Television in Ireland
Encyclopedia
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 where applicable. This analogue television system will close in the fourth quarter of 2012; the switch off takes place on October 24, 2012.
The satellite fill-in service (Saorsat
) is via Ka-Sat using the Irish ka-Band spot and should be available from June 2011. See the Saorview
article for details of the new digital service.
In the Republic of Ireland, both VHF and UHF
are used. VHF for TV transmission is slowly being phased out in Ireland – only RTÉ One
and RTÉ Two
are on VHF band III in some areas, and the more recently established stations (TV3
and TG4
) have only been broadcast on UHF. VHF Band I terrestrial transmissions stopped in 1999 when RTÉ One from the Maghera (Co. Clare) transmitter moved from Channel B to E. Band I use on cable networks is decreasing due to bandwidth allocation for cable broadband and the phasing out of analogue cable TV services.
While many people still receive their television via the over-the-air networks, run by RTÉ Network Limited
more than half subscribe to multichannel television networks. The biggest single multichannel television network in Ireland is Sky
, owned and operated by BSkyB, which broadcasts digital satellite television services. UPC Ireland
, Magnet Networks
and Smart Vision, among others, provide similar digital television services to Republic of Ireland viewers..
) when it began broadcasting television programmes in 1953, followed in 1959 with the launch of Ulster Television (now known as UTV
).
Throughout the 1950s the Governments of the Republic of Ireland
were worried about the influences of British television and the popularity of the medium. By the end of the 1950s 60% of the population could receive BBC 1 and the UK's Channel 3 franchise from spillover from Northern Ireland, Wales and the west of England. Throughout the 1950s the Irish government would discuss the provision of an Irish television service, this was headed up by Leon O'Broin, the secretary at the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Department of Post and Telegraphs had responsibility for Radio Éireann, Ireland's Radio service. In 1950 O'Broin established his own committee on Irish Television and bought a television set to receive broadcasts from the BBC
. The Department of Finance at this time were worried of the cost of setting up a new television service and dismissed the possibility on several occasions during the 1950s. By March 1951 O'Broin would press for the inevitable establishment of an Irish television service in the Republic. In a Memorandum to Government the Department set out four possibilities for the ownership and control of a new service:
The Department of Finance were incensed with this and asked the government to tell O'Broin to resubmit the proposals through the Department of Finance according to the formal procedures of the Civil Service, John A. Costello
, the Taoiseach
, did so and returned the memo to the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Minister for Finance refused to look at TV calling it a "luxury service". However, through this means O'Broin was able to get funding for the research he had asked for.
In the Republic of Ireland television first became available in 1959. The public service broadcaster, RTÉ Television
, opened in 1961, followed by an additional channel RTÉ Two
in November 1978. TG4
launched on 31 October 1996 as a free-to-air
public service broadcaster that targets Irish language viewers.
On 20 September 1998, TV3
launched as the first independent commercial broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland. Since the 2000s television in the Republic of Ireland has expanded with the launch of Setanta Ireland
(in difficulty), Bubble Hits
(now defunct) and 3e
(originally C6 on Cable, later added to Sky), which are available through PayTV cable and satellite services. TV3 purchased C6 and rebranded it 3e. Only with Launch of Saorview
(FTA DTT)is 3e available Free to Air.
The Republic of Ireland will commence its switch over to its free-to-air digital terrestrial television
(DTT) from October 2010. This will provide viewers with greater viewing opportunities with an increase in public service channels, i.e. of commercial services with the possibility of more public service channels from existing public service broadcaster and possibly two new channels, the Houses of the Oireachtas Channel
and the Irish Film Channel, subject to finance from the government for the last two. The current Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte
aspires to have a complete DTT service rolled out by 31 December 2011.
regulate radio wave spectrum licensing and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
since 1 October 2009 regulate both public service broadcasters such as RTÉ, TG4 and commercial broadcasters. For more on regulation see Commission for Communications Regulation
and Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
articles.
has repeatedly been tested from RTÉ Network Limited
's Three Rock Mountain
transmitter, with relatively long tests in 1998 and 2001, and shorter tests in 2004, with a single multiplex carrying the four Irish analogue terrestrial channels, and Tara Television
while it was in existence, on both UHF (channel 26) and VHF (channel D). These were under temporary licences for testing, which are regularly awarded. RTÉast Networks also broadcast test DVB-T with analogue TV and radio channels from the Clermont Carn
transmitter in the Cooley Mountains, County Louth with some signal bleed into the North.
A contract to run a nationwide system, with six multiplexes from main sites, and four from relay sites was awarded in 2001 to ITS Digital Limited, led by former RTÉ executive, Mr Peter Branagan and trading as "It's TV", who intended to launch a pay TV and broadband service. ITS wanted to offer broadband internet access using the DVB-RCT
standard (which while high bandwidth at up to 30 Mbit/s, is not fast enough with 20,000 people on one mast). They had no broadband licence and no viable business plan without selling broadband, and due to lack of funding withdrew its application in Oct 2002.
The government also planned to privatise RTÉ's transmission network at this time but this too failed in October 2002 following the withdrawal of ITS Digital Limited DTT licence application and a number of other factors.
'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 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 it was later announced that 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.
Following a broad range of technical work, the two Governments have now agreed an effective way to provide for the continuing provision of TG4 by building a new, low power TV multiplex in Northern Ireland. In addition to carrying TG4, this multiplex, which will be part of the UK DTT system, will also carry RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2.
This would be expected to increase coverage of these channels in Northern Ireland, to 90% of the population in Northern Ireland to receive their services on a free-to-air basis, either through overspill as before or via the new multiplex.
The existing analogue signals will be switched off on a co-ordinated basis in Ireland and Northern Ireland at the end of 2012 and more work will to be done between then and now. Digital UK plans to keep NI viewers abreast of compatible equipment in time for ASO switch to digital and know what sort of equipment viewers might need to receive these services.
