Consultation Document New RTÉ Service Proposals Date: 12Th

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Roinn Cumarsáide, Fuinnimh agus Acmhainní Nádúrtha Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Consultation Document

New RTÉ Service Proposals

Date: 12 th November 2010

Contents

1 Introduction...... 1

2 Responding to the Consultation...... 3

3 Legislation...... 4

4 RTÉ Proposal for new services...... 6

4.1 Introduction...... 6 4.2 RTÉ Two HD Select...... 8 4.3 RTÉ News Now...... 9 4.4 RTÉjr ...... 10 4.5 RTÉ Plus...... 11 4.6 RTÉ Aertel Digital...... 12 4.7 Technical Information re digital Terrestrial Television Services ...... 13 5 Request for Comments on the RTÉ Proposals...... 14

Annex 1 Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009...... 17 Annex 2 Description of Services/Channels as Provided by RTÉ ...... 20

1 Introduction

RTÉ, the public service broadcaster, has sought the permission of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to introduce new RTÉ digital TV channels and related services for its new digital ‘free to air’ network.

The aim of this document is to consult with interested parties and to seek views on the RTÉ proposals.

RTÉ is currently building a new national digital TV network to enable the existing national TV channels – RTÉ1, RTÉ Two, TG4 and TV3 - to be made available on a ‘free to air’ digital platform. This digital service launched to 90% of the population on 29 th October 2010.

This network, which RTÉ plans to develop over both a terrestrial (98%) and a satellite platform (100%) to eventually cover 100% of the country, is expected to replace the existing analogue terrestrial network when it is switched off in Q4 2012. The analogue network is operated by RTÉ Transmission Networks Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of RTÉ.

Digital technology is more efficient than analogue and as a result there is space on the new digital networks for additional services – more TV and radio channels and information services. In this regard, RTÉ has identified an opportunity to introduce a new digital teletext service, a 24 hour news channel, a High Definition (HD) version of RTÉ Two, a dedicated channel for children under 6 years old and a channel repeating peak hour RTÉ1 programmes 1 hour later. RTÉ has also indicated that, after an initial period of testing, they will make these services available to other pay digital television network providers in accordance with Section 77 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 which deals with ‘must carry’ and ‘must offer’ obligations.

1 Section 103 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 provides the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with responsibility to consider requests by RTÉ or TG4 for new channels and services and to make a determination on whether to consent to these channels. As part of this process the Minister is required to:

1. consult with the broadcaster concerned and other persons, as he sees fit; 2. consult with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) as to the sectoral impact 1 of the proposals; 3. consider the public value of the proposals; and 4. publish a statement outlining the consultations that have taken place and indicating a place at which any documents given to the Minister in the course of the consultation may be inspected.

Prior to his consideration of the public value of the RTÉ proposals, the Minister has decided to publicly consult on the proposals.

1 The BAI is currently consulting with industry in relation to the sectoral impact of the proposals and will report to the Minister on this. This consultation will not consider sectoral impact.

2 Responding to the Consultation

The consultation period will run from 12 th November 2010 to 10 th December 2010. Written comments must include contact details of respondents and should be marked “Response to RTÉ New Service Proposals Consultation”. These can be submitted electronically (preferably) or in hard copy before 5.00 p.m. 10 th December 2010, to:

“Response to RTÉ New Service Proposals Consultation” Ms Aoife McQuillan Broadcasting Division Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, 29-31 Adelaide Road, Dublin 2 E-mail: [email protected]

It would be helpful when responding if you would make specific reference to the questions raised in Section 5 of this document.

Please note In order to promote openness and transparency the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) intends to publish all respondents’ responses to this consultation.

DCENR appreciates that many of the issues raised in this paper may require respondents to provide confidential information if their comments are to be meaningful. It is DCENR policy to make all responses available on its web-site and for inspection generally, so respondents to consultations are requested to clearly identify any confidential material and place confidential material in a separate annex to their response. If the Minister is satisfied that information provided is commercially sensitive and that its disclosure is not necessary for the public understanding, he may omit the document or part of document from public inspection.

3 3 Legislation

In 2009 new broadcasting legislation - the Broadcasting Act 2009 - was enacted in Ireland. This Act provides a framework for the regulation of broadcasting in Ireland and replaces, updates and consolidates previous broadcasting legislation. A copy of this Act can be downloaded from the Department’s website http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Broadcasting/ .

In particular, the Act sets out the duties to be performed by RTÉ and TG4 in respect of their roles as public service broadcasters. The Act also sets out the role of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in regulating the broadcasting industry in Ireland.

Section 114 of the Act sets out RTÉ’s principal objects and associated powers. These objects are required to be carried out by RTÉ in fulfilment of its role as Ireland’s main public service broadcaster. In particular, RTÉ is required to provide a ‘free to air’ TV and radio broadcasting service to the whole island of Ireland. Section 114 also provides for RTÉ to establish a digital terrestrial television service. For reference, Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 is at Annex 1.

Part 8 of the 2009 Act specifies the role of RTÉ in the development of a new national ‘free to air’ digital broadcasting service. This service is required to replace the existing analogue television network which is operated and maintained by RTÉ Transmission Networks Limited (RTÉNL), a wholly owned subsidiary of RTÉ and which provides ‘free to air’ reception of the 4 national TV services – RTÉ 1, RTÉ Two, TG4 and TV3. The analogue network is nearing obsolescence and, as with the national broadcast networks in other European countries, is being upgraded to digital.

In developing the new digital service, the legislation provides for RTÉ to be licensed for sufficient spectrum for 1 multiplex with an option for a second multiplex, subject to capacity requirements. A multiplex is effectively a pipe, through which the TV channel and other content are carried. Each multiplex can carry 8-10 standard definition TV channels or 3-4 high definition TV channels.

4 Under legislation, RTÉ is required to provide space on its digital TV service for:

1. The existing free to air TV channels - RTÉ1 and RTÉ Two, TG4 and TV3; 2. If required by the Minister, an Oireachtas Channel and an Irish Film channel; 3. The Minister may also request other channels of a public service nature to be carried. 4. The Act also permits RTÉ to provide space on the digital service for other new RTÉ channels and service, as appropriate or for commercial TV channels.

Section 103 of the Broadcasting Act provides that, where RTÉ (or TG4) wishes to offer new TV channels or services, it must seek the approval of the Minister. Section 103 also sets out the process to be undertaken by the Minister. This process provides for the Minister, in respect of the proposed new services/channels, to:

1. consult with the broadcaster concerned and other persons, as he sees fit; 2. consult with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland as to the sectoral impact of the proposals; 3. consider the public value of the proposals; and 4. publish a statement outlining the consultations that have taken place and indicating a place at which any documents given to the Minister in the course of the consultation may be inspected.

4 RTÉ Proposal for new services

4.1 Introduction

This section summarises the new digital services being proposed by RTÉ. Annex 2 contains the RTÉ document describing these services.

The new RTÉ digital terrestrial service and its proposed digital satellite service provide an opportunity for RTÉ to offer more content and services than was possible with the existing analogue network. As a result, RTÉ is planning to provide new channels on the digital network and has sought the permission of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, as required under legislation.

RTÉ is proposing to launch the following new digital TV services.

1. RTÉ Two HD Select (Working Title): this service offers the RTÉ Two content in a High Definition format. 2. RTÉ News Now, a 24 hour news channel 3. RTÉjr, a channel aimed at preschool children 4. RTÉ Plus (Working Title) a channel which repeats part of the RTÉ 1 content. 5. RTÉ Aertel Digital: an enhanced digital teletext service.

In accordance with RTÉ’s objects under section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009, all channels/services will have the character of a public service and will be provided ‘free-to-air’ on the RTÉ digital terrestrial and satellite platforms.

Subject to the approval of the Minister, RTÉ proposes to launch these on a short technical and market testing basis on its new digital terrestrial television and satellite platform in Q2 2011 and to make them available on other platforms such as pay TV platforms including satellite, cable and IPTV thereafter in accordance with the “must carry” and “must offer” provisions of section 77 of the Broadcasting Act 2009.

6 RTÉ considers that these additional / enhanced services will provide further value to the Irish public and additional support for the adoption of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in Ireland.

