The Newsroom

CNN International & Domestic

(January 2006)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
MA
Meridian AM

Why do you think it’s the case that CNNI has a lower penetration rate in most UK hotels compared to RoI and the rest of Europe? It’s kind of ironic that CNNI is effectively headquartered in the UK and yet has poor reach even in major hotel chains.


I guess it's because the UK has two really good News Channels that actually provide news. CNN International is a pale imitation of the station that was there 20 years ago. They seem to broadcast domestic CNN an awful lot, often when there is little happening, and there's a lot happening elsewhere in the world.

I haven't stayed in a hotel in Ireland for the past 6 months (the obvious reason!) However any Hotels I've stayed at outside of Dublin recently did not have CNN. They had SKY News, BBC News and one had Al Jazeera, One Hotel in Galway County had SKY TG24 from Italy. (that's a few years back).

Just checking on CNN partner Hotels and they only have two partner Hotels in Ireland, they've over 60 in the UK, one of them being the Trump Turnberry in Scotland Shocked .


The impression you get is that CNN finds airing international news an unwanted burden - the simulcasts are beyond a joke with how frequent they are (even pre Covid).

As you say if I want UK news and a UK perspective BBC News and Sky News are my go-to and if I want a global news summary Al Jazeera is far better than CNNI. CNNI’s Asia reporting is great but you’d be forgiven at times for thinking nothing happens outside the US, UK or Hong Kong.
As I’ve said too so often the CNNI team are rarely to blame - there’s a load of great anchors, correspondents etc. However, the US operation and those in charge are just abysmal.


Exactly. I have hardly been watching CNN International now, as it is just constant US simulcast after simulcast.
I saw Quest Means Business a couple of times last week, which used to be a great global finance bulletin aimed at European viewers in prime time. But literally everything on the two programmes I saw last week were US stories and with all US interviewees and reports.
This will not attract a British audience.

I think I'll stick with Sky News.
GL
glondon

I'm Irish and have watched it since the nineties. Having said that, when I go home, I've never seen anyone watch CNN. Sky News seems to be everywhere.


In Northern Ireland or the Republic? If it's the latter, I'm surprised by this since Sky News has such a strong focus on UK domestic news. (And now that the UK has left the EU, British news isn't all that relevant to other Europeans, but perhaps Ireland is different because of its history.)


Republic! We talk a lot about the rivalry and make fun of each other but that bottom line is, the UK and Ireland are actually very close. Most won't admit it because of the history though!
Sky News does feature news regarding the Republic and I think we would be more inclined to tune to Sky News for anything newsworthy. As mentioned time and time again on this forum, CNNI has very little international news now unless it is a huge story and what news we want about the American election, we get from the nightly RTÉ bulletin.
RTÉ does have a "news channel" but it's God awful and as far as I know, the BBC News channel is not available to Irish subscribers to Sky.
France 24/Euronews is broadcast overnight on both RTÉ main channels.
GL
glondon
Cable television has a very long history in the Republic of Ireland, starting properly in 1970 when the Irish broadcaster created a commercial subsidiary RTE Relays to provide cable television first in Dublin, providing BBC One, BBC Two and ITV to cable customers along with the RTE Television channel. Channel 4 was added in November 1982.

RTE Relays was joined by a large number of cable companies which launched during the seventies, with the Irish government limiting new cable services to areas of Ireland which could receive the UK channels via spill over signals from either Northern Ireland or Wales. It wouldn't be until 1981 before the rest of Ireland were permitted to have a cable company, the first being Ireland's second largest city Cork, which had Cork Multi Channel TV launch in 1981 and it provided a great line up of channels by the end of the 80s.


Jeez... Cork Multi Channel! That brings back memories! I grew up in West Cork and remember being very jealous of those in the City because it wasn't available county wide. We had two (count 'em!), TWO channels growing up. It wasn't until I was a teenager that a version of Cork Multi Channel finally became available and we had ten channels, which was our introduction to 24 hour news with Sky News Channel.
RD
rdd Founding member

RTÉ does have a "news channel" but it's God awful and as far as I know, the BBC News channel is not available to Irish subscribers to Sky.


Not on the EPG but via manual tuning for those who really want to watch.

Quote:

France 24/Euronews is broadcast overnight on both RTÉ main channels.


Euronews.

France 24 has been on TG4 since it became fully independent of RTÉ.
HE
headliner101

Freeview. Simple as that. A lot of hotel systems will be built around freeview. Even the fancy customised systems with VOD offerings will take the linear channels from OTA Freeview.


