Changes to the Sky TV guide - December 2020

[Andymc2000]

Get a freesat TV or box installed when you change your TV next. I find myself using the sky box less and less now.

Sky have caused this themselves by the way in which they set up the channel charges to access UK and ROI epgs separately.

there are now just 4 stations in the music channels section and 5 radio channels 

will contemplate cutting the cord in the new year - Netflix and Amazon supply 90% of what we watch now....

[TimmyBGood]

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@Andymc2000 wrote:

Sky have caused this themselves by the way in which they set up the channel charges to access UK and ROI epgs separately..

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Nope.

Following Brexit, broadcasting and video on-demand services with a UK license are affected from January 1, 2021, when they are also offering their services outside the UK.

France successfully kept the audio visual sector out of the last-minute deal in a major blow to the UK, which is home to around 1,400 broadcasters, about 30% of all channels in the EU.

Britain’s TV and video-on-demand services will no longer be able to offer pan European services to European viewers unless they relocate part of their business to an EU member state. Most international broadcasters such as Discovery, A+E Networks and even the international channels from the BBC have already new licences in place in various EU countries.

On January 1, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the country of origin principle will no longer apply to services under UK jurisdiction broadcast into the EU.

However, the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ECTT) framework will still apply.

This means that the twenty EU countries that have signed up to ECTT must allow freedom of reception to services under UK jurisdiction. How this right is given effect in each country may depend on national law and how the ECTT has been implemented locally.  The UK must also permit freedom of reception for services that originate from all countries that are party to the ECTT.

However seven European countries have not signed up to ECTT: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Sweden.

broadbandtvnews d0t c0m (December 27, 2020)

[Bocht]

Hi

Will there be a price reduction in ROI as we have lost all the music and radio channels?

Can RTE Gold be added to the platform?

[Annie+UK]

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@Bocht wrote:

Hi

Will there be a price reduction in ROI as we have lost all the music and radio channels?

Can RTE Gold be added to the platform?

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The answer can be found earlier in this thread

[nolte]

@Bocht according to contract, those channels are free at no additional cost.

For rte gold, it is rte's decision to not have it on the epg. They would be the ones to ask.

Considering rte announced that they wanted to close down rte gold and the other digital only stations 2xm and pulse, unlikely. 

[Bocht]

Thanks and remember that France is not responsible for Brexit 

[Andymc2000]

Yes but this legislation would have little effect if the level of control over the EPG wasn't developed to the extent it was.

Irish BAI /Comreg doesn't tend to get involved in UK origin channels - even when they are specifically aimed at the Irish market!

The original analog service just gave you a card activated for your chosen package, you tuned in your box yourself or the installer did it, what ever was free to air, was free to air,  absolutely nothing to do with Sky. Sky's remit was just to provide the pay tv channels it sold.

The digital product should be the same, or similar, it should allow you to record other channels or at very least with a timer / now and next listings, this would have largely resolved the issue.

Skys product segregates, look at the music channels section here in Ireland - there is just 3 channels left! Even at the launch it had a better offering than that!!! A tv with the most basic of satellite tuners would give me more than that and allow me to record to a usb stick!!!! 

Sky has made little effort to address the Irish market offering, it has known about the Brexit issue for quite some time, it's a real case of take it or leave it, and they can because of the monopoly they have on the market here.

It is a real shame boxer tv never took off... but then again that is the same thing 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Andymc2000 wrote:

Irish BAI /Comreg doesn't tend to get involved in UK origin channels - even when they are specifically aimed at the Irish market!

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But that's exactly the point: they didn't have to while both nations fell within wider EU regulatory frameworks.

[nolte]

Sky wrote to the broadcasters  in October 2018 of the need of two licenses because of Brexit.

If broadcasters decided not to take action, that isn't sky's fault.

[quinnmaster]

I saw the post about license agreements but that is just not good enough.

Why was this allowed happen?

Why are Irish viewers the ones getting screwed here?

Why was there no notification whatsoever that we would lose pretty much all the music channels and most of the radio channels?

No letters were sent, nothing.

It was all done on the sly.

One day I look for the music channels and find out they're all gone except the MTV rubbish channels.

Why are we expected to pay the same amount of money for far less channels?

Nothing was done by Sky or anyone involved to stop this.

None of them cared about screwing us Irish viewers out of what we are entitled to.

This is an absolute disgrace.

It's not acceptable.

Sky can't get away with this and expect us to pay the same amount of money for so much less.

It was done so slyly, unfairly and dishonestly.

[garyneville1]

Just cancel sky then that's what I have done. It's too expensive anyway even with the music and radio channels included, just get a Freeview/saorview combo box.

[plymouthbloke]

@quinnmaster 

As stated about 30 times already, it's not Sky's problem if a third party broadcaster decides to stop providing their FREE channels in Ireland. You were NOT paying for them. Sky have done nothing wrong. 

[garyneville1]

They are still free in Ireland, you just need to stop paying for sky to get them through their box as they are not part of the sky package that people are paying for. Or else use the manual tuning malarky on the sky q box and enter the pin everytime to view a missing channel. It's annoying having to do this already  for itv channels and music channels now also. If there is nothing sky can do about it then just leave them if you miss those channels and feel the sky package is not value for money, I did 🙂

[Bocht]

Hi Quinnmaster

Absolutely agree with everything 

The least Sky could do is negotiate with RTE gold for at least one decent channel and yes the MTV channels are rubbish 

[Mark39]

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@Bocht wrote:

The least Sky could do is negotiate with RTE gold for at least one decent channel....

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No, it's the other way round. If RTE want their channels to be listed on the Sky platform it's up to them to get the licenses required and then to talk to Sky..