RTÉ expects the following population coverage levels for its DTT service on multiplex 1; o Oct 2010 c. 94.5% population coverage o Q2 2011 c. 97.2% population coverage o Q3 2012 c. 97.7% population coverage o Q4 2012 c. 98% population coverage

RTÉ considers that the coverage of the second multiplex may be less, due to the frequencies used.

On the issue of cost, RTÉ is currently planning to deliver these services without there being any additional cost to the Irish licence-fee payer as, where possible, the new channels will be created using existing resources.

The RTÉ DTT service launched from the end of October 2010, carrying the 4 national TV channels. RTÉ plans that the new channels, RTÉ Two HD Select, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr, RTÉ Plus and RTÉ Aertel Digital, will be made available in Q2 2011, ‘free-to-air’ to all Irish households subject to the population coverage detailed above and subject to households using RTÉ approved digital receivers which will be marked “Saorview” in the stores. See www.saorview.ie for further information.

In relation to the High Definition or HD service, RTÉ has indicated that oonly homes with HD receivers and TV sets will be able to fully appreciate the higher quality video that HD delivers. Standard Definition TV sets will display the RTÉ Two HD Select service as high quality SD video.

4.2 RTÉ Two HD Select

RTÉ Two is available on the RTÉNL analogue platform and on pay TV - cable, IPTV and satellite - in standard definition. RTÉ Two programmes are also available to view on the RTÉ player service at www.rte.ie/player .

The new channel will replicate the existing RTÉ Two service but in high definition.

In particular, RTÉ proposes to provide a technologically improved version of the existing RTÉ Two service as a single linear digital TV channel. A percentage of the programming will be transmitted in high definition (HD) format and the remainder of the programmes produced in standard definition (SD) will be ’up-converted’ to high definition.

High definition (HD) allows for the delivery of excellent picture and sound quality to audiences which is a significant enhancement of standard definition services. The development of the HD channel replicates trends in other European countries as one of the advantages of adopting a digital broadcasting standard.

Capacity Requirement RTÉ Two HD Select will require about 6.3Mbps compared with 2.6Mbps for standard definition TV services. RTÉ Two HD Select will be available in HD to those households with the necessary equipment, while the same channel will appear in standard definition to those with standard TV receivers.

Content The channel is planned to replicate the content of the existing RTÉ Two channel, which is a mixed genre channel including young peoples, sport, commissioned and home produced programming, acquisitions and Euronews.

Broadcast Hours The channel will continue to broadcast for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

8 Advertising RTÉ Two HD Select on DTT will carry the same advertising as is currently on the existing RTÉ Two channel being broadcast on the analogue network.

4.3 RTÉ News Now

RTÉ has also developed a proposal for a 24 hour news channel.

The RTÉ News Now channel is planned as a single, linear, digital TV channel in standard definition (SD) format. It replicates the RTÉ online news service. This service is a live and looped 24-hour news service available worldwide at www.rte.ie/live , www.rte.ie/newsnow and forms part of the RTÉ player service at www.rte.ie/player . It has been available as a test channel on the RTÉ DTT test transmissions since Q1 2010.

Capacity Requirement RTÉ News Now will require c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity.

Content RTÉ News Now is planned to replicate the content of the existing online news service in digital television format. This includes daily RTÉ News bulletins, weather and RTÉ Current Affairs programmes.

RTÉ also plans a phased approach to service enhancements primarily driven by technology and costs. Additional information is available at Annex 2.

Advertising The low projected audience for dedicated news channels means that RTÉ News Now will be of limited appeal to advertisers initially. In the short to medium term, it would be envisaged that an affiliate advertising model could be applied to weather forecasts and potential new additional vignettes such as travel updates, entertainment news etc.

9 Broadcast Hours The channel will broadcast for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

4.4 RTÉjr

This proposal is for a single, linear, digital television service in standard definition format, which will share spectrum with RTÉ Plus (see below).

Some of the content of this service is already available on the internet via the RTÉ player http://www.rte.ie/player/#s=categories&g=RTÉjr, TRTÉ, Two Tube

Capacity Requirement and Broadcasting Hours RTÉjr (0700/1100 – 1900) and RTÉ Plus (1900 – 0100) will share the same spectrum, requiring c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity.

Content The service is intended for children aged six years and below and will mirror and loop content from RTÉ’s existing terrestrial channel RTÉ Two.

There is a two phased approach to this channel which according to RTÉ is primarily being driven by technology and costs. In Phase One the service will broadcast from 1100 to 1900 on weekdays. The schedule will simulcast the RTÉjr content from RTÉ Two from 0900 to 1200 hours and a replay of this programme loop will be repeated until 1900. It is not possible to provide this service at the weekend in Phase 1 due to technological limitations. In Phase Two, investment in technology and infrastructure will enable the creation of a unique looped schedule for this service running from 0700 to 1900 and will enable RTÉ to broaden the service to weekends.

In Phase Two, investment in content, technology and infrastructure will enable the creation of a unique looped schedule for this service and will enable RTÉ to broaden the service to weekends.

Advertising The RTÉjr service will not carry any advertising in either phase.

4.5 RTÉ Plus

RTÉ Plus is planned as a single, linear, digital TV service which will share spectrum with RTÉjr (see above).

Capacity Requirement and Broadcasting Hours RTÉjr (0700/1100 – 1900) and RTÉ Plus (1900 – 0200) will share the same spectrum, requiring c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity.

There is a two phased approach planned for this channel which, according to RTÉ, is primarily being driven by technology and costs:

o Phase One planned to commence in May 2011 o Phase Two is planned to commence, finances permitting, in May 2012.

Content Phase One of this is service is planned to replicate RTÉ One (1900-0200) with a one hour delay. It will be an exact replica of the primary service, one hour later.

In Phase Two RTÉ plans to provide a unique schedule, subject to technological investment and infrastructure.

Broadcasting Hours The channel will broadcast from 1900 until 0200 seven days a week.

Advertising For Phase One of RTÉ Plus, the advertising carried on this channel will be the same as that carried on RTÉ One. For Phase Two, advertising will be sold as the channel will have evolved beyond the plus one-hour offering.

4.6 RTÉ Aertel Digital

This is a proposal for a digital television information service which is a significant enhancement and upgrade of the existing RTÉ Aertel analogue teletext service.

This service will also be offered on www.rte.ie

Capacity RTÉ Aertel Digital will require c. 1.0 Mbps of capacity.

Content RTÉ has indicated that the service will provide fast, accessible and up-to-date news, sports weather and other information, free-to-air to DTT users.

RTÉ expects that the Aertel Digital service improves on the current analogue service by providing faster access to information, greater user control and a more modern and user-friendly interface.

The service will be accessible via the TEXT key on RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, RTÉ News Now and the RTÉ Radio channels, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Advertising The advertising carried on RTÉ Aertel Digital will be similar to that carried on the analogue RTÉ Aertel service.

4.7 Technical Information re digital Terrestrial Television Services

Spectrum Required for DTT Offering RTÉ has the option of up to two national multiplexes. The television channels will be encoded in MPEG4. At this modulation scheme each multiplex can deliver 24.128 Mbps. After system overheads c.23 Mbps is available for content per multiplex, giving a total of 46Mbps across the two multiplexes.

RTÉ plans to use statistical multiplexing. As part of a statistical multiplexed pool the HD service will use an average bit rate of c. 6.3 Mbps, RTÉ News Now will use an average bit rate of c. 2.2 Mbps, RTÉjr and RTÉ Plus will share the same spectrum, requiring an average bit rate of c. 2.2 Mbps and RTÉ Aertel Digital will require 1.0 Mbps of capacity.

Picture Quality The picture resolution for RTÉ Two HD Select will be 1440x1080i. The picture resolution for the standard definition services, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr and RTÉ Plus will be 544x576.

Technical Requirements for Households Households wishing to access RTÉ Two HD Select, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr, RTÉ Plus and RTÉ Aertel Digital will require a DTT receiver, either a Set Top Box (STB) or integrated Digital TV (iDTV) compliant with the minimum receiver specification, which has been published since 2008 ( www.rtenl.ie ), and a UHF receiver aerial.

5 Request for Comments on the RTÉ Proposals

In order to assist in an assessment of the public value of these new RTÉ services responses to the following questions are requested. In making your response can you please reference the question you are responding to and indicate the proposed RTÉ service or services to which you are referring.

