Television in Ireland

Television in Ireland is available through a variety of platforms. The digital terrestrial television service is known as Saorview and is the primary source of broadcast television since analogue transmissions ended on 24 October 2012. Digital satellite (from Sky Ireland, Saorsat and other European satellite service providers are available) and Cable (from Virgin Media Ireland) are also widely used.

The Irish satellite fill-in service (Saorsat) is via Ka-Sat using the Irish K_a band spot and has been available since June 2011.

While many people receive their television via Saorview, which is broadcast by 2RN, more than half subscribe to multichannel television networks. The biggest single multichannel television network in Ireland is Sky Ireland, which broadcasts digital satellite television services.Virgin Media Ireland, Magnet Networks, Eir and Smart Vision, among others, provide similar digital television services to Irish viewers.

Television was first received in Ireland from 1949, following the opening of high power BBC transmitters at Sutton Coldfield and later Holme Moss, giving marginal reception along parts of the East coast. The first transmissions on the island of Ireland began with the launch of BBC in Northern Ireland (BBC Northern Ireland) when it began broadcasting television programmes in 1953, followed in 1959 with the launch of Ulster Television (now known as UTV).

Throughout the 1950s the governments of Ireland were worried about the influences of British television and the popularity of the medium. By the end of the 1950s 60% of the population could receive BBC 1 and the UK's ITV from spillover from Northern Ireland, Wales and the west of England. Throughout the 1950s the Irish government discussed the provision of an Irish television service; this was headed up by Leon O'Broin, the secretary at the Department of Post and Telegraphs. The Department of Post and Telegraphs had responsibility for Radio Éireann, Ireland's radio service. In 1950 O'Broin established his own committee on Irish television and bought a television set to receive broadcasts from the BBC. The Department of Finance at this time were worried of the cost of setting up a new television service and dismissed the possibility on several occasions during the 1950s. By March 1951 O'Broin would press for the inevitable establishment of an Irish television service in the state. In a Memorandum to Government the Department set out four possibilities for the ownership and control of a new service:

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