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Virgin Media, RTÉ negotiations break down over time-shifted offering

Virgin calls RTÉ's proposal "misguided"

Negotiations between Virgin Media and RTÉ have broken down over plans to make a time-shifted version of RTÉ2 available on the Virgin platform, according to the Irish Independent.

Virgin claimed in a letter to the Irish Government last year that the RTÉ proposal for extra channels was a “misguided attempt to try to secure increased commercial revenue” and that the new services would “direct RTÉ resources away from their core purposes,” since RTÉ is likely to have to pay carriage fees to platform operators in order to have extra material broadcast.

RTÉ responded that additional revenue would be reinvested in its services and would improve the range and quality of its offering, telling the Sunday Independent: “Following approval from the Minister of Communications, Climate Action & Environment earlier this year, and consistent with our obligation to serve Irish audiences, RTÉ will continue to work with all platforms to make the new RTÉ2 +1 television service available to all audiences.”

A spokesperson for Virgin Media said negotiations are ongoing.