1. Do you agree that these additional / enhanced services will provide further value to the Irish public and additional support for the adoption of DTT in Ireland? Please support your response;

2. For each service, please indicate whether you consider the service assists RTÉ in pursuing its public service objects as detailed in Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 (Annex 1). Please provide reasons for your responses.

3. The compatibility of the proposal with the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and recommendations of the Council of Europe in respect of public service broadcasting and in particular the extent to which the proposals address the following;

3.1 a reference point for all members of the public, offering universal access; 3.2 a factor for social cohesion and integration of all individuals, groups and communities; 3.3 a source of impartial and independent information and comment, and an innovatory and varied content which complies with high ethical and quality standards; 3.4 a forum for pluralistic public discussion and a means of promoting broader democratic participation of individuals;

14 3.5 an active contributor to European audiovisual creation and production and greater appreciation and dissemination of the diversity of national and European cultural heritage; 3.6 discharge of the Public Services Broadcasting remit via diverse platforms.

4. Do you consider that the costs and revenues associated with the proposal will impact on existing public service provision and if so, how?

5. How and to what extent do the new channels/services contribute to meeting the: 5.1 Democratic needs of Irish society, of individual groups within Irish society, and of Irish communities outside of the island of Ireland;

5.2 Cultural needs of Irish society, of individual groups within Irish society, and of Irish communities outside of the island of Ireland;

5.3 Linguistic needs of Irish society, of individual groups within Irish society, and of Irish communities outside of the island of Ireland;

5.4 Educational needs of Irish society, of individual groups within Irish society, and of Irish communities outside of the island of Ireland and

5.5 Social needs of Irish society, of individual groups within Irish society, and of Irish communities outside of the island of Ireland.

6. Your view on the extent to which the proposed channels/services will be accessible by the public.

7. Your view on the extent to which the proposed services will reach under served audiences.

15 8. Do the new services help to raise the level of familiarity of the general public, or of individual groups within Irish society, with new forms of services and technologies? Please provide additional information to back up your response.

9. Do you consider that the new services help contribute to media plurality ? Why? The response should make particular reference of the contribution of the proposal to the following aspects of media plurality;

(i) diversity of content, and

(ii) Diversity of ownership

16 Annex 1 Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009

114 .—(1) The objects of RTE´ are— (a) to establish, maintain and operate a national television and sound broadcasting service which shall have the character of a public service, be a free-to-air service and be made available, in so far as it is reasonably practicable, to the whole community on the island of Ireland, (b) to establish and maintain a website and teletext services in connection with the services of RTE´ under paragraphs (a) , (c) , (d) , (e) , (f) , (g) , (h) and (i) , (c) to establish and maintain orchestras, choirs and other cultural performing groups in connection with the services of RTE´ under paragraphs (a) , (f) , (g) and (h) , (d) to assist and co-operate with the relevant public bodies in preparation for, and execution of, the dissemination of relevant information to the public in the event of a major emergency, (e) to establish and maintain archives and libraries containing materials relevant to the objects of RTE´ under this subsection, (f) to establish, maintain and operate a television broadcasting service and a sound broadcasting service which shall have the character of a public service, which services shall be made available, in so far as RTE´ considers reasonably practicable, to Irish communities outside the island of Ireland, (g) subject to the consent of the Minister, the Minister having consulted with the Authority, to establish, maintain and operate, in so far as it is reasonably practicable, community, local, or regional broadcasting services, which shall have the character of a public service, and be available free-to-air, (h) subject to the consent of the Minister, the Minister having consulted with the Authority, to establish and maintain non-broadcast non-linear audio-visual media services, in so far as it is reasonably practicable, which shall have the character of a public broadcasting service (such consent not being required in respect of such services which are ancillary to a broadcasting service provided under paragraphs (a) , (d) , (f) and (g) ), (i) to establish, maintain, and operate one or more national multiplexes, (j) so far as it is reasonably practicable, to exploit such commercial opportunities as may arise in pursuit of the objects outlined in paragraphs (a) to (i) . (2) In pursuit of the objects outlined in subsection (1) , RTE´ shall— (a) be responsive to the interests and concerns of the whole community, be mindful of the need for understanding and peace within the whole island of Ireland, ensure that the programmes reflect the varied elements which make up the culture of the people of the whole island of Ireland, and have special regard for the elements which distinguish that culture and in particular for the Irish language, (b) uphold the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution, especially those relating to rightful liberty of expression, and (c) have regard to the need for the formation of public awareness and understanding of the values and traditions of countries other than the State, including in particular those of other Member States. (3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) , RTE´ shall ensure that the programme schedules of the broadcasting services referred to in that subsection— (a) provide a comprehensive range of programmes in the Irish and English languages that reflect the cultural diversity of the whole island of Ireland and include programmes that entertain, inform and educate, provide coverage of sporting,

17 religious and cultural activities and cater for the expectations of the community generally as well as members of the community with special or minority interests and which, in every case, respect human dignity, (b) provide programmes of news and current affairs in the Irish and English languages, including programmes that provide coverage of proceedings in the Houses of the Oireachtas and the European Parliament, and (c) facilitate or assist contemporary cultural expression and encourage or promote innovation and experimentation in broadcasting. (4) The principal express powers of RTE´ in pursuance of the objects outlined in subsection (1) are— (a) to establish, maintain and operate broadcasting stations and to acquire, install and operate apparatus for wireless telegraphy, (b) subject to any regulations under the Act of 1926, which are for the time being in force, to provide for the distribution by means of wired broadcast relay stations of programmes broadcast by RTE´ and such other programmes as RTE´ may decide, (c) to originate programmes and procure programmes from any source, (d) to make contracts, agreements and arrangements incidental or conducive to the objects of RTE´ , (e) to acquire and make use of copyrights, patents, licences, privileges and concessions, (f) to collect news and information and to subscribe to news services and such other services as may be conducive to the objects of RTE´ , (g) to subscribe to such international associations, and to such educational, musical and dramatic bodies and such other bodies promoting entertainment or culture, as may be conducive to the objects of RTE´ , (h) to organise, provide and subsidise concerts, entertainments, education and other activities in connection with a broadcasting service or for any purpose incidental to it and, in relation to any such concert or entertainment, to provide or procure accommodation and, if desired, to make charges for admission, (i) to prepare, publish and distribute, with or without charge, such magazines, books, papers and other printed matter as may seem to RTE´ to be conducive or incidental to its objects, (j) to arrange with other broadcasting organisations or authorities for the distribution, receipt, exchange and relay of programmes (whether live or recorded), (k) to compile, publish and distribute, with or without charge, recorded aural and visual material, (l) to provide programmes of news and current affairs in the Irish and English languages, including programmes that provide coverage of proceedings in the Houses of the Oireachtas and the European Parliament, (m) to facilitate or assist contemporary cultural expression and encourage or promote innovation and experimentation in broadcasting, (n) to invest in, originate or procure films, (o) to establish and maintain websites, (p) to establish and maintain an electronic communications network subject to any enactment or rule of law, (q) to establish and maintain an “electronic communications service” meaning a service which consists wholly or mainly of the conveyance of signals on electronic communications networks, subject to the provisions of any enactment or rule of law, (r) to make available the broadcasting services of RTE´ in so far as reasonably practicable by any and all means of transmission, relaying or distribution, whether by

18 way of broadcast (which includes terrestrial sound and television broadcasting networks, cable networks or satellite networks), or by any form of electronic means (which includes fixed terrestrial networks, mobile terrestrial networks, including the Internet and other electronic communications networks) and whether now known or hereinafter invented on a linear or non-linear basis, and (s) to invest any of its funds in any manner in which a trustee is empowered by law to invest trust funds. (5) Nothing in this section shall be read as preventing RTE´ from including in the programme schedules programmes made outside the State. (6) Nothing in this section shall be read as preventing RTE´ from providing broadcasting services which are of a special interest to only certain members of the community and which are made available on a subscription or pay-per-view basis under its exploitation of commercial opportunities object. (7) RTE´ shall have all such powers as are necessary or incidental to the attainment of the objects specified in subsection (1) , and which are not inconsistent with this Act. (8) RTE´ shall endeavour to ensure that the programme schedules of the television broadcasting service and the sound broadcasting service established and maintained pursuant to subsection (1)(f) are, in so far as it is reasonably practicable, representative of the programme schedules of the national television and sound broadcasting services referred to in subsection (1)(a) and section 118(1)(a) .

