Here’s a question I have: why doesn’t Freesat just tighten their footprint even more to discourage satellite spillover into the RoI? I mean most of RoI has Saorsat?
Freesat doesn’t have a ‘footprint’ its just an EPG and brand that certain digital satellite receivers share in the UK.
I’m not sure it would be that easy for satellite channels to exclude ROI whilst also covering NI. And also there is no advantage to blocking out ROI since UK rights for programmes basically allow them to air in ROI anyway.
Here’s a question I have: why doesn’t Freesat just tighten their footprint even more to discourage satellite spillover into the RoI? I mean most of RoI has Saorsat?
Because Freesat is just a platform. Channels on Freesat are the same signals, from the same satellite as the same channels on Sky. Neither Freesat or Sky have any control over the footprint fro Astra (and other's) satellites, all they do is rent the appropriate transponders.
Here’s a question I have: why doesn’t Freesat just tighten their footprint even more to discourage satellite spillover into the RoI? I mean most of RoI has Saorsat?
You find me the satellite beam that is tight enough to cover Lands End to John O Groats, the Channel Islands and up to Derry and west to Beleek and doesn’t also cover virtually all of ROI as well. And what would be the point anyway when the BBC and Channel 4 channels are on Sky for ROI viewers anyway (and both corporations are accruing a monetary benefit from this). Only ITV and Channel 5 would be interested.
Saorsat only carries RTÉ channels and TG4, it doesn’t even carry Virgin and it is really, really a last ditch solution for anyone who cannot receive Irish TV by any other means. I know no one personally and have never been in a house who has it.
There are legal requirements for BBC to be available on SKY and Cable in the Republic of Ireland, because of an agreement between the British and Irish Governments in 2010. RTE and TG4 have to be made available in the North under the same agreement. Those BBC signals are sourced from that Satellite beam that Freesat also uses.
Many other stations on that Sat beam have Irish versions which make a decent amount of money for the UK commercial broadcasters.
On Sky TV Ireland, BBC One NI, BBC Two NI, BBC Four, CBBC and Cbeebies, along with their HD versions are available on the Sky TV Ireland EPG, as a carriage deal reached between Sky and the commercial arm of the BBC - BBC Studios.
Channel 4, E4, More4 and Film4 are on the EPG of Sky TV Ireland too, as part of a carriage deal reached between Sky and Channel 4 Television Corporation.
For a very short time, ITV 3 and ITV 4 used to be on the Sky Ireland EPG until around the late 2000s when they were dropped.
Channel 5 has never been on the Irish Sky EPG and have stated that they have no interest in the Irish television platforms.
For viewers who want the other BBC channels, and the ITV channels, they simply tune them in to the "Add Channels" section of their Sky box.
Virgin Media Ireland offers more UK channels from the national broadcasters - BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC World News along with Channel 4, E4, More4 and Film4 and for some reason ITV3 and ITV4 are part of their EPG, and I have never understood why that agreement remains in place.
ITV2 used to be available on Virgin Media Ireland, but was dumped, when Virgin Media TV channels said they were going to show some ITV2 programming and so they decided not to carry ITV2 anymore.
Eir TV and Vodafone TV Ireland both offer the BBC and Channel 4 channels on their TV service, with no ITV or Channel 5 channels offered.
Indeed they offer none of the main Sky entertainment channels apart from Sky News on Vodafone TV, and of course the premium pay Sports and Cinema channels.
Firstly it's not Freesat who provides the satellite..... they are only the EPG Each broadcaster contracts with a Satellite operator to rent some space on their satellite and the particular beam ..... so as most Freesat channels are also in sky they may want Irish coverage
Secondly it would cost a fortune to get a tighter beam and to stablise the satellite to ensure that if it did not illuminate the Irish republic it was also illuminating bits of Wales and Scotland let alone Northern Ireland
If it is complicated to establish a footprint that excludes ROI, then why not just encrypt the channels? The BBC has done it before and RTE does it for their channels on Sky such that non-NI customers won't get access to it.
If it is complicated to establish a footprint that excludes ROI, then why not just encrypt the channels? The BBC has done it before and RTE does it for their channels on Sky such that non-NI customers won't get access to it.
1. Because encryption costs money.
2. Because Freesat don’t have that capability
3. As has been a explained it’s not really in the broadcasters interest to exclude Republic of Ireland viewers. So there is little point.
For those of us with longer memories, the BBC and Channel 4 (and ITV, when it eventually joined) were originally encrypted on Astra. The BBC channels didn’t become available to ROI Sky customers until a deal was done with what was BBC Worldwide in 2001. That was a major milestone for Sky in Ireland, who up until then were regarded as a luxury that you would take on top of cable/MMDS for extra channels if you were loaded, or if you had no other option for pay TV. It made them a genuine alternative to cable, and they are now the biggest pay TV provider in the country.
The BBC going FTA meant it saved a huge amount on encryption charges to Sky. That is a massive saving to the UK licence payer.
For those of us with longer memories, the BBC and Channel 4 (and ITV, when it eventually joined) were originally encrypted on Astra. The BBC channels didn’t become available to ROI Sky customers until a deal was done with what was BBC Worldwide in 2001. That was a major milestone for Sky in Ireland, who up until then were regarded as a luxury that you would take on top of cable/MMDS for extra channels if you were loaded, or if you had no other option for pay TV. It made them a genuine alternative to cable, and they are now the biggest pay TV provider in the country.
The BBC going FTA meant it saved a huge amount on encryption charges to Sky. That is a massive saving to the UK licence payer.
This is very true, pre-2001 Satellite Dishes in Dublin and Cork City were rare enough while out the country a lot of people had them, but they weren't switching quickly to Digital. Once BBC became available it all changed. The Usual Set up in parts of the South and West of the Country was you got BBC, UTV, and Channel 4 off a rebeaming system (which was broadcast free to air on UHF) and everything else off the Dish.