Sky faces Irish EPG rules

Satdude

Sky faces Irish EPG rules

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) is pushing ahead with plans to regulate Electronic Programme Guides for multichannel broadcasters in the country. It means that providers including Sky Digital and UPC Ireland would be required to give priority to Irish broadcasters.

In the Irish Republic, Sky gives priority to RTE 1,RTE 2,TV3 and TG4, which take the top positions that are occupied by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The British stations appear lower down the guide for Irish viewers. Recently launched Dublin station Channel 6 is seeking a more prominent position in the guide.

It is expected that Sky will argue that it should be regulated only by the UK’s Ofcom. However, if the BCI wins the day Sky could be forced to run a significantly different numbering scheme for Irish viewers.

The BCI is expected to discuss its EPG proposals in October.

Regards Satdude.

Analoguesat

That one hasnt been thought through properly. Giving Irish stations precedence would also include Bubble Hits and one or two other minor channels that are Irish based.

This has raised its ugly head again just beacause Channel 6 Ireland badly wanted epg 105 and got allocated something up in the 200's instead. They postponed their launch for a year (and slid 40 odd epg slots down the list as a consequence) simply because they threw their teddy out of the pram at their first allocation (180 odd)

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