Annex 2 Description of Services/Channels as Provided by RTÉ

Description of Proposed Additional RTÉ Channels and Services

Final 4 th November 2010

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. Names of Channels / Services 3

3. Proposition 3

4. Platform 5

5. Content 6

6. Schedules 9

7. Technical 16

8. Carriage Costs, Reach & Advertising 18

21 1. Introduction This document has been drafted by RTÉ for submission to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR). It describes all of RTÉ’s proposed additional services for the purpose of facilitating the Minister’s consideration of the public value of these services as required in Section 103 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 (“the Act”). As requested by DCENR, all RTÉ’s new services have been included in this document so that an assessment of these can be made en bloc.

In conformity with the direction of the Minister, RTÉ intends to switch-on the 1 st RTÉ PSB MUX in October 2010 for an initial live operational readiness test period between October 2010 and June 2011. This will facilitate a prudent “soft-launch” of the national DTT platform.

This final test phase will encompass the testing, validation and development of a range of important operational and logistical matters and procedures in respect of the overall performance of this new national infrastructure and DTT platform including: MUX capacity performance; performance of various Set-Top-Boxes; effectiveness of statistical multiplexing of SD & HD services; logistical effectiveness of channel and service composition; EPG requirements; confirmation and / or refinement of transmission site reach and coverage; validation of Service Level Agreement (SLA) standards.

The full suite of RTÉ services which will be carried during the test phase, and thereafter subject to the satisfactory completion of the necessary tests, regulatory agreement, and the consent of the Minister is as follows: Television services - RTÉ One; RTÉ Two, ( to be upgraded to RTÉ Two HD Select in Q2 2011 ); Euronews, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr / RTÉ Plus and RTÉ Aertel Digital all in Q2 2011; & Radio services - RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ Pulse, RTÉ 2Xm, RTÉjr / TRTÉ, RTÉ Chill, RTÉ Choice and RTÉ Gold.

Subject to the satisfactory outcome of this operational readiness test phase it is proposed that a full public launch of the 1 st RTÉ PSB MUX will take place in or around the 2 nd Quarter of 2011.

2. Names of Channels / Services The names of the proposed additional RTÉ channels and services which are covered by this description are: 2.i. RTÉ Two HD Select (Working Title) 2.ii. RTÉ News Now 2.iii. RTÉjr 2.iv. RTÉ Plus (Working Title) 2.v. RTÉ Aertel Digital

3. Proposition RTÉ proposes to provide four television channels / services (RTÉ Two HD Select, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr and RTÉ Plus) and a digital teletext service (RTÉ Aertel Digital). It is proposed that these services will launch in Spring 2011 when the full DTT service goes live. It is envisaged that these additional / enhanced services will provide further value to the Irish public and additional support for the adoption of DTT in Ireland.

All five television channels / services will be made available to Irish households subject to the planned coverage of the 1 st PSB DTT MUX. In accordance with RTÉ’s objects under section 114 of the Broadcasting Act 2009, all channels / services will have the character of a public service and will be free-to-air. RTÉ’s intention is to make these channels / services available on digital terrestrial television and, under the “must carry” and “must offer” provisions of section 77 of the Act, it is intended that these channels / services will be carried, where possible, on digital satellite, cable and IPTV.

22 3.i. RTÉ Two HD Select • RTÉ proposes to provide a technologically improved version of the existing RTÉ Two service as a single linear digital TV channel. A percentage of the programming will be transmitted in high definition (HD) format and the remainder of the programmes produced in standard definition (SD) will be ’up-converted’ to high definition. (See technical note 7.i. below) • High definition (HD) allows for the delivery of excellent picture and sound quality to audiences which is a significant enhancement of standard definition services. • RTÉ Two HD Select will require c. 6.3 Mbps, 27% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 14% of the total available PSB MUX capacity (46 Mbps). RTÉ Two SD would require c. 2.6 Mbps, 11% of the available PSB MUX 1 capacity and 5% of the total available PSB MUX capacity. Therefore, RTE Two HD Select will require an additional c. 3.7 Mbps of capacity, above what would have been required by the RTE Two SD service it will replace. • Post Analogue Switch-off (ASO), there will be no requirement for an RTE Two SD service should RTE Two HD Select be approved. RTÉ Two (SD) will continue to be available on Analogue Terrestrial Television (ATT) until ASO. After ASO, RTÉ Two HD Select will be available in HD to those households with the necessary equipment, while the same channel will appear in standard definition to those with standard equipment. 2 i. RTÉ Two HD Select will replicate the content of the existing RTÉ Two channel, which is a mixed genre channel including young peoples, sport, commissioned and home produced programming, acquisitions and Euronews. 2 ii. The channel will continue to broadcast for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 2 iii. Following the example of colleague PSBs in Europe, there is a universal trend in carrying a HD service as part of the digital line-up, e.g. DR HD in Denmark, SVT HD in Sweden, YLE HD in Finland and BBC HD in the UK. Furthermore, BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are planning to launch HD versions of all their services in the near future.

3.ii. RTÉ News Now 2 iv. The RTÉ News Now channel will be a single, linear, digital TV channel in standard definition format. 2 v. RTÉ News Now will require c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 10% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 5% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps). 2 vi. It will broadly replicate the content of the existing online news service RTÉ News Now in digital television format with a phased approach to service enhancements primarily driven by technology and costs. a. Phase One will commence in May 2011 b. Phase Two will commence in May 2012. 2 vii. RTÉ launched its online news service, RTÉ News Now in July 2008. It is a live and looped 24-hour news service available worldwide at www.rte.ie/live , www.rte.ie/newsnow and forms part of the RTÉ player service at www.rte.ie/player 2 viii. RTÉ News Now includes daily RTÉ News bulletins, weather and RTÉ Current Affairs programmes. 2 ix. The channel will broadcast for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

3.iii. RTÉjr 2 x. This proposal is for a single, linear, digital television service in standard definition format, which will share spectrum with RTÉ Plus (see below). 2 xi. RTÉjr (0700/1100 – 1900) and RTÉ Plus (1900 – 0200) will share the same spectrum, requiring c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 10% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 5% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps).

23 2 xii. The service is specifically for children aged six years and below and will mirror and loop content from RTÉ’s existing ATT channel RTÉ Two. 2 xiii. There is a two phased approach to this channel which is primarily being driven by technology and costs: a. Phase One will commence in May 2011 b. Phase Two will commence in May 2012. 2 xiv. In Phase One the service will broadcast from 1100 to 1900 on weekdays. The schedule will simulcast the RTÉjr content from RTÉ Two from 0900 to 1200 hours and a replay of this programme loop will be repeated until 1900. It is not possible to provide this service at the weekend in Phase 1 due to technological limitations. 2 xv. In Phase Two, investment in technology and infrastructure will enable the creation of a unique looped schedule for this service running from 0700 to 1900 and will enable RTÉ to broaden the service to weekends. 2 xvi. The RTÉjr service will not carry any advertising in either phase.

3.iv. RTÉ Plus 2 xvii. RTÉ Plus will be a single, linear, digital TV service which will share spectrum with RTÉjr (see above). 2 xviii. RTÉjr and RTÉ Plus (1900 – 0100) will share the same spectrum, requiring c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 10% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 5% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps). 2 xix. There is a two phased approach to this channel which is primarily being driven by technology and costs: a. Phase One will commence in May 2011 b. Phase Two will commence, in May 2012. 2 xx. Phase One of this is service is RTÉ One with a one hour delay. It will be an exact replica of the primary service, one hour later. 2 xxi. Phase Two is a development where, with investment in technology and infrastructure, RTÉ are proposing a unique schedule. 2 xxii. The channel will broadcast from 1900 until 0200, approximately seven hours a day, seven days a week.

3.v. RTÉ Aertel Digital 2 xxiii. This is a proposal for a digital television information service which is a significant enhancement and upgrade of the existing RTÉ Aertel analogue teletext service. 2 xxiv. RTÉ Aertel Digital will require c. 1.0 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 4% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 2% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps). 2 xxv. The service will provide fast, accessible and up-to-date news, sports weather and other information, free-to-air to DTT users. 2 xxvi. RTÉ Aertel Digital improves on the current analogue service by providing faster access to information, greater user control and a more modern and user-friendly interface. 2 xxvii. The service will be accessible via the TEXT key on RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, RTÉ News Now and the RTÉ Radio channels, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

4. Platform RTÉ wishes to make these five TV channels/services available on as many digital television platforms as is feasible. Under the provisions of section 77 of the Act, these are expected to include cable, IPTV (as technology allows) and digital satellite, subject to the agreement of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Subject to the approval of the Minister, all five television channels/services will be available on Saorview and Saorsat from Q2 2011. In keeping with the Broadcasting Act 2009, the

24 channels/services will be offered to all digital platforms following a short technical and market testing period.

