Sky News Ireland to launch 10 May

From Monday, 10 May 2004, Sky News Ireland will broadcast twice-nightly bulletins at 7pm and 10pm.

The half-hour bulletins, anchored by Gráinne Seoige, will cover news, sport and weather across the country. At weekends a ‘Review of the Week’ will be shown at 7pm and 10pm.

Sky New Ireland has assembled a team of high-profile journalists to deliver the bulletins, including correspondents Ray Kennedy and Brian Daly, as well as West of Ireland bureau chief Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile and video-journalists Jerome Hughes and Jonathan Healy. The team will work closely with Sky News’ bureau in Northern Ireland, staffed by David Blevins and Gary Honeyford.

Gráinne Seogie said: “This is an extremely exciting time for the team. Everyone on board is very talented and dedicated to delivering a first-rate news service to our viewers.”

Sky News Ireland’s first bulletin will be at 7pm on Monday 10 May. Over two-thirds of all households in Ireland will receive the new Sky News service via cable/MMDS or satellite.

Sky digital viewers - nearly a quarter of all homes in Ireland as well as seven million subscribers in the UK - will be able to see a continuous loop of the programme from 7.30pm (updated at 10.30pm) throughout the night via Sky News Active by pressing the red button on the remote control.

· Sky News Ireland launches 10 May 2004 · The bulletins will be at 7pm and 10pm · Sky News Active will show the bulletins daily at 7.30pm and 10.30pm through to 6am the following day. The ‘Review of the Week’ will also be available via Sky News Active Sky News Ireland will be holding a pre-launch press conference, and unveiling the set, on Thursday 6 May.

Good news that there's a launch date! Though we now lose Sky News At Ten here.

There is no Irish station doing TV news at 10pm, so its actually quite a good time for Sky to run with their bullitten.

As you're in Northern Ireland you will continue to receive the normal Sky News service. The new service is for the Republic of Ireland where they've had a tailored service (as far as commercials are concerned) for some time.

I may be worng but i think Sky news is making the channel avalible to the whole island, well thats what it said in Irish News

If that is the case and there is a decent proportion of news from Northern Ireland then fair enough, as long as they don't "do a UTV" and show us irrelevant advertising 'cos that's bloody annoying. They haven't bothered putting a press release on their website so I can't check.

There is - http://www.skypublicity.co.uk/press_n.asp?rel=660 - on the website.

Yeah, thanks Ste, just found that site which is not linked to from the main Sky Corporate site where it seems only some press releases appear...

Mind you it still doesn't tell you anything about whether it's going to affect Northern Ireland...

Actually, I'm in Dublin!!!! BBC Northern Ireland and UTV are specified as my BBC and ITV regions cause that's what I recieve!

Well the Irish News isnt always reliable

There's an article in today's Irish News, by one of my mates, about Skuy News Ireland, that reads:

"The Dublin-based daily TV news show will be broadcast throughout the island..."

The only way to know whether it's true is to tune in I guess.

But that'll mean switching the feed for Northern Ireland viewers (and will that mean a separate EPG for NI as a result?).

Technically true in any case as it'll be available on Sky News Active...