Boxer TV Ireland
Encyclopedia
Boxer DTT Limited was a company that had been awarded the contract to operate a mainly pay-TV digital terrestrial television
service in the Republic of Ireland
.
Boxer was a joint venture between Boxer TV Access AB, now owned ultimately by the Government of Sweden
via Teracom
(3I recently sold their stake to Teracom in Boxer AB), and Denis O'Brien
's Communicorp
Group Limited specifically established, with the support of BT Ireland
, to promote, support and drive take-up of DTT in Ireland. They had been awarded in principle three multiplex contracts, for multiplexes (A, B,C). (As with all BCI licences, the operating company only holds contracts, the actual broadcasting licences being issued by the Commission for Communications Regulation
to the BCI). Raidió Teilifís Éireann
will hold one further multiplex licence intended mainly for free-to-air services.
However on 20 April 2009, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland confirmed that Boxer had withdrawn its application to operate the digital terrestrial television multplexes in Ireland.. In the absence of a contract, the company is extremely unlikely to ever commence trading.
) and OneVision
which is made up of Setanta Sports
, TV3 Ireland
, Arqiva
and Eircom
. On 20 April 2009, the BCI revealed that OneVision had been the second placed applicant and that following Boxer's withdrawal, it intended to ascertain whether it was still interested in operating the DTT multiplexes.
submitted to the Commission detailed a service on the following lines..
Free to air "Saorview" channels:
The "Boxer Starter Pack" includes 7 channels for € 9.99 per month (provisional):
The "Boxer Pack" includes the Starter Pack and 11 channels for € 22.99 per month (provisional):
Two "Premium Packs" for € 24.99 each per month:
Boxer pay features might have included "pay as you go", "plug and play" installation and a selection of portable card options for different customer requirements.
Some commentators point to potential media concentration conflicts due to Communicorp involvement in radio and the Irish Independent Newspaper as shareholder in receiving competition regulatory approval. However, Boxer did not intend to produce content, but rather run a platform, so would have argued that such concern does not currently arise in its current business model.
Thus at least with the rollout continuing with more transmitters starting test transmissions for DTT the Free-to-air launch looks at least on-target. Whether FTA DTT gets formal public marketed launch or not is the open question but without doubt FTA DTT will be receivable at least in test form and odds on are that free-to-air DTT will get a public launch, with or without pay DTT launch.
On 20 April 2009, the BCI announced that Boxer had ended negotiations on the DTT contract without a successful outcome. Boxer DTT confirmed this http://www.boxer.se/?page=1365 on their website and wished the BCI well in reaching DTT objectives. Following One Vision's protracted and unsuccessful negotiations following Boxer's widthrawal, the BAI, its successor regulator on April 30, 2010, now intends to establish whether the third placed consortium, Easy TV, is still interested in the DTT multiplex operator's contract.
COMMUNICORP/BOXER Sweden/Boxer
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
service in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Boxer was a joint venture between Boxer TV Access AB, now owned ultimately by the Government of Sweden
Government of Sweden
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
via Teracom
Teracom
Teracom is a terrestrial broadcast transmission service company owned by the Swedish Government. Teracom owns all Swedish broadcast transmission sites, and distributes all terrestrial radio and TV channels, private as well as public-service, analogue as well as digital.Teracom Components is a...
(3I recently sold their stake to Teracom in Boxer AB), and Denis O'Brien
Denis O'Brien
Denis O'Brien is an Irish businessman with international connections. An Arts graduate of University College Dublin, O'Brien has received a MBA in corporate finance from Boston College in 1982, and was later given an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin.O'Brien has involvement with...
's Communicorp
Communicorp
Communicorp is an Irish media holding company, wholly owned by Denis O'Brien.-Background:Communicorp Group Ltd was formed by Denis O'Brien in 1989. The Group’s radio operations launched in Ireland in the same year and followed with stations in the Czech Republic in 1992...
Group Limited specifically established, with the support of BT Ireland
BT Ireland
BT Communications Limited is a telecommunications and internet company in Ireland. It is a subsidiary of BT Group plc.-Esat Telecom:The company was founded in 1990 by Denis O'Brien, and was originally known as Esat Telecom...