Any programmes not already available through the RTÉ player will be offered for catch-up subject to the availability of rights and the same time-based restrictions as apply to other content available via the RTÉ player service.

4.i. RTÉ Two HD Select 2. i. It is proposed to provide the existing RTÉ Two channel in high definition on the digital terrestrial television platform. 2. ii. RTÉ Two is already available on the ATT platform in standard definition. RTÉ Two programmes are also available to view on the RTÉ player service at www.rte.ie/player .

4.ii. RTÉ News Now 2. iii. The proposal is to provide the existing RTÉ News Now service on the digital terrestrial television platform. 2. iv. RTÉ News Now is already available to Irish and international audiences at www.rte.ie/live , www.rte.ie/newsnow and forms part of the RTÉ player service at www.rte.ie/player , the service is also available on mobile via an iPhone application to Irish and international audiences.

4.iii. RTÉjr 1. The proposal is to provide RTÉjr on the digital terrestrial television platform. 2. Some of the content of this service is already available on the internet via the RTÉ player http://www.rte.ie/player/#s=categories&g=RTÉjr, TRTÉ, Two Tube

4.iv. RTÉ Plus 3. The proposal is to provide the RTÉ Plus service on the digital terrestrial television platform.

4.v. RTÉ Aertel Digital 4. The proposal is to provide RTÉ Aertel Digital on the digital terrestrial television platform. 5. This service will also be offered on www.rte.ie

5. Content

5.i. RTÉ Two HD Select 1. RTÉ Two HD Select will broadcast the current RTÉ Two schedule in HD. As with the current ATT offering, RTÉ Two HD Select will be a mixed genre service, carrying young peoples’ programmes, commissioned / home produced programmes, sport acquisitions and Euronews. 2. At launch, the content mix will reflect the RTÉ Two programming that is currently available in HD. These will typically be high impact programmes in genres that particularly benefit from HD format, specifically sport, acquired dramas and films. 3. Sport is a cornerstone of the schedule on RTÉ Two. The following is an indicative list of the sports it is proposed to broadcast in HD: 1. Major GAA matches from the Championship 2. Euro 2012 soccer qualifiers (three home and three away games) 3. Autumn Rugby Internationals (two in 2011, one deferred and one live) 4. Rugby World Cup (13 live games) 5. Magners League (c. 20 matches) 6. Champions’ League 4. All current US series on the main networks are being transmitted in the United States in HD, resulting in the ready availability of HD versions of acquired series. It is envisaged that most of RTÉ Two’s key acquired dramas will be transmitted in HD,

25 including Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife and Nurse Jackie . 5. Some film slots will, in due course, be migrated to HD, where HD versions are available; this is particularly the case with new movies, the majority of which are already available in HD. 6. The proportion of HD content on the channel will increase over time as more HD content becomes available.

5.ii. RTÉ News Now 7. RTÉ News Now provides round-the-clock news coverage, with about eleven live news bulletins per day, as well as the opportunity to catch-up on the most recent news bulletin, to watch RTÉ’s main flagship current affairs programmes, and to catch- up on these where relevant. 8. The service also includes live coverage of special events, breaking news and continuous sport, business and weather updates throughout the day. 9. News and current affairs content includes: RTÉ News: One O’clock, RTÉ News: Six One, RTÉ News: Nine o’clock and RTÉ Nuacht ; as well as Prime Time, Nationwide and The Week in Politics. 10. RTÉ News Now delivers all the latest local and European weather bulletins. A weekly marine forecast is scheduled every Friday night. 11. RTÉ News Now offers sports coverage within the main news bulletins at lunchtime, six and nine o’clock. 12. The presentation of programmes has been supplemented with bespoke RSS updates incorporated into graphics designed exclusively for the service. A news / sport / entertainment ticker runs along the bottom of the screen and the latest stock indices and Euro exchange rates are delivered within the graphics to the right of the service. 13. The proportion of live to looped content on RTÉ News Now is currently approximately 40:60, with live content continuing to increase. Planned enhancements for Phase One in May 2011 include: 14. Morning Output: In addition to Morning Ireland , RTÉ News Now will include two visual headlines at 8am and 9am – which would be broadcast on RTÉ Television – with in-studio presentation by a newsreader and including breaking news, business news, traffic and weather reports, and sports updates. 15. Additional Live Feeds: The introduction of additional live feeds of interest to the RNN audience to increase the ratio of live to looped output. These feeds will include Dáil, Seanad and Oireachtas Committee proceedings, extended Dáil coverage on special news days (e.g. Budget days), as well as available world feeds, and special news events. 16. Extended News Items: The service will include extended content not broadcast in the main bulletins (e.g. longer interviews / packages and in-studio panel discussions) 17. Young People’s: The introduction of news aimed at a younger audience will be included in the schedule e.g. News2Day , an eight-minute bulletin designed specifically for children broadcast Monday to Friday each week. 18. Overnight Content: Euronews will be scheduled until 7am. 19. Visual Presentation: Improvements to the current interface will be implemented to optimise the graphics for display on DTT. The information display (RSS) will be enhanced with higher quality graphics, images and text. Planned enhancements for Phase Two in May 2012 include: 20. Additional Content: Provision of more live headline news bulletins and provision of business news. 21. Sports: The advent of RTÉ Aertel Digital will allow for rotation of selected sports results from key events for a specified period on RTÉ News Now (e.g. Champions League, Airtricity League and selected sports results on weekends). RTÉ.ie currently hosts web-only extras after some soccer and rugby matches whereby the studio panellists (e.g. Dunphy/Giles/Brady; Hook/Pope/O’Shea) stay on in studio after the television broadcast ends and answer questions from the public. These will be scheduled on RTÉ News Now subject to availability. 22. Entertainment: The addition of RTÉ Ten Weekly, a weekly 3-minute magazine programme with the latest news from the red carpet, exclusive interviews and behind- the-scenes previews.

26 23. Irish Language: develop short Irish language news bulletins which will increase the variety of Irish news offered to RTÉ News Now audiences.

5.iii. RTÉjr 6. RTÉjr provides programming for children aged 6 years and younger, the service includes home-produced programming including Hubble; Grubz Up! in which kids are shown how to grow and prepare healthy home-made food; Out the Back featuring kids designing and building projects; and Reuben - high-energy, physical comedy. 7. Irish animation features strongly in the schedule with Punky , an animated series about a little girl with Downs Syndrome; Garth and Bev, a popular Irish animated series; Happy Valley , an animated pre-school series based on traditional and contemporary nursery rhymes and songs, and the international hit Irish animated series, Fluffy Gardens . 8. Most of the programming on RTÉjr (approximately 80%) is of European origin, with the balance from Canada and Australia. 9. The schedule will include a good proportion of new and re-run Irish animation from inception and it is envisaged that this would grow over the years. 10. Phase One in May 2011 will involve simulcasting and looping RTÉjr content from RTÉ Two on weekdays. 11. In Phase Two, from May 2012, further investment in technology and infrastructure will allow for an enhanced, bespoke looped service on weekdays and will enable RTÉ to broaden the service to weekends, offering home-produced content from across RTÉ Two’s weekday schedules for young people aged from 7-15 under the brand for older children, TRTÉ.

