Easy TV

Easy TV DTT

Type	Digital Terrestrial Television
Industry	Media
Founded	2008, dissolved 2009, declined offer 2010
Headquarters	Dublin, Ireland RTÉ Enterprises Dublin, Ireland Liberty Global
Products	Considered offering a digital terrestrial television service in the Republic of Ireland in 2008 & declined the offer in May 2010.
Revenue	None
Website	None

Easy TV was a consortium that have been offered a licence by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to run the pay television services on the DTT platform in the Republic of Ireland.^[1] It was last one standing and least preferred in the 2008 contest results.

Easy TV consisted of a consortium made up of a subsidiary of public service broadcaster, RTÉ and a pay TV cable provider company RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd (50%), Liberty Global (50%),

Easy TV considered its position on the license offer which it was offered on April 29, 2010.^[2][3] The Easy TV consortium informed the BAI on 12 May 2010 that it was declining their offer to pursue negotiations regarding the Commercial DTT Multiplex Licence.^[4] RTÉ publicly confirmed on 14 May 2010 Easy TV was "declining their offer to pursue negotiations" on the DTT contract.^[5] The BAI officially confirmed Easy TV's withdrawal and the conclusion of the current DTT licensing process on 18 May 2010.^[6]

Easy TV Project

• On April 17, 2010 it was reported^[7] that crucial talks have broken down between the OneVision consortium and RTÉ on the basis of a number of issues such as DTT Promotion, multiplexing and the security bond, which a third party has reviewed and given their opinion. One Vision commented to the BAI on the 3rd party's review and the BAI considered that view after deadline of Wednesday April 21, 2010. It appears it has made a decision, not to rule on RTÉ Network's position but to determine that One Vision is unable to conclude the license as the difference in position between One Vision and RTÉ NL is too at variance to be bridged. Following communication to One Vision and responses considered, it offered to Easy TV the license and requested some indication of Easy TV's sponsors interest in same before its next Board meeting near the end of May 2010.
• One Vision has apparently withdrawn its license acceptance according to the print edition of the Irish Independent April 29, 2010, page 22^[8] This follows an article also in the print edition of the Irish Independent on April 24, 2010 that it had queried why the independent adjudicator in the positions between One Vision and RTÉ Networks had not recommended a way forward. The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has apparently offered the license to Easy TV, and apparently an RTÉ Spokesperson has confirmed that the Easy TV Consortium has to consider its position on the offer in due course.^[9]
• On May 12, 2010 The Easy TV consortium informed the BAI that it was declining their offer to pursue negotiations regarding the Commercial DTT Multiplex Licence having carefully considered the current opportunity, both parties agreed, due to the significant lapse in time and the altered circumstances since Easy TV’s original application in 2008, that they did not wish to pursue the joint venture at this time.^[10]
• On May 14, 2010 RTÉ confirmed Easy TV was "declining their offer to pursue negotiations" on the DTT contract.^[11]
• On May 18, 2010 The BAI officially confirmed Easy TV's withdrawal and the conclusion of the current DTT licensing process. They also confirm they withdrew from contract negotiations with the Onevision consortium in April 2010 due to their failure to conclude a contract with RTÉ NL for the provision of transmission services.^[12][13]

Proposed offering operated by RTÉ NL

RTÉ propose a number of extra channels to be freely available unencrypted across the Republic of Ireland. These channels include the current Analogue services of RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TV3 (Ireland), and TG4. In the Broadcasting Act 2009 the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has (following the suggestion by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and James Morris the head of the Irish Film Board) provided for the establishment of 2 new public service broadcasters to provide services currently under the working titles of the Houses of the Oireachtas Channel and the Irish Film Channel. The Irish Film Channel will be owned and operated by the IFB/BSÉ. The addition to these with subscription basis and branded separately for the benefit of viewer clarity remains to be determined.

Free-to-air or Public Service Broadcasting Multiplex (Saorview)

It has been announced in mid January 2010 that RTÉ has appointed Teracom AB to conduct receiver compliance testing for Irish free-to-air (FTA) DTT receivers. Those receivers which pass the tests thereby meeting the Irish DTT specification will be eligible to be licensed to use RTÉ’s “Saorview” logo, which will confirm to consumers that the receiver is Irish FTA DTT compliant. RTÉNL will publish a full list of compliant DTT receivers on its web site.^[14]

Manufacturers/distributors wishing to use the Saorview logo will submit receivers to Teracom for testing. When a receiver passes the tests, it will then be eligible to be licensed by RTÉ to carry the Saorview logo.”

A November 1, 2010 FTA DTT launch is now on target following a direction from the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, to RTÉ and signing of the RTÉ (National Television Multiplex) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 85 of 2010) on February 26, 2010. The planned DTT information campaign is likely during Summer 2010 in advance of launch regardless of the outcome of the BAI commercial DTT negotiations.^[15] 90% coverage at launch is required of the RTÉ multiplex while the remainder of the country is to be covered by December 31, 2011 providing at minimum the 4 Irish terrestrial channels. This also tallies with RTÉNL proceeding with Irish DTT receiver certification announced in January 2010, following the selection of Teracom to conduct the tests and expansion of the network engineering tests during 2009.^[16][17]

Below are the possible channels, subject to change

• RTÉ One
• RTÉ One +1 (proposed channel)
• RTÉ Two
• RTÉ Three (proposed channel)
• RTÉ News Now
• RTÉ HD (proposed channel following analogue switchoff in 2012)^[18]
• TV3
• TG4
• Irish Film Channel - unclear, current status, given economic downturn. However enshrined in Broadcasting Act 2009 as new broadcaster.
• Houses of the Oireachtas Channel - unclear, current status, given economic downturn. However enshrined in Broadcasting Act 2009 as new broadcaster.

Cross-border partnership

On 1 February 2010 the Republic of Ireland's Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan signed an agreement with the UK's Ben Bradshaw.^[19] This agreement will enable viewers within Northern Ireland to watch RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 on a free-to-air basis as of 2012.^[20] The agreement between both jurisdictions will also guarantee that viewers within the Republic of Ireland will be able to view BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Two Northern Ireland on the Republic of Ireland's free-to-air service which is to debut in late 2010. A cross-border initiative has always been on the agenda for the Green Party in the Republic of Ireland. However in recent days, a change has occurred such that BBC services are now to be offered in the Republic of Ireland on a 'paid for' basis and not the original free-to-air basis.^[21] This change has been referred to as a mistake between the MOU and press releases.

Easy TV's proposed offering

Pay per view channels

Soft Pay Pack - €TBD^[22](Channel line-up and cost structure subject to change)

• BBC One Northern Ireland
• BBC Two Northern Ireland
• BBC Three
• BBC Four
• Channel 4
• 3e
• City Channel
• Extreme Sports

Mid Pay Pack - €TBD

• MTV
• Yesterday
• Living
• Discovery
• E4
• More4
• Film4
• Sky1
• Comedy Central
• Sky Sports News

Premium Packs Sports Pack - €TBD (Subject to change)

• Setanta Sports
• Sky Sports 1
• Sky Sports 2
• Sky Sports 3
• Sky Sports 4

Sky Movies Pack - €TBD (Subject to change)

• Sky Movies Premiere
• Sky Movies Showcase

References

• ^[23]
• ^[24]

External links

• RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Limited
• Liberty Global