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OUR TV!  Irish
TV: Coming to a screen near you soon
By Fiona Audley
FULL details have been revealed of the new RTÉ TV channel that
will be beamed into Britain within the next 12 months.
News, sport and entertainment for an Irish audience will be available
by St. Patrick’s Day 2009.
The move follows a long-running Irish Post campaign to establish a dedicated
channel for the Irish in Britain.
Viewers will be able to receive the programmes via the new Freesat digital
TV service — due to be launched by the BBC and ITV later this year.
The Irish channel will be called Diaspora TV and feature content from
RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4.
The move has already been welcomed by Irish people across Britain.
Londoner Malcolm O’Leary said: “This is the thing we’ve
been waiting for.
“Everyone has been calling for this and at last we have got what
we want.”
And Marie Scanlon from Birmingham said: “All credit to The Irish
Post for fighting for this for so long.
“And let’s give credit to RTÉ for finally realising
this was needed and getting it off the ground. We can’t wait for
it to get started.”
Viewers will still need to ensure they have a satellite dish and the right
set-top box to receive Diaspora TV — but it’s a small price
to pay for something the Irish in Britain have been crying out for for
so long. THESE are the faces that could be beamed into your homes bringing
you news, sports and entertainment all the way from Ireland once RTÉ’s
Diaspora TV channel is up and running.
Newsreaders from RTÉ’s One, Six-one and Nine O’Clock
bulletins are the first to be confirmed in the new channel’s programme
line-up — which should be active in Britain on the Freesat digital
service in less than a year.
Those who purchase a Freesat box, which will be available here this spring,
will enjoy more than 80 free channels including Diaspora TV — due
to be on air by St. Patrick’s Day 2009.
At which point the likes of Natasha Kaplinsky on Five News and Huw Edwards
from the BBC newsroom could get a run for their money in the audience
stakes as Ireland’s favourite presenters look to take precedent
in the homes of Irish immigrants.
After waiting years for RTÉ to provide a link to their native television
service, while living away from home, many viewers could quickly revert
to their old television watching habits.
And with RTÉ promising Diaspora TV will be a “channel for
the Irish abroad” there are likely to be a few programme favourites,
a mixture from RTÉ One, two and TG4, journeying across the Irish
Sea — although which ones have yet to be confirmed.
But if they choose to bring the Dublin-based Fair City over, it could
prove a great success as its Celtic take on the well-known soap style
has held fans on both sides of the water for decades.
Its appearance in England could just snatch the crown from Eastenders
or Coronation Street, for loyal followers.
Elsewhere children could be plonked back in front of the likes of The
Den while dinner is being prepared — leaving CBBC high and dry.
And for those second generation youngsters Diaspora TV could provide a
first look at the Irish answers to Tracey Beaker and Blue Peter from the
comfort of their English armchairs.
Entertainment offerings could include the Winning Streak Game Show —
a popular choice for Lotto fans, or the Afternoon Show which fills the
days of students and housewives alike with an Irish brand of daytime chat
— so the likes of Fern Britten and Philip Schofield should also
be watching this space.
What you could be watching: The British alternative:
- The Afternoon Show This Morning
- RTÉ One News BBC News at One
- Winning Streak The National lottery Draw
- The Den CBBC
- Primetime Panorama
- The Sunday Game Match of The Day
What to do and how to get it
What is Freesat?
Freesat is a brand new digital satellite TV service which will be launched
this spring.
The service is a joint venture being launched and funded by the BBC and
ITV as a not-for-profit service.
It will provide households with a huge range of TV, radio and interactive
services on more than 80 channels for a one-off payment — there
are no monthly subscriptions.
It will be available to 98 per cent of households across Britain, the
few who can’t receive it being those whose satellite dish is not
pointing towards the correct satellite.
The price has yet to be confirmed but it will include a digital box, satellite
dish and installation and the service will be available to buy from high
street retailers such as Currys, John Lewis and Argos.
If your television is HD-ready Freesat will also give you access to High
Definition programmes — which provide sharper images, brilliant
colour and better sound quality.
Freesat users will also be ready for the impending digital switchover,
which sees the old British analogue system replaced with a digital signal
— buying Freesat will convert you to a digital signal.
You can check if your household can receive Freesat and get further
information at www.freesat.co.uk
What is Digital Switchover?
From 2008 to 2012 television services in Britain will go completely digital
— region by region — this process is being called digital
switchover.
The old television broadcast analogue signal is being switched off and
replaced with a digital signal.
Any TV set that is not converted to digital when the switchover takes
place will no longer be able to receive TV programmes.
To continue to watch television householders must either buy a digital
box for their existing TV, which can receive the signal via aerial, satellite
dish or cable, or upgrade their television to one with a built in digital
box — indicated by a digital tick logo.
Every TV you want to keep watching in your home will need to be converted
or upgraded to digital.
Once you have converted you can enjoy the benefits that come with a digital
signal, including a range of extra channels provided as standard and for
free — such as E4, Sky News and ITV3, a better quality TV picture
and new features such as on-screen TV listings.
For more information about the Digital Switchover visit www.digitaluk.co.uk
What is HDTV?
HDTV stands for High Definition Television, a new technology allowing
viewers to view higher definition — better sound, image and colour
quality — pictures.
HD programming is usually offered through subscription services, such
as Sky Digital or Virgin Media, for a fee, and can only be viewed through
a HD-ready television.
A HD-ready television simply means a television which can display these
high-definition pictures and will have a logo to indicate this —
however, it is not necessarily a digital TV.
HD programming is usually four times higher than the standard broadcast
quality.
The new Freesat service will offer HD programming for free. |
