Will RTE ever be free to air on satellite ?

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Kensington

For RTÉ to run on satellite they would essentially require their own transponder

Three channels (even at high bitrate) dont = one transponder

Originally Posted by Kensington

they don't have an uplink company to go nor can they can avail of bargaining power themselves. Tranponders cost many tens of thousands per year to lease.

But they could cut a deal by going direct to an uplink company such as Arqiva, who rent a number of transponders and hence have bargaining power with SES-Astra. ?

Originally Posted by Kensington

For what output they could broadcast in the clear

All their home produced output at the very least

Originally Posted by Kensington

it wouldn't be worth their while turning encryption off - they may aswell encrypt 24/7.

The majority of Continental PSB's are either FTA 24/7 or find it worth their while to turn their encryption off during home produced programming. A lot of them leave it off during many of the imported programmes too

Originally Posted by Kensington

If they want to remain on sky digital, they have no choice but to have at least one encryption stream running NDS. Sky charge astronomical royalty fees for use of the NDS system.

Sky boxes have slots for third party CAMS to cover eventualities like PSB's using third party encryption

Originally Posted by Kensington

Thirdly, programme distributors aren't stupid. They're not going to turn a blind eye to RTÉ blasting itself unecrypted over Western Europe, regardless of what EPGs they're on (or not on).

Why ?

[Kensington]

Originally Posted by Mike

Three channels (even at high bitrate) dont = one transponder

Originally Posted by Mike

But they could cut a deal by going direct to an uplink company such as Arqiva, who rent a number of transponders and hence have bargaining power with SES-Astra. ?

Correct, but who do they share channels with?
How do they get their feed to the uplink company, at low cost?

Originally Posted by Mike

All their home produced output at the very least

News and current affairs, that's about it.
They don't have rights to broadcast sport.
Some of their third party produced programming, eg. Fair City, they aren't permitted to put on the RTÉ Player service, never mind put it out FTA.

Originally Posted by Mike

The majority of Continental PSB's are either FTA 24/7 or find it worth their while to turn their encryption off during home produced programming. A lot of them leave it off during many of the imported programmes too

A German picking up a French language FTA broadcast? Not really as big a problem as someone in the UK picking up a broadcast from an Irish channel.

Originally Posted by Mike

Sky boxes have slots for third party CAMS to cover eventualities like PSB's using third party encryption

This requires paying Sky to activate the CAMs, and provide support for them. The issue of managing the second encryption system, viewing cards etc. still remains too.

Originally Posted by Mike

Why? (Thirdly, programme distributors aren't stupid. They're not going to turn a blind eye to RTÉ blasting itself unecrypted over Western Europe, regardless of what EPGs they're on (or not on).

If you're selling a program to Ireland the UK, lets take Lost for example, and you sell it to RTÉ on a fee set by the potential audience, do you think the likes of Sky will happily pay out a proportionally much larger fee (bigger potential audience) when people in the UK suddenly finds out they can watch it on their Sky box, through RTÉ, and they don't even need a subscription?

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Kensington

Correct, but who do they share channels with??

That would be a matter for the multiplex provider surely.

Originally Posted by Kensington

How do they get their feed to the uplink company, at low cost?

Negotiate a deal with a telecom company like other broadcasters do ?

Originally Posted by Kensington

Some of their third party produced programming, eg. Fair City, they aren't permitted to put on the RTÉ Player service, never mind put it out FTA.

They really need to look into their negotiating strategy when dealing with these outfits.

Originally Posted by Kensington

A German picking up a French language FTA broadcast? Not really as big a problem as someone in the UK picking up a broadcast from an Irish channel.

A handful of Irish expats and satellite anoraks = a "problem" ???????

Originally Posted by Kensington

This requires paying Sky to activate the CAMs, and provide support for them.

Or appealing to OFCOM (Skys regulator) or failing that referring the matter to the European court (abuse of dominant market position)

Originally Posted by Kensington

If you're selling a program to Ireland the UK, lets take Lost for example, and you sell it to RTÉ on a fee set by the potential audience, do you think the likes of Sky will happily pay out a proportionally much larger fee (bigger potential audience) when people in the UK suddenly finds out they can watch it on their Sky box, through RTÉ, and they don't even need a subscription?

