Tv3 have BGT, x factor

UTV have Ant and dec and Stars in their eyes

UTV could also buy Strictly come Dancing and show that on a Saturday at the same time as BBC. Only problem is the ads

I personally would enjoy a discussion about the licence fee as RTE probably does need reforming. Not so much for the sports or Films rights, more the ridiculous fees it pays certain presenters and staff members. But TV3 have no right to argue about the licence fee. they knew the rules of the game when they entered the market. Most of their home produced stuff outside of studio wouldn't be made without the support of the sound and vision fund anyway. UTV Ireland have gone in and decided they can make a go of it because they've tied up the Soaps and I would presume every new Show ITV has from now on they'll have the right to buy ROI rights when buying the rights for the Northern Ireland Region. The current ITV and UTV management seem to be on the same page...

Having said all of that TV3 are the only broadcasters in the republic that have had 100 million plus debts written off by the taxpayer. They probably have the least creditable ground to stand on when it comes to public money. A lot of the Public money RTE gets is spent correctly.

While I too would like a discussion on the licence fee you have to remember RTÉ have to provide stuff like The Performing Groups (RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir, RTÉ Cór na nÓg, RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet) and radio stations like Lyric fm & Raidió na Gaeltachta under their PSB remit... (There is absolutely no way these would exist without RTÉ)

TV3 and their complaining have cost us Irish viewers dearly - they have stopped RTÉ launching a third TV channel and making RTÉ News Now into a proper live news channel.. not to mention RTÉ being prevented from taking children's programme's away from day time television on RTÉ2 so as not to compete with TV3.

UTV might look light on Saturday Night but so does TV3. The question here is do the audience want to watch A repeat of Saturday Night Takeaway or a New Ep of Harry Hills Stars in their Eyes. It's almost exactly the same audience, who will have all already watched Saturday Night Takeaway.

TV3 needs to win Saturday and Tuesday Night comprehensively to keep going until the Autumn. Their Saturdays look weakish (probably still better than UTV for Now) and Tuesday is undermined by everyone watching the Football on ITV HD (where available)

I can't see them coming close to UTV any of the 5 other nights and Saturday could be a Draw most weeks until Britain's Got Talent appears.

I see UTVI has decided to broadcast Lorraine in it's morning slot but not GMB, even though Lorraine is essentially a continuation of GMB, often with presenters on GMB hosting Lorraine when she is away and the shows are filmed in the same studios. UTVI were obviously fearing some sort of backlash if they were to broadcast GMB in ireland.

Well yes "Good Morning Britain" probably wouldn't go down too well here in Ireland

I think they may have shown if it was still called Daybreak

On the other hand, TV3 are actually gaining ground on RTE :

http://www.independent.ie/entertainm...-30871258.html

Isn't it more likely because of the integration with the ITV regions for local news slots?

They could have aired a UTV news in the local news slot or a UTV weather forecast in the slot. I think it is to do with it being called Good morning Britain

While you might have had a small amount of mumbling from certain quarters, the Name had very little to do with it. Instead it was the resources UTV would have had to put in to a show that almost no one would have watched.

If it were an issue Britain's got talent wouldn't have come to Dublin for a talent spotting Day... Dublin is definitely not in Britain!

This is nothing more than a TV3 press release... They add up all the viewing figures of their shows. The Christmas Toy show was on at least five times if not more from the first day it was shown.

The independent is one of the least reliable sources when it comes to TV news... from any station. They don't appear to ask questions, they just print what they're given.

The title is a problem for Northern Ireland as well, and I'm not making a political statement in saying that. It's that Northern Ireland may be part of the United Kingdom but it is not part of Great Britain.

It's simple really - the MD of UTV has said this is a standalone Irish channel ... UTVNI for the North and UTVI for Ireland. Good Morning Britain on an Irish channel just wouldn't make sense and in some quarters would not go down well.

.. It would be like broadcasting Good Morning Ireland on ITV in England.

The vast majority don't get any spillover from NI

The spillover from Down goes as far as Dublin at least, covering quite a lot of people, plus anyone with SKY can get utv and it's on upc

Isn't UTVI replacing UTV NI on UPC tomorrow?

I think your right

Presumably the issue is logistic and cost inspired, rather than sentimentality.

UTV doesn't broadcast GMB, being off-air at the time. GMB is part of the UK-wide ITV breakfast licence, with UTV acting only as a suppler for local news and actuality during the opt-outs. Presumably the NI version of GMB is broadcast from Kirkstall Rd (Leeds), with Havelock House (Belfast) supplying it with content as an external contribution feed? All the ads will be played-out from Leeds. So, if UTVI wanted to show an Irish version of GMB, they'd have to not only staff-up in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford enough to get reasonable intake of RoI news from their radio stations, but also would have to staff payout in Belfast to cope with the ads, trailers, transmission and assurance.

Lorraine is possibly a minimalist toe in the water?

If UTV wanted to do an Irish breakfast show, then I guess they'd actually have to do it properly? Based on GMB, perhaps; but with much more RoI content than the ITV regional opt-outs main news segments and gaelic sport at least as part of a concerted effort to drive-up viewer-ship. If they succeeded, unfortunately one of the biggest casualties would be their own radio stations!

I bet that something does happen with the 0625 to Lorraine segment, but some creative thought would have to go into the concept.

I'm pretty sure Lorraine has a news segment in it, wonder what they'll do here.

Really?! I thought it was launching a bit later than that. Is UTVI gonna show the same stuff as UTVNI (with some local opt-outs) or will the programming be totally different?

Breakfast TV is almost impossible to Crack on these Islands, there are only so many people that are going to watch TV before 9 in the morning. TV3 only started Breakfast TV because they had a clear field (and it needed to boost home produced hours at the time). It's very easy being the number one breakfast show in Ireland when there is only one competitor.

While ITV can make money from Breakfast TV in the UK even with low audiences, UTV would have a much bigger task in the Republic. Having a great breakfast show is no good if almost no one is watching. It's a much better financial Decision not to show Good Morning Britain, plus a much better programming Decision actually putting resources into Shows when people are actually watching.

Only about 9 hours to go till Ireland's newest channel hits the air

UTV Ireland's first night Schedule

7.30 Emmerdale - 1.
8.30 Pat Kenny - 'Out with the Old - In with the U - 2.
9.30 When the Sky falls - 3
11.30 A Night with Olly Murs'*

But which show do we think will come out on top.

1. Emmerdale is against Fair city and Eastenders on rte 1. So might struggle against them.

Rte 2 is showing Hairspray at the same time and TV 3 is showing 2014: The Highs and Lows then at 8 Brenda Grace. I dont think Rte 2 or Tv3's offerings between 7.30 and 8.30 will cause UTV any problems.

2. Pat is against Eastenders and News on Rte 1. He will be against Hairspray and Electric picnic on Rte 2 and Brenda Grace and Evelyn on TV3.

Again Eastenders might beat Pat but
I think Pat Kenny will do Ok on the night as he is there big name signing and the show is one of the pick of the days on Irish TV.

3. 'When the Sky Falls' is against Django Unchained on Rte 1, Electric Picnic and Marley on Rte 2 and Evelyn and At home with Irish Country Music on TV 3.

I have a feeling Django or Evelyn will do better than Utv's film.

4. Olly is up against Django Unchained on Rte 1, Marley on Rte 2 and At home with Irish Country Music and 2014: Here was the news on TV3.

Olly could pull it off by coming second behind Django but you never know

Pat will win his slot through sheer curiosity - as you say, coin-toss between Emmerdale and Fair City, but can't see any real competition with Django after the news.