[Rdd]

Saorview needs to open their channel spaces to more UK channels - Sky News and Challenge TV are already on there now, so closing down some RTE channels and make room for some UK channels will be good. I was surprised at reading Challenge was on there, not a channel I would have thought would be in the Saorview line up

It’s not a question of not being open to UK channels - whether that was ever even informally the case, it was shattered the minute Sky News went on. But channels need to want to go on, and the rate card makes it uneconomical to do so for many broadcasters. I suspect the only ones that are likely to be added in the medium term are Sky Arts and Sky Mix.

The big win would be the UK terrestrials - but the BBC won’t go on unless they are paid to do so (or at least it is cost neutral) and ITV and Channel 5 won’t go on for rights reasons. Channel 4 might but they would need the numbers to work.