Foreseen as part of the agreement between both Governments is the establishment of a joint venture between RTÉ and TG4 to run the multiplex which will be licensed under the UK's Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 by Ofcom at the request of the UK Government. This will be a not-for-profit company. In addition, the licensee will have to put out to competitive tender all the elements
of the multiplex operation which are contestable and the multiplex will be operated on a not-for-profit and open book basis.
The Commission for Communications Regulation issued its response to Consultation 08/44 about interest in multi-city mobile TV licenses that could cover up to 40% of the population that would lead to the Award of available UHF spectrum in the urban areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. That response to consultation was issued on Tuesday 28 July 2009 Having provided options to stakeholders in terms of 2 options outlined in Consultation 08/44 of Mobile Telegraphy License or a technology neutral Wireless Telegarphy License, and minded by the 7 responses it received, the Mobile Telegraphy License was seen as the best use of spectrum, given the nature of the spectrum of 8 MHz of UHF band in between 470 to 750 MHz in the five main urban areas due to the limited spectrum arising from DTT introduction and use of 4 multiplexes as the spectrum priority prior to analogue switchover (ASO).
ComReg proposes launch of the wholesale mobile TV network following license award be rolled out within 24 months before penalty or license withdrawal from the winner of the contest. The contest is to be done by comparative beauty contest instead of auction, given the nature of Mobile TV as a newish area and the risks in terms of investment inherenet in it. Given the limited spectrum a wholesale model as noted by the EU Commission reference 2 in such situation is chosen. This will result in third parties having access through agreements with the wholesale mobile network operator as Other Mobile TV Service Providers (OMTSPs) in a timely, reasonable, non-discriminatory and transparent manner to the network to provide their own services and electronic programme guide from up to 20 channels maximum space.
The license would be for 10 years and not automatically renewed. Those services will be encrypted by the service provider to the subscriber. Contributors to the consultation 08/44 are given time to reflect on the terms suggested for the comparative beauty contest before 11 September 2009 and following that feedback and ComReg's further reflection on that, the comparative contest guidelines will be issued and an application date set by the end of the year. The winner of that contest will have 2 years to build the network and agree terms with Other Mobile TV Service Providers. The Broadcasting Act 2009 was also referred to in Comreg Publication 09/64.
Update, April 2010
Following on from the response to its consultation at end of 2009 The communications regulator ComReg has issued an Information Notice on the future award of a mobile television license, ComReg 10/26 Mobile TV Wireless Telegraphy Licence Award on Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The Information Notice provides in ComReg's plans to issue one 8 MHz frequency channel in the UHF band in the areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford and expects to invite candidates to tender for the license in the fourth quarter of the year of 2010 and announce the license results by the end of 2010. It will weight elements of business plans when it begins the comparative process in Q4 2010. Offer of license will probably be in 2011 but this has to be determined by ComReg. International frequency co-ordination will also be ongoing during the period primarily with the UK.
Comments to ComReg's mobile television license proposal were taken until 30 April 2010.
Update November 2010
Only two responders responded to ComReg's Television license proposals consultation.These were RTÉ NL and Vodafone Ireland.Points regarding wholesale access commitments considered critical for the successful provision of wholesale Mobile TV service and the provision of Mobile TV services for the benefits of consumers more generally were discussed. the two responders addressed points regarding automatic additional spectrum and ComReg outlined that it was minded to consider later award of mobile TV license when a national network for same would be possible of for other uses. The main concern was to whether there is demand for broadcast mobile TV, given experiences elsewhere or whether the award be made post ASO when international spectrum co-ordination is clearer. ComReg welcomed views regarding these issues from interested
parties by no later than 5.00 p.m. on 9 December 2010. It will make its decision going forward on the license proposal following consideration of responses to this.
was the most common system for distributing multi-channel television in Ireland. With more than 40 year of history and extensive networks of both wired and "wireless" cable, Ireland is amongst the most cabled countries in Europe. Forty percent of Irish homes received cable television in September 2006. The figure dropped slightly in the early years of the 21st century due to the increased popularity of satellite reception, notably Sky
, but has stabilised recently.
In the Republic of Ireland, UPC Ireland
, which formally traded under the brand name Chorus NTL, is by far the largest cable and MMDS operator, owning all of the state's MMDS licences and almost all of the state's cable TV operators. UPC offers analogue and digital cable television services in cities and towns throughout the country (with the exception of Cork, where the network is digital-only). It offers MMDS services in rural areas. Other than UPC, the only other operator providing analogue and digital cable is Casey Cablevision, which operates in Dungarvan
, County Waterford
. There also exists a small number of analogue-only cable networks such as the Longford
service Crossan Cable.
service has been available since the late 1980s with the arrival of free-to-air satellite Astra
and subscription service Sky Television.
In 1985 a pan-European satellite service was launched through SES Astra. The service provided viewers with pan-European channels which targeted the entire continent. On 5 February 1989, when Sky Television launched. British Satellite Broadcasting
, which was also available in Ireland, launched in 1990 and the two merged to form British Sky Broadcasting
in 1990. For most of the 1990s however, Sky's DBS customer base in Ireland was dwarfed by the large numbers receiving its channels via cable. Sky Digital, Ireland's first digital television
service, launched on October 1998. However, in the absence of any subsidy
for the Sky Digibox in the Republic of Ireland - viewers in the UK could avail of both a Sky subsidy and one from British Interactive Broadcasting - the cost to initially acquire Sky Digital equipment was very expensive (IEP
450) and subscriber numbers did not rise until both these subsidies were introduced into Ireland in 2000. In 2001, UK and Irish terrestrial channels became available to Irish Sky customers for the first time.
