 and relaunched in its current format on 2 March 2009. The channel is available on satellite through Sky, cable services primarily through...
- LIVINGtvLIVINGtvSky Living is a UK television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, who purchased the Living TV Group group in 2010. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living TV in 1997 and then to Living in 2007. On 1 February 2011 Living changed its name to Sky Living...
- Discovery
- E4 Ireland
- More 4
- Film 4
- Sky1
- Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
- Sky Sports NewsSky Sports NewsSky Sports News is a 24-hour sports news channel in the United Kingdom. It is run by BSkyB whose sports channels include Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as Sky Sports HD1, HD2, HD3 and HD4....
Premium Packs
Sports Pack - €TBD (Subject to change)
- Setanta Sports
- Sky Sports 1
- Sky Sports 2
- Sky Sports 3
- Sky Sports 4
Sky Movies Pack - €TBD (Subject to change)
- Sky Movies Premiere
- Sky Movies Showcase