The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has announced that it will enter into negotiations for a television content provision contract, under Section 71 of the Broadcasting Act, with Teilifís Mhaigh Eo Teoranta. It is envisaged that the new service, ‘Irish TV’, will commence broadcasting in January 2015.
‘Irish TV’ is a new local and international channel targeting the global Irish diaspora. Its schedule consists mainly of weekly half-hour programmes from all counties in Ireland, plus a selection of themed programmes on sport, music, entertainment, business, lifestyle, education and agriculture. It also offers some news and current affairs programming.
It is intended that Irish TV will serve as a linear television channel for distribution by Arqiva on the Astra satellite across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Households in Ireland have access to ‘Irish TV’ on a range of platforms including Sky TV, eircom eVision and Freesat. The service is currently in negotiations with UPC for carriage on its platform, while it will also be available throughout the USA, Asia and Australia.
The BAI will now enter into contract negotiations with Teilifís Mhaigh Eo Teoranta and further details will be announced at the conclusion of the process.