While Sky Ireland is the biggest satellite service in the Republic of Ireland, it is by no means the only satellite broadcasts available. Most free to air broadcasts available in Europe are available in the Republic of Ireland via the right receiver (set top box) and a dish pointed at the correct satellite. In 2008, Sat4free
, an adapted version of the UK Freesat equipment, began selling in Ireland. It is a fixed NI post code version of a Freesat receiver. Some retailers in Ireland sell actual Freesat setboxes. Both Freesat and Sat4free are superior to generic satellite receivers for the reception of UK television, only old stock of Sat4Free is now available and new purchases should be "Freesat HD" even if the TV set is not HDTV. Imported "Grey market
" (as the contract the operator has doesn't permit direct sales outside the intended Geographic area) satellite receivers are sometimes used to watch both FTA and subscription channels from visitors home countries (e.g., Cyfrowy Polsat
)
Following the failure of the commercial DTT process in May 2010 RTÉ submitted a revised DTT plan including a FTA satellite option to the Dept of Communications in mid June 2010 for approval. RTÉ publicly announced at an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications discussion in mid July 2010 that a free-to-air satellite service, called Saorsat
, would be offered to complement the terrestrial DTT service. Saorsat will enable Irish public service channels to be made available free to air and unencrypted, for the first time, as a means of covering the last 2% of the population who will be unable to receive the Saorview terrestrial service.
RTÉ said the combined offering was designed to be the most cost-effective solution for viewers and broadcasters; to offer for the first time 100% coverage of free-to-air public service television services in the Republic of Ireland; and to provide full national back-up coverage on satellite in the event of an emergency or catastrophic failure of the DTT system.
Approval for the revised National DTT plan and the new Saorsat satellite service was announced by the Minister for Communications at the end of July 2010.
It is anticipated that the Saorsat
satellite service will be available publicly from Autumn 2011 as tests commenced at the end of May 2011.
UPC Digital provides a wireless cable service over an all digital MMDS network reaching over 80% of the country. This network operates at 2.5 GHz to 2.7 GHz.
The now defunct SCTV
Digital provided an advanced digital television service to Cork City and parts of County Cork. It is licenced to operate all over Munster. Operating at 11.7 GHz to 12.5 GHz (MVDDS
) it delivered approximately 75 digital television channels and video on demand services from "Sky By Wire".
Digital satellite is the only form of subscriber satellite transmission available in the country and is provided by Sky Ireland
(and Sky+ HD). The Freesat
a UK service is also available in the country, as are FTA
satellite channels from several other European countries.
Two companies provide digital television via IPTV; Magnet Entertainment and Smart Vision (from Smart Telecom
).
or Wales), and retransmit them on local UHF
signals along with other channels. These operators faced legal action in the late 1990s from MMDS operators, as they did not pay royalties to the relevant broadcasters, and were not licenced. When the deflectors were shut down, there was such an outcry in those areas that an independent election candidate in County Donegal
, Tom Gildea, was elected as a TD
on a platform of supporting legalisation, which occurred in 1999.
Deflectors were first licenced in 1999 by the then spectrum regulator, the ODTR
.
The current regulations, Wireless Telegraphy (UHF Television Programme Retransmission) Regulations, 2009 will be the last for deflectors, all deflector licences expire in Dec 2012 and will not be renewed due to the roll-out of DTT in Ireland.
, a television licence
is required for any address at which there is a television
set or device not exempted under Staturory Instrument 319 of 2009 see. In 2008, the annual licence fee is €
160. Revenue is collected by An Post
, the Irish postal service. The bulk of the fee is used to fund Raidió Teilifís Éireann
, the state broadcaster. The licence must be paid for any premises that has any equipment that can potentially decode TV signals, even those that are not RTÉ's. The licence is free to senior citizens (to anyone over the age of 70, some over 66), some Social Welfare recipients, and individuals who are blind
. The fee for the licences of such beneficiaries is paid for by the state.
viewing share from 2002 - 2009 are outlined in the table below:
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
within 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,...
, known as 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...
, was launched on 27 May 2011. This service will effectively replace the current analogue terrestrial television system, which uses System I
Broadcast television system
Broadcast television systems are encoding or formatting standards for the transmission and reception of terrestrial television signals. There are three main analog television systems in current use around the world: NTSC, PAL, and SECAM...
with 625 lines and the PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
colour standard, with NICAM
NICAM
Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex is an early form of lossy compression for digital audio. It was originally developed in the early 1970s for point-to-point links within broadcasting networks...
digital stereo sound where applicable. This analogue television system will close in the fourth quarter of 2012; the switch off takes place on October 24, 2012.
The satellite fill-in service (Saorsat
Saorsat
Saorsat is the proposed name for the free-to-air satellite service in the Republic of Ireland. The service is expected to launch in late 2011...
) is via Ka-Sat using the Irish ka-Band spot and should be available from June 2011. See 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...
article for details of the new digital service.
In the Republic of Ireland, both VHF and UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
are used. VHF for TV transmission is slowly being phased out in Ireland – only 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...
and 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...
are on VHF band III in some areas, and the more recently established stations (TV3
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
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....
) have only been broadcast on UHF. VHF Band I terrestrial transmissions stopped in 1999 when RTÉ One from the Maghera (Co. Clare) transmitter moved from Channel B to E. Band I use on cable networks is decreasing due to bandwidth allocation for cable broadband and the phasing out of analogue cable TV services.
While many people still receive their television via the over-the-air networks, run by RTÉ Network Limited
RTÉ Network Limited
RTÉ Transmission Network Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raidió Teilifís Éireann which runs Ireland's principal terrestrial television and radio broadcast signal transmission networks. They operate 10 main sites, and over 100 smaller relays and transposers, which carry either television,...
more than half subscribe to multichannel television networks. The biggest single multichannel television network in Ireland is Sky
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
, owned and operated by BSkyB, which broadcasts digital satellite television services. UPC Ireland
UPC Ireland
UPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
, Magnet Networks
Magnet Networks
Magnet Networks is an Irish company providing telephone, television and internet services via subscription over optical fibre.Magnet Networks was launched in Dublin on 1 December 2004, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based international investment company Columbia Ventures Corporation...
and Smart Vision, among others, provide similar digital television services to Republic of Ireland viewers..