, to promote, support and drive take-up of DTT in Ireland. They had been awarded in principle three multiplex contracts, for multiplexes (A, B,C). (As with all BCI licences, the operating company only holds contracts, the actual broadcasting licences being issued by the Commission for Communications Regulation
Commission for Communications Regulation
The Commission for Communications Regulation is the general communications regulator for the Republic of Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications....
to the BCI). Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
will hold one further multiplex licence intended mainly for free-to-air services.
However on 20 April 2009, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland confirmed that Boxer had withdrawn its application to operate the digital terrestrial television multplexes in Ireland.. In the absence of a contract, the company is extremely unlikely to ever commence trading.
Competition
Boxer received in principle the conditional contract for Muxes 2-4 (A-C). They beat off strong competition from two other consortia to win the 12 year contract. These two were Easy TV made up of RTÉ Commercial Enterprises & Liberty Global Incorporated (parent of UPC IrelandUPC Ireland
UPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
) and OneVision
One Vision (DTT)
OneVision was a consortium that have been offered a licence by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to run the pay television services on the DTT platform in the Republic of Ireland....
which is made up of Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
, TV3 Ireland
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
, Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
and Eircom
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
. On 20 April 2009, the BCI revealed that OneVision had been the second placed applicant and that following Boxer's withdrawal, it intended to ascertain whether it was still interested in operating the DTT multiplexes.
Launch plans
Boxer's business planBusiness plan
A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals....
submitted to the Commission detailed a service on the following lines..
Free to air "Saorview" channels:
- RTÉ OneRTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
- RTÉ One +1RTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
(proposed) - RTÉ TwoRTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
- RTÉ ThreeRTÉ ThreeRTÉ Three was a proposed channel by RTÉ Television.It was the working title of a proposed general entertainment channel. It was initially proposed that the channel would air a variety of programming not currently being shown on RTÉ One and RTÉ Two as well as having access to the RTÉ archives, and...
(proposed) - Timeshares during weekends with RTÉ Sport - RTÉ News NowRTÉ News NowRTÉ News Now is a 24-hour news television network in the Republic of Ireland operated byIrish public service broadcaster RTÉ. The channel launched as RTÉ News Now available exclusively online on June 12, 2008. The channel began broadcasting as a free-to-air channel on October 29, 2010 on...
- RTÉ SportRTÉ SportRTÉ Sport is a cross platform, integrated business division of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, responsible for the provision of sport coverage on RTÉ Radio, RTÉ Television, and RTÉ.ie....
(proposed) - Timeshares during weekdays with RTÉ Three - RTÉ HD (proposed)
- TV3
- TG4TG4TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
- Irish Film Channel
- Houses of the Oireachtas ChannelHouses of the Oireachtas ChannelHouses of the Oireachtas Channel or informally Oireachtas TV is a public service broadcaster for the two houses of the Oireachtas . The channel was created under the Broadcasting Act 2009 for broadcast on the proposed roll out of Irish Digital Terrestrial Television...
- The DenThe Den (television)The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
- Timeshares with RTÉ Two from 6am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and from 7am to 1pm Saturdays - Two TubeTwo TubeTwo Tube is an Irish youth-aimed programming strand broadcast on RTÉ Two in Ireland, from 17:35 - 19:00, on weekdays. Two Tube replaced TTV, which was basically the same show with few differences, on Monday 7 September 2009...
- Timeshares with RTÉ Two from 5.30pm to 7pm (Monday to Friday) - Cúla 4Cúla 4Cúla 4 is branded children's block on Irish language public broadcaster TG4. The strand was first established in 1996 as Cúlabúla; with the rebrand of TnaG to TG4 in 1999 Cúlabúla was renamed as "Cúla 4"....
- Timeshares with TG4 from 7am to 7pm - Property TV (proposed)
- Women's TV (proposed)
The "Boxer Starter Pack" includes 7 channels for € 9.99 per month (provisional):
- BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
- BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
- UTVUTVUTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
- Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
- DiscoveryDiscovery Networks EuropeDiscovery Networks Europe is a subsidiary of Discovery Networks International. The network was established in 1989 with its headquarters based in London and New York....
- EurosportEurosportEurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
- BBC News 24
The "Boxer Pack" includes the Starter Pack and 11 channels for € 22.99 per month (provisional):
- Sky OneSky OneSky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
- Living
- Sky NewsSky NewsSky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
- Film 4
- MTVMTV IrelandMTV Ireland is a 24-hour entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel launched on February 22, 2004.The channel features localized advertising and sponsorship for the Irish market. The channel also hosted a local shows 'MTV News' and 'MTV The Festival Show'...
