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 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.
Read more about this topic: Boxer TV Ireland
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