History
Television on the island of Ireland began with the launch of BBC in Northern Ireland (BBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
) when it began broadcasting television programmes in 1953, followed in 1959 with the launch of Ulster Television (now known as UTV
UTV
UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
).
Throughout the 1950s the Governments of 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,...
were worried about the influences of British television and the popularity of the medium. By the end of the 1950s 60% of the population could receive BBC 1 and the UK's Channel 3 franchise from spillover from Northern Ireland, Wales and the west of England. Throughout the 1950s the Irish government would discuss the provision of an Irish television service, this was headed up by Leon O'Broin, the secretary at the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Department of Post and Telegraphs had responsibility for Radio Éireann, Ireland's Radio service. In 1950 O'Broin established his own committee on Irish Television and bought a television set to receive broadcasts from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. The Department of Finance at this time were worried of the cost of setting up a new television service and dismissed the possibility on several occasions during the 1950s. By March 1951 O'Broin would press for the inevitable establishment of an Irish television service in the Republic. In a Memorandum to Government the Department set out four possibilities for the ownership and control of a new service:
- Owned by the state directly
- Owned by a public corporation (similar to that of the then Radio Éireann)
- Owned by private enterprise
- Having a combination where transmitters would be owned by the state and content would be provided by private enterprises
The Department of Finance were incensed with this and asked the government to tell O'Broin to resubmit the proposals through the Department of Finance according to the formal procedures of the Civil Service, John A. Costello
John A. Costello
John Aloysius Costello , a successful barrister, was one of the main legal advisors to the government of the Irish Free State after independence, Attorney General of Ireland from 1926–1932 and Taoiseach from 1948–1951 and 1954–1957....
, the 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...
, did so and returned the memo to the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Minister for Finance refused to look at TV calling it a "luxury service". However, through this means O'Broin was able to get funding for the research he had asked for.
In the Republic of Ireland television first became available in 1959. The public service broadcaster, RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
, opened in 1961, followed by an additional channel 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...
in November 1978. 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....
launched on 31 October 1996 as 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...
public service broadcaster that targets Irish language viewers.
On 20 September 1998, TV3
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
launched as the first independent commercial broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland. Since the 2000s television in the Republic of Ireland has expanded with the launch of Setanta Ireland
Setanta Ireland
Setanta Sports Ireland is a subscription based Irish sports channel featuring local and international sporting events. The channel is available on some basic cable packages in the Republic of Ireland, while it is available upon direct subscription to the Setanta Sports package on other networks...
(in difficulty), Bubble Hits
Bubble Hits Ireland
Bubble Hits Ireland was an Irish owned digital television music channel operated by Creative Sounds. Bubble Hits Ireland aim to be a much-needed platform for Irish bands and artists to showcase their music alongside the current programming and music structure of Bubble Hits. It was the first ever...
(now defunct) and 3e
3E
3E 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...
(originally C6 on Cable, later added to Sky), which are available through PayTV cable and satellite services. TV3 purchased C6 and rebranded it 3e. Only with Launch of 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...
(FTA DTT)is 3e available Free to Air.
The Republic of Ireland will commence its switch over to its free-to-air digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
(DTT) from October 2010. This will provide viewers with greater viewing opportunities with an increase in public service channels, i.e. of commercial services with the possibility of more public service channels from existing public service broadcaster and possibly two new channels, 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, subject to finance from the government for the last two. The current Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011...
aspires to have a complete DTT service rolled out by 31 December 2011.
Regulation In Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland Commission for Communications RegulationCommission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
regulate radio wave spectrum licensing and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ....
since 1 October 2009 regulate both public service broadcasters such as RTÉ, TG4 and commercial broadcasters. For more on regulation see Commission for Communications Regulation
Commission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
and Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ....
articles.
Digital terrestrial television
- As of 17 March 2011 a public advertising campaign has launched to highlight the integration of digital terrestrial television within the Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , 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,...
. SaorviewSaorviewSaorview 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...
Ireland's national free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) service will launch officially to the public from May 2011. The service will initially air services provided only by RTERTERTÉ 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...
, 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....
and TV3. Additional services such as a commercial DTT service will launch at a later date. The BAIBroadcasting Authority of IrelandThe Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ....
have begun another round of negotiations to find a suitable service provider for such content.
- Previously, service providers for the commercial DTT varied between 2008 and 2010. Negotiations between the three key players which included Boxer, OneVision (DTT)One Vision (DTT)OneVision was a consortium that have been offered a licence by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to run the pay television services on the DTT platform in the Republic of Ireland....
, and Easy TV were deemed unsuccessful. Both Boxer and Onevision failed to sign-off an agreement between BAI and RTÉ NL. Easy TV considered its position on the license offer put to it on 29 April 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.
- Public service channels are to be carried by RTE Networks Limited, with this service to be operational to 90% of the country by 31 October 2010 and complete by 31 December 2011 (98%). However, publicly accessible tests of this system are available across large swathes of the country since December 2009 with further expansion since 29 October 2010 with a soft launch in Spring 2011 culminating in a hard launch before 31 December 2011 when the ASO phase will begin.
- The Irish system, as to be used by both RTENL and any subsequent commercial DTT provider is a MPEG-4MPEG-4MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
DVB-TDVB-TDVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
service with an MHEG-5MHEG-5MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
interactive layer.
- RTÉ TelevisionRTÉ TelevisionRTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
have been awarded a licence to operate a single multiplex, with a second multiplex to follow once analogue broadcasting ceases after 2012. Other possible services to launch on the second multiplex include additional services from TV3 such as TV3HD, TV3+1, 3Kids and 3Classics and additional channels from RTÉ such as an arts channel and music channel.
- The Broadcasting Act 2009 has provided provision for the launch of two additional public services. These include a OireachtasOireachtasThe Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
Channel and an Irish Film Channel. These channels are not expected to launch until 2012. The Irish Film Board will oversee operation for the Irish Film Channel.