5.iv. RTÉ Plus 12. Phase One: The initial phase of this service is RTÉ One with a one hour delay and it will be an exact replica of the primary mixed-genre service. RTÉ One is the main RTÉ channel broadcasting a broad range of programmes of all genres – lifestyle, drama, news, current affairs, entertainment and documentary. This phase will run from May 2011 to May 2012. 2 xxviii. Phase Two: Beginning in May 2012, the next phase will be a bespoke, mixed-genre channel, drawing content from across RTÉ’s channels, and will aim to meet RTÉ’s public purposes. The schedule will allow another opportunity to view the best of RTE’s home produced and acquired programming and will be stripped and stranded, with clear junctions and regular repeat strands to facilitate audience engagement. The schedule will include: • Additional sport, at no additional cost, which RTÉ has the rights to but not the channel capacity. This may include additional coverage of Gaelic games, rugby and so forth, where two matches are on simultaneously and additional coverage of special events e.g. major soccer events (the European and World Cup Finals) where the last group games begin simultaneously and are currently only webcast on RTÉ.ie. • Premier, high quality series in peak slots which are normally broadcast post 2300 on RTÉ One or RTÉ Two • Another chance to view premium home produced programming previously broadcast on RTÉ One • A weekly culture and film night, which would include Irish films, Sound and Vision supported programming and repeats of arts programmes such as The View and Arts Lives. • A weekly archive slot showcasing the best of RTÉ’s original archive productions and restored series. • Many prestigious acquisitions are currently broadcast in late peak and late night on RTÉ One and RTÉ Two. This is because peak-time slots are primarily reserved for home-produced programmes and indigenous series. RTÉ Plus will afford the opportunity to run these series in primetime as premières (e.g. Mad Men on BBC4 and Entourage on ITV2). Other award winning international series which could be broadcast on this channel would include The United States of Tara, Rescue Me and Sons of Anarchy among others.

27 5.v. RTÉ Aertel Digital 13. This service uses new DTT set-top box technology to overcome the limitations of analogue technology. 14. The service provides short-form, up-to-date information on a range of subjects including: 1. News 2. Sport 3. Business 4. Entertainment 5. Weather 6. Stocks and Shares 7. Exchange rates 8. TV Listings 9. Cinema Listings 10. Flight times 11. Holidays 12. Public Information and County Councils 13. Deaf Information 14. Subtitles 15. Information is updated every few minutes between 7am and 11pm every day. 16. Approximately 450 pages of information have been converted to digital format, with an opportunity to grow this due to the enhanced functionality and capacity of the service.

28 6. Schedules

6.i. RTÉ Two HD Select 2. v. RTÉ Two HD Select will be offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as with the current ATT service. Below is an indicative weekly schedule for May 2011.

29 Key SD RTÉ Two HD Select - INDICATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE MAY 2011 HD

RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO

SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

900 900 RTÉ Jr RTÉ 1000 1000 RTÉ Jr RTÉ

1100 Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ 1100

1200 Home and 1200 Away Omnibus

1300 Home and 1300 Away (HD) Live Game Sunday The Omnibus

1400 1400 Acquired 1500 Drama TBA 1500 TRTÉ TRTÉ TRTÉ TRTÉ TRTÉ 1600 Saturday 1600 Matinee 1630 1630

1700 1700

1730 1730

1800 Factual TBA Sunday Night The The The The The 1800 Movie Simpson's Simpson's Simpson's Simpson's Simpson's 1830 Home and Home and Home and Home and Home and 1830 Away Away Away Away Away 1900 Champions MNS Factual TBA Factual TBA Factual TBA Factual TBA 1900 League Final (HD) (HD) (HD) (HD) 1930 Live (HD) Airtricity 1930 League Live

2000 Factual TBA Factual TBA Eurovision Acquired Eurovision 2000 2011 Semi- Drama TBA 2011 Semi- Final (HD) (HD) Final (HD) 2030 2030

2100 Acquired Grey's CSI NY (HD) 2100 Comedy TBA Anatomy (HD) 2130 The Sunday Friday Night 2130 Game Movie (HD)

2200 Entertainment Desperate CSI Miami Entertainment 2200 TBA Housewives (HD) TBA 2230 Saturday Entertainment (HD) 2230 Night Movie TBA (HD) 2300 Factual TBA RTÉ News on RTÉ News on RTÉ News on RTÉ News on 2300 Two Two Two Two 2330 Shortscreen Acquired Under EtherPrivate Acquired 2330 Entourage Comedy TBA Practice (HD) Drama TBA 2400 Movie (HD) Acquired (HD) 2400 Comedy TBA 2. vi. To avoid significant simulcasting of content for young children (0-6 years) on RTEjr and RTÉ Two, during Phase Two of RTÉjr, home-produced lifestyle and some acquired drama will be scheduled on RTÉ Two from 11am to 2pm which will complement the adult programming scheduled on RTÉ One. Below is an indicative weekly schedule for RTÉ Two for May 2012.

30 Key SD RTÉ Two - INDICATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE MAY 2012 HD

RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO RTÉ TWO

SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY RTÉ Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ Jr RTÉ RTÉ Jr RTÉ 900 900 RTÉ Jr RTÉ 1000 1000 RTÉ Jr RTÉ Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Lifestyle: 1100 Cookery & Cookery & Cookery & Cookery & Cookery & 1100 Gardening TBA Gardening TBA Gardening TBA Gardening TBA Gardening TBA 1200 1200 Home and Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Away Fashion & Fashion & Fashion & Fashion & Fashion & Omnibus Home TBA Home TBA Home TBA Home TBA Home TBA 1300 Home and 1300 Away (HD) Live Game Sunday The Acquired Acquired Acquired Acquired Acquired Omnibus Drama TBA Drama TBA Drama TBA Drama TBA Drama TBA

1400 1400 Acquired 1500 Drama TBA 1500 TRTÉ TRTÉ TRTÉ TRTÉ TRTÉ 1600 Saturday 1600 Matinee 1630 1630

1700 1700

1730 1730

2000 Factual TBA Factual TBA Eurovision Acquired Eurovision 2000 2012 Semi- Drama TBA 2012 Semi- Final (HD) (HD) Final (HD) 2030 2030

2100 Acquired Grey's CSI NY (HD) 2100 Comedy TBA Anatomy (HD) 2130 The Sunday Friday Night 2130 Game Movie (HD)

6.ii. RTÉ News Now • From launch, the service will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An indicative schedule for May 2011 is shown below.

31 Key Live Repeat/Looped RTÉ News Now- INDICATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE MAY 2011 Acquired

RTÉ News RTÉ News RTÉ News RTÉ News RTÉ News RTÉ News RTÉ News

Now Now Now Now Now Now Now

SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

700 Euronews Euronews Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning 700 Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning 800 800 Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines

810 Euronews Euronews Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning 810 Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning 900 900 Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines Headlines

910 Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning Morning 910 Headlines Headlines Ireland Repeat Ireland Repeat Ireland Repeat Ireland Repeat Ireland Repeat 1000 1000

1100 Morning Morning Leaders Morning Morning 1100 Headlines Headlines Questions Headlines Headlines 1200 Morning Oireachtas Live Oireachtas Live Morning 1200 Headlines TBC TBC Headlines 1300 1300 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock One O'Clock 1400 1400

1500 Afternoon Afternoon Afternoon Oireachtas Live Oireachtas Live Oireachtas Live Afternoon 1500 Headlines Headlines Headlines TBC TBC TBC Headlines 1600 1600 Afternoon Afternoon Afternoon 1700 Headlines Headlines Headlines 1700

1730 1730 Nuacht Nuacht Nuacht Nuacht Nuacht Nuacht Nuacht 1800 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six 1800 Six One Six One One One One One One 1830 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: 1830 Six One Six One 1900 Extended Extended Extended Extended Extended 1900 News Items News Items News Items News Items News Items RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six One One One One One 1930 1930

2000 One to One 2000 Extended Extended Extended Extended Extended News Items News Items News Items News Items News Items 2030 RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six 2030 One One One One One

2100 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: 2100 Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock

2130 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: Prime Time Prime TimeRTÉ News: Prime Time RTÉ News: 2130 Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Investigates Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock

2200 2200 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: 2230 The Frontline Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock 2230

2300 The Week in 2300 Politics 2330 RTÉ News on RTÉ News on RTÉ News on RTÉ News on RTÉ News on 2330 Two Two Two Two Two 2400 Euronews European One to One Oireachtas Oireachtas Oireachtas Euronews 2400 Parliament Report Report Report Report (Monthly) 0100 - Euronews Euronews Euronews Euronews Euronews Euronews Euronews 0100 - 0700 0700