(time-share) - Nickelodeon (time-share)
- Disney ChannelDisney Channel (UK)Disney Channel is a children's entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 1 October 1995. A one hour timeshift service called Disney Channel +1 is available on Sky and Virgin Media...
- E4
- Setanta IrelandSetanta IrelandSetanta Sports Ireland is a subscription based Irish sports channel featuring local and international sporting events. The channel is available on some basic cable packages in the Republic of Ireland, while it is available upon direct subscription to the Setanta Sports package on other networks...
- BBC IrelandBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(new channel composed of BBC 3, 4, CBBC and CBeebies it would also require more participation than normal from BBC) - ITV IrelandITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
(new channel composed of ITV 2, 3 and 4 it would also require more participation than normal from ITV)
Two "Premium Packs" for € 24.99 each per month:
- Three sports channels from either Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, Setanta SportsSetanta SportsSetanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
or rightsholders. - Three movie channels from Sky MoviesSky MoviesSky Movies is the collective name for the premium subscription television movie channels operated by Sky Television, and later British Sky Broadcasting. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite, cable and IPTV in the UK and Ireland...
, UPC or rightsholders.
Boxer pay features might have included "pay as you go", "plug and play" installation and a selection of portable card options for different customer requirements.
Some commentators point to potential media concentration conflicts due to Communicorp involvement in radio and the Irish Independent Newspaper as shareholder in receiving competition regulatory approval. However, Boxer did not intend to produce content, but rather run a platform, so would have argued that such concern does not currently arise in its current business model.
Promotion
A national information campaign for Irish DTT will be carried out by the DCENR. Had Boxer launched, it had proposed to use mostly TV and Radio advertisements making use of Communicorp's group of radio channels and via promotion in retailers large and small using commission sales and potentially traveling information roadshows.End of contract negotiations
According to an article in the Irish Independent on February 26, 2009, there could be further delays in a launch of Pay DTT slated for late 2009. Boxer had not completed contract with RTÉ NL regarding equipment and the contract for the license with the BCI is not yet concluded leaving a little unclarity regarding pay DTT launch date. According to the article however, "While there is an obvious synergy between the commercial and public aspects, the department expects RTÉ to deliver on the 2007 (Broadcasting) Act obligations (to achieve analogue switch-off by 2012) and to ensure the project does not lose its momentum," informed the Department of Communications to the newspaper article's author.Thus at least with the rollout continuing with more transmitters starting test transmissions for DTT the Free-to-air launch looks at least on-target. Whether FTA DTT gets formal public marketed launch or not is the open question but without doubt FTA DTT will be receivable at least in test form and odds on are that free-to-air DTT will get a public launch, with or without pay DTT launch.
On 20 April 2009, the BCI announced that Boxer had ended negotiations on the DTT contract without a successful outcome. Boxer DTT confirmed this http://www.boxer.se/?page=1365 on their website and wished the BCI well in reaching DTT objectives. Following One Vision's protracted and unsuccessful negotiations following Boxer's widthrawal, the BAI, its successor regulator on April 30, 2010, now intends to establish whether the third placed consortium, Easy TV, is still interested in the DTT multiplex operator's contract.
See also
- Boxer SwedenBoxer TV AccessBoxer TV Access is a Swedish company providing pay television channels on the digital terrestrial television network in Sweden. Modeled on the British ITV Digital, it was founded in October 1999. Some channels on the Swedish DTT are free-to-air, but most of the channels require subscription from...
- Boxer DenmarkBoxer TV A/SBoxer TV A/S is a company that is broadcasting pay television channels on the digital terrestrial television network in Denmark since February 1, 2009...
- Television in IrelandTelevision in IrelandDigital terrestrial television within the Republic of Ireland, known as Saorview, was launched on 27 May 2011. This service will effectively replace the current analogue terrestrial television system, which uses System I with 625 lines and the PAL colour standard, with NICAM digital stereo sound...
External links
- Boxer in Ireland - Boxer
- http://www.tca.ie/controls/getimage.ashx?image_id=2202 - DETERMINATION OF MERGER NOTIFICATION M/09/003- Competition Authority-
COMMUNICORP/BOXER Sweden/Boxer