- By 2012, SAORVIEW will offer 98% coverage for all channels. This will be a significant improvement in free-to-air television coverage. Consumers should seek advice from their specialist retailer or manufacturer if looking to make a purchase in the immediate future. Similar services such as Saorview available in the United Kingdom (i.e. Freeview) and other parts of Europe (i.e. TNTTélévision Numérique TerrestreTNT is the national digital terrestrial service for France. It formally arrived on 31 March 2005 after a short testing period. Like Freeview in the United Kingdom it will support many new channels as well as the current terrestrial television stations...
) are not compatible with Ireland's DTT service. RTÉ recommends that consumers wishing to avail of the SAORVIEW service only purchase receivers that carry the SAORVIEW approved logo.
Historical testing
DVB-TDVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
has repeatedly been tested from RTÉ Network Limited
RTÉ Network Limited
RTÉ Transmission Network Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raidió Teilifís Éireann which runs Ireland's principal terrestrial television and radio broadcast signal transmission networks. They operate 10 main sites, and over 100 smaller relays and transposers, which carry either television,...
's Three Rock Mountain
Three Rock Mountain
Three Rock Mountain is a mountain in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County in Ireland. It is high and forms part of the group of hills in the Dublin Mountains which comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mountains. The mountain takes its name from the three groups of granite rocks at...
transmitter, with relatively long tests in 1998 and 2001, and shorter tests in 2004, with a single multiplex carrying the four Irish analogue terrestrial channels, and Tara Television
Tara Television
Tara Television was an Irish cable and satellite channel aimed primarily at the Irish Diaspora living in Britain, it was set up in 1996 and began broadcasting a year later before being finally wound up in April 2002 by the High Court....
while it was in existence, on both UHF (channel 26) and VHF (channel D). These were under temporary licences for testing, which are regularly awarded. RTÉast Networks also broadcast test DVB-T with analogue TV and radio channels from the Clermont Carn
Clermont Carn
Clermont Carn, variously spelt as "Clermont Cairn", "Clairmont Carn/Cairn" or other variations is a 510m high peak in the Cooley Mountains in County Louth which is also home to a main RTÉ Network Limited transmission site.-Transmitter:...
transmitter in the Cooley Mountains, County Louth with some signal bleed into the North.
A contract to run a nationwide system, with six multiplexes from main sites, and four from relay sites was awarded in 2001 to ITS Digital Limited, led by former RTÉ executive, Mr Peter Branagan and trading as "It's TV", who intended to launch a pay TV and broadband service. ITS wanted to offer broadband internet access using the DVB-RCT
DVB-RCT
DVB-RCT , provides a method by which the DVB-T platform can become a bi-directional, asymmetric, broadband and wireless path between broadcasters and customers...
standard (which while high bandwidth at up to 30 Mbit/s, is not fast enough with 20,000 people on one mast). They had no broadband licence and no viable business plan without selling broadband, and due to lack of funding withdrew its application in Oct 2002.
The government also planned to privatise RTÉ's transmission network at this time but this too failed in October 2002 following the withdrawal of ITS Digital Limited DTT licence application and a number of other factors.
Disability organisations and the switchover
- TV Access, a coalition of organisations that promote issues surrounding individuals with disabilites and senior citizens have begun a campaign to highlight the switch over from analogue to digital television broadcast services in its contribution to the Oireachtas Communications Committee heard on Wednesday 1 April 2009.
- TV Access aim to make the wider public aware of the needs of aging and disabled viewers, they have launched a website .
- Promotion for DTT roll-out will began on 17 March 2011.
Multiplex licensing process
- The establishment of a commercial multiplex for Digital Television Terrestrial within the Republic of Ireland is punctuated with many delays. The BAI (then the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland) engaged in two phases of targeted consultation to assist in the development of its DTT Multiplex Licensing Policy. These consultations ran from May to December 2007 and involved the production of a comprehensive consultation document outlining policy proposals in relation to DTT licensing and the commissioning of independent research on DTT. It was initially proposed that RTE TelevisionRTÉ TelevisionRTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
would operate the free-to-air public service multiplex, RTENL would provide the relevant broadcasting technologies and a third party would provide the pay or subscription service. These third parties included Easy TV, One vision DTT and BoxerBoxer TV IrelandBoxer DTT Limited was a company that had been awarded the contract to operate a mainly pay-TV digital terrestrial television service in the Republic of Ireland....
. Initially, Boxer Ireland was given the licence to operate the pay DTT service. Boxer's failure to negoatiate with RTENL and the economic downturn in Ireland resulted in Boxer no longer holding interest in pursuing it's business in the Republic. On 20 April 2009, the BAI announced that Boxer had ended negotiations on the DTT contract without a successful outcome. Following this the consortium that made up One Vision were issued the licence. Once again, One Vision failed to negoiate with RTENL, hence negotiations were unsuccessful. On 29 April 2010 it was announced that Onevision had pulled out of negotiations. Finally, The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland began negotiating with Easy TV (a consortium made up of RTÉ and UPC IrelandUPC IrelandUPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
). 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.
- As of July 2010, the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has announced that RTÉ will provide a basic free-to-air service without a pay DTT element,. The free-to-air service will provide up to seven to ten channels and will roll out between 31 October 2010 to 31 December 2012. The new service will provide viewers with existing Irish channels, while also providing opportunities to expand existing channel profolios. This service will be provided by SaorviewSaorviewSaorview 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...
and SaorsatSaorsatSaorsat is the proposed name for the free-to-air satellite service in the Republic of Ireland. The service is expected to launch in late 2011...
the latter to be used in areas were availability to access the Saorview is limited due to geographics.
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 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 it was later announced that 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.