Are these hotel TV systems unique to the UK? Because it’s the reverse in the US where almost every hotel you enter has CNN (+ESPN etc). Before DTT made a splash in Britain, did hotels offer cable channels? Lest I go off-topic, most continental European hotels have national channels from neighbouring countries, especially channels based in Germany, Italy, and to some degree France. It’s much rarer in the UK.
Last edited by headliner101 on 6 July 2020 2:12pm
WW
WW Update

Freeview. Simple as that. A lot of hotel systems will be built around freeview. Even the fancy customised systems with VOD offerings will take the linear channels from OTA Freeview.


Are these hotel TV systems unique to the UK? Because it’s the reverse in the US where almost every hotel you enter has CNN (+ESPN etc). Before DTT made a splash in Britain, did hotels offer cable channels? Lest I go off-topic, most continental European hotels have national channels from neighbouring countries, especially channels based in Germany, Italy, and to some degree France. It’s much rarer in the UK.


The main German TV networks are free-to-air (via satellite) throughout Europe, and because German tourists are numerous throughout the continent, it makes sense to add them to the TV lineup.

Having said that, wherever I've stayed in France, I've pretty much only seen TDT (the French DTT) in hotel rooms. Granted, I've mostly stayed in inexpensive rural hotels, but this was also the case in at least one Paris hotel. Only an airport-based hotel belonging to a chain had satellite TV.

Here in Slovenia, almost every hotel offers a full assortment of international TV channels, CNNI and BBC World News included, either from the local cable company or a satellite dish. But then again, the vast majority of tourists in the country is from abroad, so offering just the local channels wouldn't really cut it.
RD
rdd Founding member
I have, unfortunately, seen in recent years an increasing number (if still a minority) of hotels in Ireland only offering Saorview channels. Mostly in the west. More typically a hotel would offer BBC, Channel 4, ITV (even though it’s no longer on pay TV here) and a handful of satellite channels usually including Sky News.

It would be rare (but not unknown) for an Irish hotel to offer any channels not originating in Ireland or the U.K. TV5Monde used to be a favourite because it was on analogue cable in Dublin for a good few years.
JE
Jeffmister
Do we have an idea when all of CNN International's London programs will be back returning? They've been off-air for an awfully long time now and don't know whether anyone else is thinking this but I'm starting to doubt (Amanpour aside) whether they'll return at all
BF
BFGArmy
Not any time soon I’d imagine since any CNN memos to staff seem to suggest people not returning into the office for a while yet. And CNN will surely be more election heavy and so continue with simulcasts all the way as the year continues.

I can see Hala’s show still remaining too as she’s one of the main CNNI presenters. But I do fear for Max’s show, The Brief and YWT - even before the pandemic it was almost a running joke how often YWT would be pre-empted for TSR or a simulcast for any old reason. It felt pre-pandemic that CNN almost wanted an excuse to dump some of their existing International shows. Wouldn’t be surprised if some shows ‘do not return’.
NE
Newsroom
Not any time soon I’d imagine since any CNN memos to staff seem to suggest people not returning into the office for a while yet. And CNN will surely be more election heavy and so continue with simulcasts all the way as the year continues.

I can see Hala’s show still remaining too as she’s one of the main CNNI presenters. But I do fear for Max’s show, The Brief and YWT - even before the pandemic it was almost a running joke how often YWT would be pre-empted for TSR or a simulcast for any old reason. It felt pre-pandemic that CNN almost wanted an excuse to dump some of their existing International shows. Wouldn’t be surprised if some shows ‘do not return’.


Max's show isn't going anywhere. They've just produced an extensive Max Foster Promo that airs on International and Domestic.
MA
Meridian AM
Not any time soon I’d imagine since any CNN memos to staff seem to suggest people not returning into the office for a while yet. And CNN will surely be more election heavy and so continue with simulcasts all the way as the year continues.

I can see Hala’s show still remaining too as she’s one of the main CNNI presenters. But I do fear for Max’s show, The Brief and YWT - even before the pandemic it was almost a running joke how often YWT would be pre-empted for TSR or a simulcast for any old reason. It felt pre-pandemic that CNN almost wanted an excuse to dump some of their existing International shows. Wouldn’t be surprised if some shows ‘do not return’.


Max's show isn't going anywhere. They've just produced an extensive Max Foster Promo that airs on International and Domestic.


That is a generic 'trust CNN'-type promo voiced by Max, hence it being able to be shown on domestic. It is advertising his own show.
GL
glondon
Speaking of the election (and when don't they!), CNN has extensive coverage of Trump, his rallies, speeches, tweets, burps, etc. etc. But what about Biden? At this stage of the election year in 2016, there was coverage on both Democratic and Republican candidates. They mention Biden from time to time but I would imagine that he must be campaigning in some way in the US. He can't just sit at home until October!
All this Trump heavy coverage is just stirring his (fan)base and encouraging them even more to come out in support of him come November.
Am not American, have no say, no influence but am curious.

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