Opportunity to Boost Irish Language Being Missed

national | arts and media | press release Tuesday June 24, 2008 20:10 by sdlpyouth - SDLP Youth

SDLP Youth has called on Irish language television channels and radio stations to broadcast on the digital free-to-view platform in Northern Ireland.

SDLP Youth Vice-Chair Peter Armstrong said: “The majority of households in Northern Ireland now receive digital free-to-view television and radio, yet we do not have any Irish broadcasters using the platform. This is a huge opportunity to boost the Irish language in the north of Ireland being missed.

“This is particularly relevant given the news this week that the Irish Language Broadcast Fund will be extended after 2009. It would be a much greater boost for the Irish language if people living in the north of Ireland were able to receive Irish television channels and radio stations, so they could actually watch Irish language programmes on TG4 and RTE and listen to Irish language radio stations.

“Northerners who want to watch RTE or TG4 currently have two options. They can fork out on cable TV services or have a special analogue aerial with signal-booster installed. These options are both expensive and inconvenient when people in the north have already invested in digital receivers for most television sets. The digital TV switchover in Northern Ireland is well underway and the old analogue TV services are to be switched off.

“There is nothing to prevent RTE, TV3, TG4, and other channels having broadcasting space on the Freeview system in Northern Ireland. It is not clear why they are not on there already, as it has been established that there is nothing to prevent them operating on digital free-to-view, and it would open up their channels to a completely new audience.”