Following a broad range of technical work, the two Governments have now agreed an effective way to provide for the continuing provision of TG4 by building a new, low power TV multiplex in Northern Ireland. In addition to carrying TG4, this multiplex, which will be part of the UK DTT system, will also carry RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2.
This would be expected to increase coverage of these channels in Northern Ireland, to 90% of the population in Northern Ireland to receive their services on a free-to-air basis, either through overspill as before or via the new multiplex.
The existing analogue signals will be switched off on a co-ordinated basis in Ireland and Northern Ireland at the end of 2012 and more work will to be done between then and now. Digital UK plans to keep NI viewers abreast of compatible equipment in time for ASO switch to digital and know what sort of equipment viewers might need to receive these services.
Foreseen as part of the agreement between both Governments is the establishment of a joint venture between RTÉ and TG4 to run the multiplex which will be licensed under the UK's Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 by Ofcom at the request of the UK Government. This will be a not-for-profit company. In addition, the licensee will have to put out to competitive tender all the elements
of the multiplex operation which are contestable and the multiplex will be operated on a not-for-profit and open book basis.
Mobile terrestrial television
Mobile Terrestrial Television is TV on mobile phone handsets, which does not have contention problems compared to 3G networks.The Commission for Communications Regulation issued its response to Consultation 08/44 about interest in multi-city mobile TV licenses that could cover up to 40% of the population that would lead to the Award of available UHF spectrum in the urban areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. That response to consultation was issued on Tuesday 28 July 2009 Having provided options to stakeholders in terms of 2 options outlined in Consultation 08/44 of Mobile Telegraphy License or a technology neutral Wireless Telegarphy License, and minded by the 7 responses it received, the Mobile Telegraphy License was seen as the best use of spectrum, given the nature of the spectrum of 8 MHz of UHF band in between 470 to 750 MHz in the five main urban areas due to the limited spectrum arising from DTT introduction and use of 4 multiplexes as the spectrum priority prior to analogue switchover (ASO).
ComReg proposes launch of the wholesale mobile TV network following license award be rolled out within 24 months before penalty or license withdrawal from the winner of the contest. The contest is to be done by comparative beauty contest instead of auction, given the nature of Mobile TV as a newish area and the risks in terms of investment inherenet in it. Given the limited spectrum a wholesale model as noted by the EU Commission reference 2 in such situation is chosen. This will result in third parties having access through agreements with the wholesale mobile network operator as Other Mobile TV Service Providers (OMTSPs) in a timely, reasonable, non-discriminatory and transparent manner to the network to provide their own services and electronic programme guide from up to 20 channels maximum space.
The license would be for 10 years and not automatically renewed. Those services will be encrypted by the service provider to the subscriber. Contributors to the consultation 08/44 are given time to reflect on the terms suggested for the comparative beauty contest before 11 September 2009 and following that feedback and ComReg's further reflection on that, the comparative contest guidelines will be issued and an application date set by the end of the year. The winner of that contest will have 2 years to build the network and agree terms with Other Mobile TV Service Providers. The Broadcasting Act 2009 was also referred to in Comreg Publication 09/64.
Update, April 2010
Following on from the response to its consultation at end of 2009 The communications regulator ComReg has issued an Information Notice on the future award of a mobile television license, ComReg 10/26 Mobile TV Wireless Telegraphy Licence Award on Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The Information Notice provides in ComReg's plans to issue one 8 MHz frequency channel in the UHF band in the areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford and expects to invite candidates to tender for the license in the fourth quarter of the year of 2010 and announce the license results by the end of 2010. It will weight elements of business plans when it begins the comparative process in Q4 2010. Offer of license will probably be in 2011 but this has to be determined by ComReg. International frequency co-ordination will also be ongoing during the period primarily with the UK.
Comments to ComReg's mobile television license proposal were taken until 30 April 2010.
Update November 2010
Only two responders responded to ComReg's Television license proposals consultation.These were RTÉ NL and Vodafone Ireland.Points regarding wholesale access commitments considered critical for the successful provision of wholesale Mobile TV service and the provision of Mobile TV services for the benefits of consumers more generally were discussed. the two responders addressed points regarding automatic additional spectrum and ComReg outlined that it was minded to consider later award of mobile TV license when a national network for same would be possible of for other uses. The main concern was to whether there is demand for broadcast mobile TV, given experiences elsewhere or whether the award be made post ASO when international spectrum co-ordination is clearer. ComReg welcomed views regarding these issues from interested
parties by no later than 5.00 p.m. on 9 December 2010. It will make its decision going forward on the license proposal following consideration of responses to this.
Cable
Prior to Sky Digital Cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
was the most common system for distributing multi-channel television in Ireland. With more than 40 year of history and extensive networks of both wired and "wireless" cable, Ireland is amongst the most cabled countries in Europe. Forty percent of Irish homes received cable television in September 2006. The figure dropped slightly in the early years of the 21st century due to the increased popularity of satellite reception, notably Sky
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
, but has stabilised recently.
In the Republic of Ireland, UPC Ireland
UPC Ireland
UPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
, which formally traded under the brand name Chorus NTL, is by far the largest cable and MMDS operator, owning all of the state's MMDS licences and almost all of the state's cable TV operators. UPC offers analogue and digital cable television services in cities and towns throughout the country (with the exception of Cork, where the network is digital-only). It offers MMDS services in rural areas. Other than UPC, the only other operator providing analogue and digital cable is Casey Cablevision, which operates in Dungarvan
Dungarvan
Dungarvan is a town and harbour on the south coast of Ireland in the province of Munster. Dungarvan is the county town and administrative centre of County Waterford. The town's Irish name means "Garbhan's fort", referring to Saint Garbhan who founded a church there in the seventh century...
, County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
. There also exists a small number of analogue-only cable networks such as the Longford
Longford
Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county...
service Crossan Cable.
Satellite
Direct broadcast satelliteDirect broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
service has been available since the late 1980s with the arrival of free-to-air satellite Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
and subscription service Sky Television.
