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CO
commseng
What's the reason why TV3 isn't on HD on Saorview, is it lack of capacity, or financial?
CH
chinamug
What's the reason why TV3 isn't on HD on Saorview, is it lack of capacity, or financial?


It was Financial, then Liberty Global bought it. So now it's more a case of using it to promote other Liberty Global properties in Ireland which would be Virgin Media Ireland. That's why you've had investment into TV3 for the first time in a long time. Plus spending silly money on Sports events like the 6 Nations and the Rugby world cup. The Relaunch of TV3 and it's other Two stations has not worked so there's a name change coming up this year. It's also likely that they'll spend money on any sporting rights that become available.
RD
rdd Founding member
Cost. No non-RTE channel has ever made a HD version available on Saorview. While TV3 don’t talk much about it, what little they have said is that it’s due to the 2RN rate card for Saorview.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/no-launch-date-for-rt%C3%A9-s-delayed-saorview-connect-service-1.3226968

My understanding of the Saorview rate card is that going HD effectively more than doubles your transmission costs. If anyone would like to try and make sense of it....

https://static.rasset.ie/documents/about/rte-saorview-wholesale-access-reference-offer-appendix-b-2017.pdf

Of course this doesn’t affect RTE so much, since they’ll get the money back if 2RN declare a dividend to their one and only shareholder...RTE.

On the U20s, France v Ireland U20s was televised. France v England isn’t for a good few weeks (9th March) so it may simply not be scheduled yet.
CH
chinamug
rdd posted:
Cost. No non-RTE channel has ever made a HD version available on Saorview. While TV3 don’t talk much about it, what little they have said is that it’s due to the 2RN rate card for Saorview.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/no-launch-date-for-rt%C3%A9-s-delayed-saorview-connect-service-1.3226968

My understanding of the Saorview rate card is that going HD effectively more than doubles your transmission costs. If anyone would like to try and make sense of it....

https://static.rasset.ie/documents/about/rte-saorview-wholesale-access-reference-offer-appendix-b-2017.pdf

Of course this doesn’t affect RTE so much, since they’ll get the money back if 2RN declare a dividend to their one and only shareholder...RTE.

On the U20s, France v Ireland U20s was televised. France v England isn’t for a good few weeks (9th March) so it may simply not be scheduled yet.


It was Cost but not at this stage. It would be double to get TV3 on HD but that would only be an extra million and a half appox. However, that's small change now. they spent 20 million on the Six Nations and will lose money on the coverage. (a lot of money!) They want to promote Virgin Media at this stage. In management minds, they have no business promoting or supporting Saorview other than their minimum legal commitments.
CO
commseng
That tariff document suggests that it is around €930k for SD and €2,300k for HD which if they can argue that if you want it for free then it's SD for you, or you can pay for HD. That's a decision made for you by TV3's owners.
Not going to make them popular though, and if viewers go to BBC / ITV HD instead it may well backfire.
Last edited by commseng on 4 February 2018 5:23pm
TM
TMD_24
NBC is debuting new graphics for the Super Bowl tonight. You should be able see this on Sky Sports while I expect BBC to take the NFL Network feed.
RD
rdd Founding member
They did the same three years ago when they last had it. I’ve liked that set and will be sorry to see it go. Oddly of all the NFL broadcasters the current nicest is Fox’s, although only since this season. (Not the nicest of all American Football though, that would be ESPN’s college football graphics).

About the “NFL Network” feed, since it will no doubt come up - although it carries NFL Network branding, it’s actually the world feed. NFL Network doesn’t actually have rights to the Super Bowl and I think just shows a barker graphic during the game.
TI
TIGHazard
NBC is debuting new graphics for the Super Bowl tonight. You should be able see this on Sky Sports while I expect BBC to take the NFL Network feed.


I hope not, the international feed is pretty bad. I did e-mail them a few weeks ago (start of Jan) and got this response, so I'm hoping for the NBC feed but I'm expecting them to use the world feed.

"Thank you for contacting us with regards to the BBC's NFL coverage. Unfortunately, at this point we don’t have any further info about what upcoming TV feed we’ll be using. Mark Chapman will host the shows, which combine the best of the NFL action plus analysis. Alongside him will be former New York Giants defensive back Jason Bell and two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. That said, be assured we have passed your thoughts to the production teams behind our NFL coverage, as well as BBC Management via our audience feedback report to ensure your comments are seen by the right people quickly."
TM
TMD_24
Also regarding the Super Bowl, Sky are on-site this year. Last year they were in Sky Studios with a pointless audience which dragged the coverage down.
RD
rdd Founding member
It’s a nice set too.

The new NBC graphics seem to have lots of italics and angles, from what Sky have briefly shown. Smaller than the old ones.
UK
UKnews
There are good reasons to use the international feed - it contains a fixed number of fixed length ad breaks so is much easier to work with, or in the BBCs case - fill. The US network feed can move ad breaks around, make up commercial time later if it’s lost earlier on. If the BBC’s production team aren’t as used to working with US network covergae as Sky’s are then they may feel by using the international feed they’ll up producing ‘smoother’ coverage around the game.

It also has little or no sponsosrship / product placement so is ‘safer’ for the BBC as well. Sky tend to use it for the half time show as it doesn’t have the on screen sponsorship DOG the US network feed has had in the past.

Good that Sky Sports’ coverage is in 5.1.
TI
TIGHazard
There are good reasons to use the international feed - it contains a fixed number of fixed length ad breaks so is much easier to work with, or in the BBCs case - fill. The US network feed can move ad breaks around, make up commercial time later if it’s lost earlier on. If the BBC’s production team aren’t as used to working with US network covergae as Sky’s are then they may feel by using the international feed they’ll up producing ‘smoother’ coverage around the game.

It also has little or no sponsosrship / product placement so is ‘safer’ for the BBC as well. Sky tend to use it for the half time show as it doesn’t have the on screen sponsorship DOG the US network feed has had in the past.

Good that Sky Sports’ coverage is in 5.1.


I'm aware of why they do it, it's just they used to use the US feed and now they stopped. I noticed a lot of people on the /r/NFL subreddit saying they hope they don't use the international feed as well.

Also something I didn't point out at the time but apparently during the Vikings v Browns game when we got the NFL Network feed, we got the US commentary team while according to people on Reddit in the US they were getting a UK commentary team. I shared a clip of the BBC's coverage and got responses like "We got those guys up to the end of the first quarter then we got two other guys commentating on NFL Network"

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