Sky News Ireland

Last updated

Sky News Ireland
Ownership
Owner Sky Ireland
History
Launched24 May 2004
Closed3 November 2006
Links
Website www.skynews.ie

Sky News Ireland was a programming block on Sky News broadcast in Ireland. It was a separate feed from the UK and international versions of Sky News. Sky News Ireland was broadcast from its studios in Dublin. The service was also available in the UK and around the world on the Sky News Active (Red Button) service.

Contents

Background

Sky News launched in Europe in February 1989. In May 2004, Sky News confirmed the launch of an Irish version of the channel; prior to this, Sky News was broadcast in Ireland with specific opt-out advertising and sponsorship. Specialized Irish news content aired for 30 minutes each night from 19:00 and 22:00. These special broadcasts were presented by Gráinne Seoige, news anchor Ray Kennedy and Brian Daly. On 24 October 2005, the 19:00h programme was moved to 18:30h, this put it in direct competition with RTÉ News: Six One.

The bulletin was also available to international viewers via the Sky News Active service (red button) which proved quite popular with the Irish diaspora abroad. The channel was seen by European viewers with a DVB-S satellite receiver across Europe. Sky News Ireland was the first Irish news service to be broadcast in widescreen, beating plans by RTÉ News and TV3 News. On 27 December 2005, it was confirmed Sky News Ireland's 18:30h bulletin was to be simulcast on Sky1 from 9 January 2006.

Reporters for the service included Jonathan Healy, Alison O'Reilly, Orla Chennnaoui, David Blevins, Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile, Geraldine Lynagh, Amanda Cassidy, Aisling Ni Choisdealbha, and John Sherwin. Weather on Sky News Ireland was usually presented by Lisa Burke.

In October 2006, viewer ratings for the 10:00pm programme were 135,000 avg; the 18:30 programme received 65,000 avg. (Neilsen).

Closure

On 31 October 2006, it was reported that the programme block would cease at the end of November 2006. [1] From 3 November 2006, no further Sky News Ireland bulletins were broadcast when the staff walked out. Ray Kennedy presented the final programme at 10:00pm on 3 November, [2] after which the staff left in protest at the handling of the closure by their British Sky News managers in London[ citation needed ]

Although specific Irish programming has now ended, Sky News continues to air an Irish opt-out advertising and sponsorship feed and continues to host studios and offices in Dublin and Belfast. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RTÉ2</span> Irish television station

RTÉ2 is an Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TG4</span> Irish-language television network

TG4 is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.

<i>RTÉ News: One OClock</i> Irish television news programme

RTÉ News: One O'Clock is the afternoon news programme broadcast each afternoon on Irish television channel RTÉ One at 1:00pm. The bulletin airs until 1:25pm Monday to Friday and until 1:10pm on Saturday and Sunday.

<i>RTÉ News: Nine OClock</i> Irish television news programme

RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock is the nightly news programme broadcast each night on Irish television channel RTÉ One at 9:00pm. The bulletin airs until 9:25pm Monday to Friday and until 9:20pm on Saturday and Sunday. It is presented by Sharon Ní Bheoláin as a rotating anchor on the programme alongside Ray Kennedy.

RTÉ News and Current Affairs, also known simply as RTÉ News, is the national news service provided by Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). Its services include local, national, European and international news, investigative journalism and current affairs programming for RTÉ television, radio, online, podcasts, on-demand and for independent Irish language public broadcaster TG4. It is the largest and most popular news source in Ireland – with 77% of the Irish public regarding it as their main source of both Irish and international news. It broadcasts in English, Irish and Irish Sign Language. The organisation is also a source of commentary on current affairs. The division is based at the RTÉ Television Centre in Donnybrook, Dublin; however, the station also operates regional bureaux across Ireland and the world.

<i>RTÉ News: Six One</i> Irish television news programme

RTÉ News: Six One is RTÉ's evening news programme broadcast on the Irish television channel RTÉ One and simulcast on the RTÉ News channel at 6:01pm. The bulletin airs until 7pm on Monday to Friday and until 6:30pm on Saturday and Sunday, when it is styled as RTÉ News and Sport. Six One airs after Nuacht RTÉ, which airs at 5:40pm, and The Angelus at 6pm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Channel</span> Irish television network

City Channel was an Irish television network that began broadcasting in October 2005, which focused primarily on local and regional television. It operated three stations: City Channel Dublin, City Channel Galway, and Channel South. The channel was replaced by RTÉ One +1 on 13 March 2012.

Sharon Ní Bheoláin is an Irish journalist, newsreader and presenter with RTÉ, Ireland's national public service radio and television broadcaster, for which she has presented many flagship programmes including Nuacht RTÉ, RTÉ News: One O'Clock andRTÉ News: Six One as well as all other news bulletins on both radio and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Kennedy (journalist)</span> Irish news journalist

Ray Kennedy is an Irish news presenter and award winning journalist working for RTÉ, Ireland's national television and radio station, where he has presented the Nine O'Clock News since September 2023, having previously presented the weekend editions of the Six One News and One O'Clock News.

<i>Nuacht RTÉ</i> Irish TV series or program

Nuacht RTÉ le TG4 is the main news service for Irish speakers on RTÉ television. The service is broadcast from the news studios at Baile na hAbhann in the Connemara Gaeltacht, County Galway, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Ireland</span> Irish telecommunications company

Sky Ireland Limited is a subsidiary of Comcast-owned Sky UK and supplies television, internet and telephony services in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Television</span>

Tara Television was an Irish cable and satellite channel aimed primarily at Irish people living in Britain, it was set up in 1996 and began broadcasting a year later before being finally wound up during the early hours of 1 July 2002 by the Irish High Court.

<i>Virgin Media News</i> Irish television news service

Virgin Media News is the news division of Virgin Media Television in Ireland, owned by Liberty Global. The news division produces news and current affairs programming for free-to-air channels Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two, and Virgin Media Three; online (virginmediatelevision.ie), on-demand, and on mobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RTÉ</span> Irish public service broadcaster

Raidió Teilifís Éireann is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. It is headquartered in Donnybrook in Dublin, with offices across different parts of Ireland.

RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ 1 upon the launch of RTÉ 2 in 1978. It is funded partly by the government's licence fee; the remainder of the funding is provided by commercial advertising. Because RTÉ is funded partly by the licence fee it shows considerably fewer advertisements than most other channels available in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2006.

The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2015.

This is a timeline of the history of commercial television in the Republic of Ireland.

This is a timeline of RTÉ Television.

The RTÉ News channel is an Irish free-to-air news television network operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The channel launched as RTÉ News Now available exclusively online on 12 June 2008. The channel began broadcasting as a free-to-air channel on 29 October 2010 on Saorview.

References

  1. "Sky News Ireland operation cut back". RTÉ News. 31 October 2006.
  2. "Ray Kennedy presents the final Sky News Ireland programme". 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  3. "Sky News axes Irish bulletins". the Guardian. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022.