In 1985 a pan-European satellite service was launched through SES Astra. The service provided viewers with pan-European channels which targeted the entire continent. On 5 February 1989, when Sky Television launched. British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
, which was also available in Ireland, launched in 1990 and the two merged to form British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
in 1990. For most of the 1990s however, Sky's DBS customer base in Ireland was dwarfed by the large numbers receiving its channels via cable. Sky Digital, Ireland's first digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
service, launched on October 1998. However, in the absence of any subsidy
Subsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
for the Sky Digibox in the Republic of Ireland - viewers in the UK could avail of both a Sky subsidy and one from British Interactive Broadcasting - the cost to initially acquire Sky Digital equipment was very expensive (IEP
Irish pound
The Irish pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £...
450) and subscriber numbers did not rise until both these subsidies were introduced into Ireland in 2000. In 2001, UK and Irish terrestrial channels became available to Irish Sky customers for the first time.
While Sky Ireland is the biggest satellite service in the Republic of Ireland, it is by no means the only satellite broadcasts available. Most free to air broadcasts available in Europe are available in the Republic of Ireland via the right receiver (set top box) and a dish pointed at the correct satellite. In 2008, Sat4free
Freesat
Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...
, an adapted version of the UK Freesat equipment, began selling in Ireland. It is a fixed NI post code version of a Freesat receiver. Some retailers in Ireland sell actual Freesat setboxes. Both Freesat and Sat4free are superior to generic satellite receivers for the reception of UK television, only old stock of Sat4Free is now available and new purchases should be "Freesat HD" even if the TV set is not HDTV. Imported "Grey market
Grey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
" (as the contract the operator has doesn't permit direct sales outside the intended Geographic area) satellite receivers are sometimes used to watch both FTA and subscription channels from visitors home countries (e.g., Cyfrowy Polsat
Cyfrowy Polsat
Cyfrowy Polsat is a Polish DTH platform. It was launched on December 5, 1999 and is owned by Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. It is the fourth largest digital platform in Europe and the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. Cyfrowy Polsat have 3,47 million subscribes.Cyfrowy Polsat S.A...
)
Following the failure of the commercial DTT process in May 2010 RTÉ submitted a revised DTT plan including a FTA satellite option to the Dept of Communications in mid June 2010 for approval. RTÉ publicly announced at an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications discussion in mid July 2010 that a free-to-air satellite service, called Saorsat
Saorsat
Saorsat is the proposed name for the free-to-air satellite service in the Republic of Ireland. The service is expected to launch in late 2011...
, would be offered to complement the terrestrial DTT service. Saorsat will enable Irish public service channels to be made available free to air and unencrypted, for the first time, as a means of covering the last 2% of the population who will be unable to receive the Saorview terrestrial service.
RTÉ said the combined offering was designed to be the most cost-effective solution for viewers and broadcasters; to offer for the first time 100% coverage of free-to-air public service television services in the Republic of Ireland; and to provide full national back-up coverage on satellite in the event of an emergency or catastrophic failure of the DTT system.
Approval for the revised National DTT plan and the new Saorsat satellite service was announced by the Minister for Communications at the end of July 2010.
It is anticipated that the Saorsat
Saorsat
Saorsat is the proposed name for the free-to-air satellite service in the Republic of Ireland. The service is expected to launch in late 2011...
satellite service will be available publicly from Autumn 2011 as tests commenced at the end of May 2011.
Other technologies
DVB-H- O2 IrelandO2 IrelandTelefónica Ireland is a broadband and telecommunications provider in Ireland. The company is marketed and trades as O2...
and 3 Ireland have commenced trials of DVB-H. However delays in licensing broadcast spectrum to the mobile sector in the Republic of IReland has forced telecoms providers such as 02 to proceed with 3G/HSDPA Mobile TV. Vodafone Ireland and 3 Ireland already have significant digital video content distributed over their 3G and 3.5G (HSDPA) networks
UPC Digital provides a wireless cable service over an all digital MMDS network reaching over 80% of the country. This network operates at 2.5 GHz to 2.7 GHz.
The now defunct SCTV
South Coast Television
South Coast TV was a television deflector and MMDS service operating in County Cork, Ireland. Its headquarters were in Carrigaline.-History:South Coast TV was founded in 1985 as the Carrigaline Community Television Project, to provide a multi-channel TV service to the people of Carrigaline...
Digital provided an advanced digital television service to Cork City and parts of County Cork. It is licenced to operate all over Munster. Operating at 11.7 GHz to 12.5 GHz (MVDDS
MVDDS
MVDDS ' is a type of television and Internet delivery technology licensed for use in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . This was subsequently tested by The MITRE Corporation for the FCC...
) it delivered approximately 75 digital television channels and video on demand services from "Sky By Wire".
Digital satellite is the only form of subscriber satellite transmission available in the country and is provided by Sky Ireland
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
(and Sky+ HD). The Freesat
Freesat
Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...
a UK service is also available in the country, as are FTA
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...
satellite channels from several other European countries.
Two companies provide digital television via IPTV; Magnet Entertainment and Smart Vision (from Smart Telecom
Smart Telecom
Smart Telecom is an Irish telecom operator that started as a phone card seller. It is also the third largest provider of cost-sensitive telecom services sector in Ireland, behind the incumbent operator Eircom and BT Ireland. It currently has an estimated 50,000 land-line customers and 18,000...
).
- Magnet Networks now offers viewers in Ireland the chance to view RTE 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...
, RTE Two, TV3, TG4, 3e and Dail & Seanad TV channels via the internet.
Deflectors (UHF Television Programme Retransmission)
In rural areas where neither cable or MMDS are available, UHF Television Programme Retransmission systems or deflectors pick up the UK terrestrial channels (either from Northern IrelandNorthern 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...
or Wales), and retransmit them on local UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
signals along with other channels. These operators faced legal action in the late 1990s from MMDS operators, as they did not pay royalties to the relevant broadcasters, and were not licenced. When the deflectors were shut down, there was such an outcry in those areas that an independent election candidate in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Tom Gildea, was elected as a TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
on a platform of supporting legalisation, which occurred in 1999.
