Why is Ireland so averse to anyone receiving RTE outside of Ireland?

[COF]

For example, all the main UK channels are broadcasted FTA on Astra 28.2E, and I don't think there has ever been even a suggestion of encrypting them, it is just considered a given that they are availabile for free all over Europe.

However, RTE seem to have gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure no one outside of Ireland will be able to receive Irish TV, even to the point of putting the channels on some obscure satellite using some obscure band that requires some obscure LNB and receiver. They seem obsessed with it to the extent they've even discussed the fine details of whether a few people in WALES will be able to receive THEIR signal.

It almost comes across as a bit protectionist, almost as if they're making the statement "These are OUR channels and you foreigners aren't STEALING them".

 

[Lazarus]

Then they'd be right ................. Copyright costs money.

Furthermore, the replacement birds for 28E will continue the push to reduce overspill (albeit not to the extent that is possible with Ka Band, as used by SAORSAT.

And even on Ku Band, RTE is not available without a Card registered to an Irish address.

 

[COF]

Why doesn't BBC, ITV, Channel 4, etc consider copyright to be a concern considering those channels are blasted FTA all across Europe?

 

[Lazarus]

They do.

The overspill is accounted for in the costs of Rights and when the ageing Satellites were first rendered operational technology was such that it wasn't easy to create spot beams. That's all changing.

Until recently, as capacity issues meant ITV had to shift a few regions off the old Astra 2D, they were then Encrypted.

Now 1N is operational, they're all back (or about to come back) on the "narrow" beam and unencrypted.

They are by no means "blasted all over Europe" - although they are indeed easy catch in some areas, they are nigh on impossible in many other. Big, big dishes and uncertainty about the future.

We have reams and reams of Threads here about Fringe Reception of 28E (especially 1N) - always have, always will.

 

[Analoguesat]

For example, all the main UK channels are broadcasted FTA on Astra 28.2E, and I don't think there has ever been even a suggestion of encrypting them, it is just considered a given that they are availabile for free all over Europe.

All the main BBC channels were encrypted at ftv level until 2003

In fact the BBC used to provide ftv cards (solus cards)!

 

[Vipersan]

If satellite service providers had their way ..All countries and borders would be circular ..as this would make 'containing' the overspill to a bare minumum easy
The way things are going they may well get their way..
No they can't re-shape land masses but could conceivably cover any landmass with a plethora of smaller spot beams.
Sadly this is the way things are heading ..as they now control the tech to shape or contour the broadcast area ..
When they do ..our 'satellite' world will shrink ...and our hobby will effectively come to an end ..
Sure they will never totally close overspill borders ..but they can close them down to dissipate quickly and reduce overspill to mere 10s of miles ..instead of 100s if not thousands as it was back in the days of Cband Analogue.
rgds
VS

 

[JOHN896]

It`s so easy these days to get a sky second hand contract,wait for the card to come in the post then use the royal mail postcode finder.Add a house number or flat number to a street in northern ireland,ring sky up tell them you have moved address give them a postcode and a made up house number or flat number.If they say it`s not coming up on there system tell them it`s a new build,they manually add the address
rte one,rte two and tg4 get turned on in a few minutes.

 

[Ghostleader]

All the main BBC channels were encrypted at ftv level until 2003

In fact the BBC used to provide ftv cards (solus cards)!

!!

Anybody got a solus card? Thats some t.v. history there.

 

[timo_w2s]

Don't forget there's only about 6 million people in Ireland whereas there's over 60 million in the UK. For RTE that's a huge increase in potential overspill (seen from the copyright holders point of view).

 

[Analoguesat]

!!

Anybody got a solus card? Thats some t.v. history there.

I think they were just standard ftv cards. I doubt they are distinguishable from the Sky issued ones unless someone has a list of the serial numbers issued.

 

[excollier]

You're not missing a fat lot anyway, unless you are an Irish homesick ex-pat.
And TV3 & 3e won't be on Saorsat as it stands at the moment, so three channels at most, with a lot of Uk and American content.

 

[fergyc]

Another related issue is Sports.

In the UK, Premier Sports have the rights to all GAA and other sports etc. shown on RTE, Setanta, TV4 etc. (they even keep the logos on their channel) so that is another reason.