32 6.iii. RTÉjr 17. In Phase One (May 2011), RTÉjr will run from 1100 to 1900 on weekdays. 18. An indicative schedule for Phase 1 of RTEjr is provided below. Irish programming is coloured in green. Crossover with RTÉ Two in Phase One : RTÉ Two (ATT) and RTÉ Two HD Select will run the schedule below from 0900 to 1400 and this will by followed by the TRTÉ schedule (for 7-15 year olds) which will run from 1400 to 1900. On this basis there will be a three hour overlap between RTÉ Two and RTEjr, during which time cross-promotions can direct people to the RTÉjr service from 1400 onwards. This will allow RTÉ to offer two distinct children’s services providing both younger and older children with appropriate content when they are available to view during the day Key RTÉjr - INDICATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE MAY 2011(Single Loop*) Irish Acquired

RTÉjr RTÉjr RTÉjr RTÉjr RTÉjr

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

RTÉjr Welcome RTÉjr Welcome RTÉjr Welcome RTÉjr Welcome RTÉjr Welcome 1100 (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) 1100

1102 In the Night Garden In the Night Garden In the Night Garden In the Night Garden In the Night Garden 1102 Lifeboat Luke Lifeboat Luke Lifeboat Luke Lifeboat Luke Lifeboat Luke 1130 (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) 1130 Ready Steady Ready Steady Ready Steady Ready Steady Ready Steady Reuben Reuben Reuben Reuben Reuben 1135 (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) 1135 Fifi and The Fifi and The Fifi and The Fifi and The Fifi and The 1137 Flowertots Flowertots Flowertots Flowertots Flowertots 1137 Kidspeak Kidspeak Kidspeak Kidspeak Kidspeak 1150 (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) 1150

1151 Classic Tales Classic Tales Classic Tales Classic Tales Classic Tales 1151 Happy Valley Happy Valley Happy Valley Happy Valley Happy Valley 1155 (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) 1155

1200 Hi-5 Hi-5 Hi-5 Hi-5 Hi-5 1200 Hubble Hubble Hubble Hubble Hubble 1230 (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) 1230 Garth and Bev Garth and Bev Garth and Bev Garth and Bev Garth and Bev 1240 (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) 1240

1250 The Wot Wots The Wot Wots The Wot Wots The Wot Wots The Wot Wots 1250 Hubble Birthdays Hubble Birthdays Hubble Birthdays Hubble Birthdays Hubble Birthdays 1253 (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) 1253

1255 Waybuloo Waybuloo Waybuloo Waybuloo Waybuloo 1255 RTÉjr Arts & Crafts RTÉjr Arts & Crafts RTÉjr Arts & Crafts RTÉjr Arts & Crafts RTÉjr Arts & Crafts 1323 (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) (Live Action) 1323

1325 Balamory Balamory Balamory Balamory Balamory 1325 Noddy in Toyland Noddy in Toyland Noddy in Toyland Noddy in Toyland Noddy in Toyland 1345 (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) (Animated) 1345 * This schedule would be looped until 1900 on RTÉjr 19. In Phase Two RTEjr will run from 0700 until 1900 and will be extended to the weekends, with some flexibility to accommodate specific sporting events (see RTÉ Plus below). Crossover with RTÉ Two in Phase Two : RTÉ Two (ATT) and RTÉ Two HD Select will run a two hour RTÉjr schedule from 0900 to 1100 and this will by followed by the TRTÉ schedule (for 7-15 year olds) which will run from 1400 to 1900. On this basis there will be a two hour overlap between RTÉ Two and RTEjr, during which time cross-promotions can direct people to RTÉjr from 1100 onwards and services to younger and older children will be maintained at appropriate times of day.

33 6.iv. RTÉ Plus 20. This service will run from 1900 to 0100, Monday to Friday, after RTÉjr goes off air. 21. On weekends, the service could begin earlier should RTÉ have rights to live sports events for which there was insufficient capacity on RTÉ Two. 22. The table below details an indicative weekly schedule during Phase 1.

Key Irish RTÉ PLUS - INDICATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE MAY 2011 Acquired

RTÉ PLUS RTÉ PLUS RTÉ PLUS RTÉ PLUS RTÉ PLUS RTÉ PLUS RTÉ PLUS

SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 1900 RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six RTÉ News: Six 1900 One One One One One One One 1930 The Big Big Entertainment 1930 Movie TBA 2000 Nationwide Dermot's Nationwide Capital D Nationwide 2000 Cottage Garden

2030 The Restaurant Scannal EastEnders Fair City EastEnders Fleadh Cheoil 2030

2100 Winning Streak Fair CityEastEnders Fair City Dirty Old Town Fair City EastEnders 2100

2130 Entertainment The Consumer Fergal's Martin's Simple The Big Story 2130 TBA Show Quinn's Retail Seafood Therapy 2200 RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: RTÉ News: 2200 Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock Nine O'Clock

2230 The Saturday Francie Barret's Prime Time Prime Time The Midweek Prime Time The Late Late 2230 Night Show Guide to Investigates Movie Show Travellers 2300 2300 Crimecall The Mentalist 2330 Would You The Frontline (US Drama) 2330 Believe 2400 Late Late Movie The Week in 2400 Politics 2430 The Late Late The View Factual TBA 2430 Show repeat

2500 The Saturday Oireachtas Oireachtas Oireachtas Late Late Movie 2500 Night Show Report Report Report Repeat

1. The table below details an indicative weekly schedule during Phase 2.

Key Irish RTÉ Plus - INDICATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE MAY 2012 Acquired

RTÉ Plus RTÉ Plus RTÉ Plus RTÉ Plus RTÉ Plus RTÉ Plus RTÉ Plus

SATURDAY- Irish SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Culture and Film Night 900 900 1000 1000 1100 1100 1200 1200

1300 Air Off 1300

1400 1400

1500 1500 Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off 1600 1600

1700 Live Sport 1700 1730 1730 1800 1800

1830 1830

1900 Arts Lives LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE 1900 SLOT: The SLOT: Room to SLOT: My SLOT: Room to SLOT: My SLOT: Room to Restaurant Improve Showhouse Improve Showhouse Improve

1930 ARCHIVE SLOT: ARCHIVE SLOT: ARCHIVE SLOT: ARCHIVE SLOT: ARCHIVE SLOT: ARCHIVE SLOT: 1930 Reeling in the Disasters Rescue On the street Hands Reeling in the Years where you live Years

2000 The View Dirty Old Town Ireland's Greatest The Limits of Who do you think Single-Handed The Meaning of 2000 Liberty you are? Life

2030 SHORTSCREEN: 2030 Irish Short Film

2100 Irish Movie Night The Good Wife Entourage Private Practice Mad Men NCIS PREMIERE CSI Miami 2100 PREMIERE Double Bill PREMIERE PREMIERE PREMIERE PREMIERE

2130 2130

2200 Desperate Parenthood The Mentalist Shameless Medium Grey's Anatomy 2200 Housewives PREMIERE PREMIERE PREMIERE PREMIERE Repeat Repeat

2230 2230

2300Saturday Late The PanelThe Late Late Saturday Night Late Night Movie Operation The Panel 2300 Movie - Arthouse Show Show Transformation Movies

2400 Late Night Movie Late Night Movie Late Night Movie Late Night Movie 2400

0100 0100

6.v. RTÉ Aertel Digital 23. There is no schedule for RTÉ Aertel Digital as this is a user-controlled service.

35 7. Technical Spectrum Required for DTT Offering Frequency spectrum planning for Ireland has allocated eight national DVB layers under the RRC 2006 process. Six national layers have been allocated to DVB -T or DTT (2 to PSB DTT & 4 to commercial services). The two remaining national DVB layers have been reserved for non- specific / future services which could include DTT if the allocated spectrum is fully utilised.

At the modulation scheme selected (64QAM) each multiplex can deliver 24.128 Mbps. After system overheads are taken into consideration c.23 Mbps is available for content per multiplex, giving a total of c.184 Mbps across the eight multiplexes, which breaks down as follows: i. PSB DTT Capacity 2 x c. 23 Mbps - 46 Mbps ii. Commercial DTT Capacity 4 x c. 23 Mbps - 92 Mbps iii. Future DVB Capacity 2 x c. 23 Mbps - 46 Mbps.

The current DTT planning is based on the first PSB MUX launching in May 2011 with the option of a second PSB MUX being launched thereafter.

Capacity Required for HD and SD Services The following technical specifications are being proposed by RTÉNL and are subject to contract negotiations with broadcasters.

Statistical multiplexing will be used for all video services, audio and data services are fixed bit rate. It is planned to use the following bit rates as part of a statistical multiplexed pool.