Most people are at least to some degree aware that it is possible to download such programming (albeit usually illegally) the day after it appears on TV in the states. Does it stop Sky showing these programmes ?

Do RTE and TV3 still pay UK broadcasters for rights to show UK soap operas which are available FTA in Ireland from UK broadcasters ?

This whole issue of "programming rights" is really overblown. RTE need to be more robust in their dealings with both rights holders and Sky.

[Jordanstown listener]

This whole issue of "programming rights" is really overblown

Have you noticed some of the plus 1 channels are blank due to rights issues ? e.g. ITV3 +1, and ITV4 +1 ?

[Dipole]

That should change from March.

[Astec]

Originally Posted by Mike

Secondly just how expensive is video encryption (remember there are other systems apart from $ky's ?

There are probably alternatives. The problem is that when RTE go to the Hollywood studios, competitors will no doubt stir the pot and insist that RTE have the best system in place and comparable to Sky.

Thirdly the whole premise of this thread is that there is actually no need for RTE to encrypt at all so long as they dont appear on any EPG's outside of Ireland.

The premise of this thread is that RTE is that if RTE goes off the Sky EPG it is essentially a dead duck. FTA systems are the preserve of a handfull of anoraks.

How does being on a satellite transponder defeat RTE's FTA status ? Indeed if they are FTA on a transponder it enhances it.

Every station is on a transponder but can the average Joe Soap find it without an EPG?

And how many non-freesat FTA boxes were sold ?

I would say sweet FA when compared with Freesat.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Astec

There are probably alternatives. The problem is that when RTE go to the Hollywood studios, competitors will no doubt stir the pot and insist that RTE have the best system in place and comparable to Sky.

.

"Best system" surely a rather subjective concept.
Plenty of European PSB use other encryption systems (or dont encrypt at all) and Hollywood dont seem too bothered.

Originally Posted by Astec

if RTE goes off the Sky EPG it is essentially a dead duck. .

Sky operate regionalised EPG's for the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and over 20 + mainland UK regions (oh and the Channel Islands). RTE are currently only on the RoI and NI versions on the EPG. If RTE went FTA they would have the option of either
1) Renegotiating their carriage deal with Sky to continue being included on the RoI/NI EPG's
2) Lobbying OFCOM and/or the European courts to force Sky to do same
3) Publicise themselves (within Ireland) as being available on "add channels/other channels" and how to tune in

Originally Posted by Astec

FTA systems are the preserve of a handfull of anoraks..

Which more or less proves the point that encryption is not necessary to protect "programme rights".

[Kensington]

Originally Posted by Mike

Plenty of European PSB use other encryption systems (or dont encrypt at all) and Hollywood dont seem too bothered.

Originally Posted by Kensington

A German picking up a French language FTA broadcast? Not really as big a problem as someone in the UK picking up a broadcast from an Irish channel.

Originally Posted by Mike

.
1) Renegotiating their carriage deal with Sky to continue being included on the RoI/NI EPG's

Which will cost them a small fortune every year.

Originally Posted by Mike

2) Lobbying OFCOM and/or the European courts to force Sky to do same

Which will cost an even bigger fortune and take years upon years once you take cases, appeals, appeals on appeals etc. into account.

Originally Posted by Mike

3) Publicise themselves (within Ireland) as being available on "add channels/other channels" and how to tune in

It'd be easier just to tell people to go out and buy a DTT box if they want to continue watching RTÉ in digital. Other channels provides only Now/Next programme guide info, no way of adding it to the EPG, no way of recording on Sky+.

Originally Posted by Mike

Which more or less proves the point that encryption is not necessary to protect "programme rights" (FTA systems are the preserve of a handfull of anoraks..)

The only thing it proves, if it proves anything, is that RTÉ has nothing to gain from going FTA if it'll only benefit anaroks from abroad who don't contribute a cent in licence fee payments...

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Kensington

The only thing it proves, if it proves anything, is that RTÉ has nothing to gain from going FTA if it'll only benefit anaroks from abroad who don't contribute a cent in licence fee payments...

TBH I would envisage them doing it more for Irish Expats abroad (and non-$ky subscribers at home) than for the sake of anoraks as for those who don't contribute a cent in licence fee payments RTE do go to some effort to make (some of) their services available in Northern Ireland........