I have also found the following from another newspaper in Ireland "The Sunday Post". They have written the following:
RTE crisis as BBC exits Sky satellite
20/04/03 00:00
By Sean Mac Carthaigh, Political Correspondent
RTE is facing the biggest crisis in its history. The station's bosses fear that it may soon be relegated to the B-list of European television channels.
The looming crisis stems from the BBC's unexpected decision to make all its stations available free on satellite from the end of next month.
RTE's stark choice is to either join BBC on the free satellite system and lose the ability to negotiate separate Irish rights to popular programmes, or to stay on the Sky-owned platform and lose a huge chunk of its viewers.
The organisation's director general Bob Collins has written to his opposite number at the BBC, Greg Dyke, in the hope of finding a solution, but most industry analysts are pessimistic. The RTE Authority has already discussed a bleak, 20-page report on the future for the station in the light of the development.
The Minister for Communications, Dermot Ahern, is also concerned. Ahern said last night the move had forced a re-thinkof his plan to roll out a 35 channel, all-Ireland digital terrestrial television system.
But he said he remained completely committed to delivering all-Ireland television - which is part of the Good Friday Agreement - whether terrestrial or satellite.
The BBC's decision stunned the television industry, and is being seen generally as a courageous blow struck by the organisation for its own independence.
Currently,the BBC pays Rupert Murdoch's Sky €85 million a year to be on the BSkyB satellite. ITV and Channel 4 are almost certain to follow the BBC onto the new platform.
The footprint for the free satellite covers all of Britain and Ireland. This means that anyone in Ireland will be able to buy a small satellite dish and box and receive all the British channels for free, forever. Viewers will be able to pick up RTE, Network 2, TV3 and TG4 only with "rabbit ears" or an outside aerial.
Studies show that because switching from satellite to a traditional aerial is cumbersome, most viewers will not bother.
The Irish stations expect a massive fall-off in viewers.
If the Irish stations join BBC on the free satellite, however, the companies that sell the rights to top series will charge them up to ten times as much, because they are broadcasting to Britain too. In effect, this will mean Irish stations will not be able to afford to buy the latest episodes, and have to make do with running old shows already seen by most viewers several months previously on British stations.
"RTE is concerned about the implications of these proposals for the acquisitions of rights for programmes, both domestically and internationally," said Cathal Goan, head of RTE Television.
Ironically, Greg Dyke has also met with some criticism from within the BBC. Programmers at BBC Scotland and BBC Wales say the top slot on the on-screen programme guide used by the free satellite viewers will inevitably be BBC
London, relegating them to further down the list. On the "electronic programme guide" of existing Sky customers, it is likely that all of the BBC stations will be relegated, partly as revenge for Dyke's temerity in establishing a rival platform.
Also concerned are cable companies such as NTL and Chorus.
Many of their subscribers will ask themselves why they should pay a monthly fee as infinitum for something they can get free after a once-off purchase.
I feel that the BBC is taking the piss here and I feel that we cant let them destroy other countries national broadcasters. Also why should British licence payers have an annual fee when this will be free for all in Ireland, France etc.
Goodby to the licence and bring in the subsription fee.
Oh dear BBC you have lost your case to hold your licence and why because you shot yourselves in the foot by acting before thinking.
Maxi 1