High Definition Video (HD) 1 Minimum of 2.0 Mbps 2 Maximum of 9.0 Mbps 3 Weighting 90% 4 Resolution 1440 x 1080i 5 Expected average bit rate 6.0 Mbps

Standard Definition Video (SD) • Minimum of 1.0 Mbps • Maximum of 8.0 Mbps • Weighting 90% • Resolution 544 x 576 • Expected average bit rate 2.0 Mbps

Audio HD and/or SD • Main program audio 192 kbps (stereo) • Secondary program audio 96 kbps (mono), if required. • Access services 96 kbps (mono), if required.

In total, therefore, including audio and video c. 6.3 Mbps will be required for a HD service, and c. 2.3 Mbps for a SD service. The requirement can vary and capacity will be dynamically allocated depending on the type of programming being transmitted at any particular time.

Allocation of Resources RTÉ Two HD Select will require c. 6.3 Mbps, representing 27% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 14% of the total available PSB MUX capacity (46 Mbps). RTÉ Two SD would require c. 2.6 Mbps, 11% of the available PSB MUX 1 capacity and 5% of the total available PSB MUX capacity. Therefore, RTÉ Two HD Select will require an additional c. 3.7 Mbps of capacity, above what would have been required by the RTÉ Two SD service it will replace. Post Analogue Switch-off (ASO), there will be no requirement for an RTÉ Two SD service should RTÉ Two HD Select be approved. RTÉ Two (SD) will continue to be available on Analogue Terrestrial Television (ATT) until ASO. After ASO, RTÉ Two HD Select will be available in HD to those households with the necessary equipment, while the same channel will appear in standard definition to those with standard equipment.

36 RTÉ News Now will require c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 10% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 5% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps).

RTÉjr and RTÉ Plus will share the same spectrum, requiring c. 2.2 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 10% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 5% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps).

RTÉ Aertel Digital will require c. 1.0 Mbps of capacity, i.e. 4% of the available capacity on PSB MUX 1 (23 Mbps) and 2% of the total available PSB capacity (46 Mbps).

The table below details the proposed configuration for PSB Multiplex 1 at launch:

Sample PSB DTT Multiplex 1 (24.128 Mbps) Setup

Management XSI 0.700 PSI 0.150 EMM 0.000 ECM 0.000 PCR 0.044 0.894

Programme Triggers Video Audio A/D Dolby Text Total RTE One + EBU 2.000 0.192 0.096 0.300 2.588 RTE Two HD 6.000 0.192 0.096 6.288 TV3 + EBU 2.000 0.192 0.096 0.300 2.588 TG4 + EBU 2.000 0.192 0.096 0.300 2.588 RTE News Now 2.000 0.192 2.192 RTEjr / RTÉ Plus 2.000 0.192 2.192 3e 2.000 0.192 2.192

RTÉ Radio 1 0.128 0.128 RTÉ Radio 1 Extra 0.096 0.096 RTÉ 2fm 0.128 0.128 RTÉ RnaG 0.128 0.128 RTÉ lyric fm 0.128 0.128 RTÉ Choice 0.096 0.096 RTÉ Gold 0.096 0.096 RTÉ Junior / RTÉ Chill 0.096 0.096 RTÉ Pulse / RTÉ 2xm 0.096 0.096

Total 18.000 2.336 0.384 0.000 0.900 21.620

Total PES (PkHd) 18.391 2.387 0.392 0.000 0.920 22.090 22.100

Interactive Trigger tracks 2 0.060 WML I/A 1 0.000 Digital Teletext 1 1.000

Triggers = 0.060 0.061 Interactive = 1.000 1.022

Total Used = 24.077

Spare Capacity = 0.051

Encoding The four television channels will be encoded in MPEG4.

Picture Quality The picture resolution for RTÉ Two HD Select will be 1440x1080i. The picture resolution for the standard definition services, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr and RTÉ Plus will be 544x576.

Technical Requirements for Households Households wishing to access RTÉ Two HD Select, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr, RTÉ Plus and RTÉ Aertel Digital will require a DTT receiver, either a Set Top Box (STB) or integrated Digital TV (iDTV) that is compliant with, or equal to, the Irish / SAORVIEW minimum receiver specification, (published in 2008), and an UHF receiver aerial. This is the same equipment as is required by any person wishing to access any terrestrial free-to-air services post ASO in October 2012.

37 To avoid the requirement to simulcast services (i.e. in HD and SD) and to optimise bandwith usage as services migrate to HD, the Irish / SAORVIEW minimum receiver specification for Set Top Boxes (STBs) requires that the STB is capable of outputting all television services, whether they are broadcast in HD or SD, via a SCART connector.

Using an approved STB: • HD and / or SD services carried on DTT will be viewable on any HD-ready TV (SAORVIEW approved or not) via a HDMI lead connected between the TV and a STB. HD services will appear as HD and SD as SD. • HD and / or SD services carried on DTT will be viewable on legacy TV set with a SCART socket, via a SCART lead connected between the TV set and a STB. • HD and / or SD services carried on DTT will be viewable on legacy TV sets, without a SCART socket, via a SCART to RF Modulator/Adaptor and SCART lead connected between the TV and a STB. • SAORVIEW approved iDTVs will display HD as HD and SD as SD.

7.i. RTÉ Two HD Select • The delivery of high quality pictures and sound to large screens in High Definition is the future of television in the home. This has been made possible by the introduction of digital systems and advances in display technologies. HD Ready TV sets are widely available and High Definition television will fully overtake existing standard definition services over time. This transition has been most prevalent in genres such as sport and film where the significantly enhanced picture and sound quality allow for a richer and much improved user experience.

• ‘Up-converting’ High Definition television is a new production and delivery standard. The technical detail of how signals are captured, stored and retransmitted is completely new and all elements of the broadcast chain must be able to handle this new standard. Under these proposals, when RTÉ Two HD Select begins HD transmissions it will also up- convert standard definition content. The SD up-converter allows SD content to be carried in the new HD standard but obviously is not delivered in true HD quality. However high quality SD images when up-converted to HD with the best available technologies will be reproduced very well using HD systems in the home. This is because is HD systems allow an increased volume of data to be delivered. High quality SD pictures delivered via HD systems to the home will look better to the viewer than if delivered via traditional SD services .

8. Costs, Reach and Advertising Costs RTÉ is currently planning to deliver these services without there being any additional cost to the Irish licence-fee payer as, where possible, the new channels will be created using existing resources.

Reach RTÉ predicts the following population coverage levels for the 1 st PSB DTT MUX: o Oct 2010 c. 94.5% population coverage o Q2 2011 c. 97.2% population coverage o Q3 2012 c. 97.7% population coverage o Q4 2012 c. 98% population coverage (Source: Preparing for ASO, RTÉ / RTÉ NL Progress Report, 28 th May 2010)

RTÉ Two HD Select, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr, RTÉ Plus and RTÉ Aertel Digital will be available, free-to-air to all Irish households subject to the population coverage detailed above. All homes, as per the coverage above, will be able to see the RTÉ Two HD Select service. Only homes with HD-Ready TV sets will be able to fully appreciate the higher quality video that HD delivers. Standard Definition TV sets will display the RTÉ Two HD Select service as high quality SD video. According to the Nielsen TV Audience Measurement Establishment Survey, 34% of TV households claim to have a HD-ready TV set (May 2010).

RTÉNL have confirmed that the coverage of the second PSB multiplex can be more or less matched to the first PSB multiplex. On a site by site basis there are some unavoidable, but very slight differences, because of the different frequencies used by the different multiplexes.

Advertising • RTÉ Two HD Select will carry the same advertising as is currently broadcast on the existing ATT channel RTÉ Two. • The low projected audience for dedicated news channels means that RTÉ News Now will be of limited appeal to advertisers initially. In the short to medium term, it would be envisaged that an affiliate advertising model could be applied to weather forecasts and potential new additional vignettes such as travel updates, entertainment news etc. • RTÉjr will be an entirely advertising free service. • For Phase One of RTÉ Plus the advertising carried on this channel will be the same as that carried on RTÉ One. For Phase Two advertising will be sold as the channel will have evolved beyond the plus one-hour offering. • The advertising carried on RTÉ Aertel Digital will be similar to that carried on the analogue RTÉ Aertel service.