Comments on: Cable monopoly in Ireland now complete http://funferal.org/blog/2005/06/15/cable-monopoly-in-ireland-now-complete/ engraved and retouched and edgewiped and pudden-padded Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:48:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andrew Ó Baoill http://funferal.org/blog/2005/06/15/cable-monopoly-in-ireland-now-complete/comment-page-1/#comment-229 Andrew Ó Baoill Thu, 23 Jun 2005 04:15:01 +0000 http://funferal.org/blog/?p=942#comment-229 <p>It is a monopoly of the distribution channel. As I noted above, Malone is also the second largest shareholder in NewsCorp, which owns Sky, so things are even tighter.</p> <p>As regards the availability of terrestrial BBC channels you have a limited point. However, this is only an option on the East coast and near the border. The 'community repeaters' still exist, but were grandfathered in (it's not possible to create new ones) and have a very limited lifespan.</p> <p>Indeed, once digital supplants analogue TV in the UK - within the next few years - it will be very difficult for those wishing to continue this practice. It is unlikely that digital converters for the UK system(s) will be available in Ireland.</p> <p>It is true that there are free satellite reception options (subject to having a dish) and indeed we both know people who use these. In the broad sense of the overall TV market there are obviously several options, but I don't think that detracts from the seriousness of the consolidation of the cable/Sky markets.</p> <p>According to a Comreg report ( http://comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0534b.pdf ) 44% of households use cable or MMDS, now controlled by one company. 25% use a satellite dish (the remainder use the TV's own aerial or external aerials (28%) or community deflectors (2%)). No details are given of the proportion that use Sky, but they are the largest in the satellite field. Comreg further claim that 69% use some form of Pay-TV - I'm not sure if this indicates that the non-Sky satellite share is under 2%, with community deflector costs being included or if they are just adding the 44% and 25% figures.</p> It is a monopoly of the distribution channel. As I noted above, Malone is also the second largest shareholder in NewsCorp, which owns Sky, so things are even tighter.

As regards the availability of terrestrial BBC channels you have a limited point. However, this is only an option on the East coast and near the border. The ‘community repeaters’ still exist, but were grandfathered in (it’s not possible to create new ones) and have a very limited lifespan.

Indeed, once digital supplants analogue TV in the UK – within the next few years – it will be very difficult for those wishing to continue this practice. It is unlikely that digital converters for the UK system(s) will be available in Ireland.

It is true that there are free satellite reception options (subject to having a dish) and indeed we both know people who use these. In the broad sense of the overall TV market there are obviously several options, but I don’t think that detracts from the seriousness of the consolidation of the cable/Sky markets.

According to a Comreg report ( http://comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0534b.pdf ) 44% of households use cable or MMDS, now controlled by one company. 25% use a satellite dish (the remainder use the TV’s own aerial or external aerials (28%) or community deflectors (2%)). No details are given of the proportion that use Sky, but they are the largest in the satellite field. Comreg further claim that 69% use some form of Pay-TV – I’m not sure if this indicates that the non-Sky satellite share is under 2%, with community deflector costs being included or if they are just adding the 44% and 25% figures.

]]> By: owen http://funferal.org/blog/2005/06/15/cable-monopoly-in-ireland-now-complete/comment-page-1/#comment-228 owen Wed, 22 Jun 2005 04:10:49 +0000 http://funferal.org/blog/?p=942#comment-228 I'm not sure if in Ireland cable is really a monopoly, as there are other options to recieve TV broadcasting, including the free analogue system, the free astra satelite system, the "sky" commercial packaging of the same astra system, and the old-school putting up a high-gain antenna and pointing it at the UK (either northern ireland or wales depending on geographic location). While there may be a monopoly on multichannel TV delivered through co-axial cable, as there are other options, some of which only involve a once-off hardware outlay. (as a note - aldi and lidl both occasionally sell dishes and digital receivers which can pick up BBC, etc...) I’m not sure if in Ireland cable is really a monopoly, as there are other options to recieve TV broadcasting, including the free analogue system, the free astra satelite system, the “sky” commercial packaging of the same astra system, and the old-school putting up a high-gain antenna and pointing it at the UK (either northern ireland or wales depending on geographic location). While there may be a monopoly on multichannel TV delivered through co-axial cable, as there are other options, some of which only involve a once-off hardware outlay. (as a note – aldi and lidl both occasionally sell dishes and digital receivers which can pick up BBC, etc…)

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