It also looks like the channels supplied by Vision TV Network from France will require an Ofcom licence to continue broadcasting in the UK, which include France 2, 3 and 5 although I'm unsure how legal IPTV channels are licenced?
I do not see how broadcasting UK channels to the Irish republic is a thing - am I missing something here, or have I missed what is being explained?
Eh how can you not understand that is a thing? Do you think that only Irish originated channels broadcast to Ireland?
The Sky platform is available in Ireland, the majority of the channels available to viewers in Ireland in Sky are UK channels. There are also cable companies in Ireland who carry channels from the UK. A lot of the bigger channels (those owned by Sky and UKTV for example) are specific versions for the Republic of Ireland, but they're licensed by the UK regulator Ofcom
That's fine now as both the ROI and the UK are in the EU and the rules are that as long channels are licensed in one EU country they can broadcast to any other.
Spin forward to March 30th 2019 and if the UK does leave the EU on that day you've got channels licensed in a non EU country which will now potentially be illegally broadcasting. The likes of ITV, Sky and UKTV will have to be licensed by the BAI too. The same goes for channels from the UK that broadcast to Italy, France, Spain, Germany etc, they could be illegally broadcasting to their respective countries
Surely any television channel which broadcasts to the Irish republic from the UK on Sky, Virgin Media Ireland, Eir TV etc will continue, as they are under contract with the individual broadcasters e.g. Sky channels, BBC channels etc. I do not see this being a problem, because if it was, we would have heard about it way before now in the media.
I do not see UK channels falling off Irish television platforms after Brexit.
The section of the Good Friday Agreement that deals with the Irish (and Ulster Scots) language states that the British government will:
“explore urgently with the relevant British authorities, and in co-operation with the Irish broadcasting authorities, the scope for achieving more widespread availability of Teilifis na Gaeilige in Northern Ireland;”
Surely any television channel which broadcasts to the Irish republic from the UK on Sky, Virgin Media Ireland, Eir TV etc will continue, as they are under contract with the individual broadcasters e.g. Sky channels, BBC channels etc. I do not see this being a problem, because if it was, we would have heard about it way before now in the media.
A contract with Sky/Virgin etc for carriage is irrelevant if they don't have a license to broadcast. Sky won't give the channel a slot on the EPG in the UK if it doesn't have an Ofcom license (on the rare occasion that a license has been withdrawn Sky have whipped it off their system pretty sharpish) The same will apply to its Irish EPG - a channel will need a license from a regulator in an EU country to be on it
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 21 November 2018 5:46am - 2 times in total
If a hard border is located in the Irish Sea between the Mainland and Northern Ireland then what will its effect be on broadcasting - if any? Will Mainland based companies be allowed to continue offering their channels from transmitters located in Northern Ireland unrestricted or will this violate certain EU trade legislation?
Not much would change for the first couple of years at least.
I'd imagine worst case scenario they'd make BBC One NI like BBC America and put adverts on it if RTE decided that they'd take over the license fee for NI. Or RTE could decide that NI can remain exempt from the license fee but you must continue to pay the BBC license fee. Or perhaps license fees won't exist and all TV will be viewed via a subscription on the Internet like netflix.
All of the BBC main channels is widely available and accessed in the Republic of Ireland now on Virgin Media Ireland, Sky Ireland, Vodafone TV and Eir TV - I do not see any changes after Brexit has finally happened.
All of the BBC main channels is widely available and accessed in the Republic of Ireland now on Virgin Media Ireland, Sky Ireland, Vodafone TV and Eir TV - I do not see any changes after Brexit has finally happened.
Also in a worst case scenario you could get any channels you miss on Freesat if any were pulled.
All of the BBC main channels is widely available and accessed in the Republic of Ireland now on Virgin Media Ireland, Sky Ireland, Vodafone TV and Eir TV - I do not see any changes after Brexit has finally happened.
Also in a worst case scenario you could get any channels you miss on Freesat if any were pulled.
BBC provide their channels to the Irish tv providers via their commercial arm BBC Studios. Carriage deals means BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, CBBC and Cbeebies appear on the Irish Sky EPG, with BBC News and BBC World News added on Virgin Media Ireland EPG. All this is done on their carriage deals, which will not change after Brexit. Channel 4 channels also appear on Sky Ireland, Virgin Media Ireland, Vodafone TV and Eir TV too, under carriage deals.