Deflectors were first licenced in 1999 by the then spectrum regulator, the ODTR
Commission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
.
The current regulations, Wireless Telegraphy (UHF Television Programme Retransmission) Regulations, 2009 will be the last for deflectors, all deflector licences expire in Dec 2012 and will not be renewed due to the roll-out of DTT in Ireland.
Television licence
In 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,...
, a television licence
Television licence
A television licence is an official licence required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts...
is required for any address at which there is a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
set or device not exempted under Staturory Instrument 319 of 2009 see. In 2008, the annual licence fee is €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
160. Revenue is collected by An Post
An Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
, the Irish postal service. The bulk of the fee is used to fund Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
, the state broadcaster. The licence must be paid for any premises that has any equipment that can potentially decode TV signals, even those that are not RTÉ's. The licence is free to senior citizens (to anyone over the age of 70, some over 66), some Social Welfare recipients, and individuals who are blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. The fee for the licences of such beneficiaries is paid for by the state.
Most-viewed channels
The channels with the largest AGB NielsenNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
viewing share from 2002 - 2009 are outlined in the table below:
| Share of total viewing (%) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Channel | Owner | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | |
| 1 | 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... |
Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making... |
24.8 | 25.79 | 26.8 | 26.9 | 27.5 | 27.8 | 27.7 | 27.4 | 24.1 | |
| 2 | TV3 Ireland TV3 Ireland TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:... |
TV3 Group TV3 Ireland TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:... |
12.8 | 12.30 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 13.4 | 14.0 | 13.4 | 10.7 | |
| 3 | 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... |
Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making... |
9.8 | 9.65 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.2 | |
| 4 | 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... |
BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... |
4.7 | 5.29 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 9.8 | |
| 5 | UTV UTV UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3... |
UTV Media | 4 | 4.53 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 10.2 | |
| 6 | Channel 4 NI Channel 4 Channel 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... |
Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 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... |
2.9 | 3.74 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.9 | |
| 7 | BBC Two Northern Ireland | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... |
2.7 | 3.06 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.1 | |
| 8 | 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.... |
Teilifís na Gaeilge | 2.2 | 2.67 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.1 | |
| 9 | Sky1 | Sky Ireland Sky Digital (UK & Ireland) Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original... |
1.2 | 1.92 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | |
| 10 | 3e 3E 3E 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... |
TV3 Group TV3 Ireland TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:... |
1.1 | 0.85 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | |||||
| 11 | E4 | Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 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... |
1 | 1.19 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | |
| 12 | Living | Virgin Media Television | 1 | 1.18 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | |||||
| 13 | Sky News Ireland Sky News Ireland Sky News Ireland was a television news channel which broadcast in the Republic of Ireland. Sky News International is now available throughout Ireland... |
Sky Ireland Sky Digital (UK & Ireland) Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original... |
0.9 | 1.17 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.8 | |
| 14 | Sky Sports 1 | Sky Ireland Sky Digital (UK & Ireland) Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original... |
0.8 | 0.94 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | ||
| 15 | Comedy Central Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated.... |
MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe is a division of Viacom International Media Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom.MTV Networks Europe includes the multimedia entertainment brands: MTV, VH1, TMF, VIVA, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Nick Jr... |
0.7 | 1.02 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | ||||
| 16 | Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky 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.... |
BSkyB | 0.6 | 0.53 | 0.2 | |||||||
| 17 | The Discovery Channel | Discovery Inc. | 0.5 | 0.01 | ||||||||
| 18 | Setanta Ireland Setanta Ireland Setanta Sports Ireland is a subscription based Irish sports channel featuring local and international sporting events. The channel is available on some basic cable packages in the Republic of Ireland, while it is available upon direct subscription to the Setanta Sports package on other networks... |
Setanta Sports Setanta Sports Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events... |
0.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | ||||
| 19 | Nickelodeon Ireland | MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe is a division of Viacom International Media Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom.MTV Networks Europe includes the multimedia entertainment brands: MTV, VH1, TMF, VIVA, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Nick Jr... |
0.4 | 0.48 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | ||
| 20 | Sky Sports 2 | Sky Ireland Sky Digital (UK & Ireland) Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original... |
0.4 | 0.48 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | ||
| 21 | Nick Jr | MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe is a division of Viacom International Media Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom.MTV Networks Europe includes the multimedia entertainment brands: MTV, VH1, TMF, VIVA, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Nick Jr... |
0.3 | 0.46 | 0.4 | |||||||
| 22 | MTV MTV Ireland MTV Ireland is a 24-hour entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel launched on February 22, 2004.The channel features localized advertising and sponsorship for the Irish market. The channel also hosted a local shows 'MTV News' and 'MTV The Festival Show'... |
MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe is a division of Viacom International Media Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom.MTV Networks Europe includes the multimedia entertainment brands: MTV, VH1, TMF, VIVA, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Nick Jr... |
0.3 | 0.72 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | ||
| 23 | Comedy Central Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated.... +1 |
MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe MTV Networks Europe is a division of Viacom International Media Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom.MTV Networks Europe includes the multimedia entertainment brands: MTV, VH1, TMF, VIVA, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Nick Jr... |
0.3 | 0.47 | 0.1 | |||||||
| 24 | E! E! E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of... |
Comcast Comcast Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the... |
0.3 | 0.02 | ||||||||
| 25 | Other | Various | 25.6 | 20.09 | 17.9 | 17.6 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 12.3 | 10.6 | 14.8 | |
See also
- List of television channels available in Ireland
- Television in Northern IrelandTelevision in Northern IrelandTelevision in Northern Ireland is available using analogue terrestrial, digital terrestrial , digital satellite and cable ....
- Television in the United Kingdom
- List of Ireland game shows