Saorview. Flexible, Free TV Why choose Saorview?

Contract TV can offer a mix of options to TV viewers but the market is changing. Many Irish homes now have access to a wide range of viewing options. Online streaming is more popular than ever and there’s lots of free-to-air choice available. Many households can pick and choose between these to find a mix that suits them. With more of us at home than ever before this mix must be versatile and affordable while letting each of us watch what we want, how we want. Saorview offers some of Ireland’s most-watched TV programmes; it's easy to set up and has no contract or monthly bills. It would make a great addition to any Irish household. Connect an aerial to a Saorview approved TV or box, do a quick tune-in and you're done. You get immediate access to a great choice of trusted news, entertainment, comedy, drama, movies, documentaries and factual content with no additional commitment. Get Saorview in a bedroom, box-room or kitchen. Add your favourite online TV or movie service, or connect to a satellite dish for even more free-to-air choice in addition to Saorview. And consider Saorview Connect – the service that combines your favourite channels with online content, series link recording and programme recommendations to give you a multitude of options. Just add an aerial

For viewers in many cities it may be possible to receive Saorview with an indoor aerial, depending on your location. Alternatively you may have an outdoor aerial already wired into a room. If either is available to you, why not connect your TV and try a quick tune-in? And if you’re lucky enough to have more than one TV in your home, it may be possible to get Saorview in every room by connecting an aerial to each. Getting Saorview can be as simple and flexible as that. For advice on how to get Saorview, or to find out more, check out your local TV retailer or installer or call our helpdesk at 1890-222012. Saorview. For Flexible, Free TV.



The new RTÉ Player is now available on Saorview Connect Saorview Connect now includes the new RTÉ Player, offering you a great choice of box sets and catch-up TV content with many programmes available in High definition. The new RTÉ Player has been developed to offer greater choice of online TV content to today’s TV audiences, who expect to be able to view their favourite TV shows when and how they want. Together with Saorview Connect’s catch-up TV guide and Spotlight recommendations service, the new RTÉ Player gives Saorview viewers great entertainment choices with no contract or monthly bills. In order to view RTÉ Player, customers should ensure that their Saorview Connect boxes are running the latest software, currently version 20.19. Boxes that have not been upgraded to the latest software will display a message when a customer tries to access the RTÉ Player or RTÉ programmes via the catch-up TV guide. For more information on Saorview Connect, and to access customer support and advice please visit www.saorview.ie or call our helpline at 1890-222012.

Get ready to record with Saorview Connect Following completion of testing, a new software upgrade for Saorview Connect boxes will be released on Monday 15th April 2019. This upgrade will add the capability to record your favourite TV shows, and to pause live TV.



If you already own a Powerpoint Saorview Connect box, you will need to ensure that a couple of things are in place before downloading the upgrade.



Firstly, please ensure that you have a hard drive available to connect to the box when the upgrade is completed. We recommend a USB 3.0 hard drive to ensure that you can record and playback HD content reliably. A 500GB drive will allow approximately 100 hours recording, or you could opt for a larger size – 1TB or more – if you want extra capacity. We don’t recommend USB thumb drives or SSDs – your local TV retailer can advise you on this if needed.



Secondly, may have noticed that your Saorview Connect box has two satellite connections at the back. If you are using satellite* to receive extra channels, you will need to ensure that two satellite cables are connected to the box before downloading the upgrade. This is in order that the box can record one channel while you are watching another and is necessary to ensure stable reception of satellite.



The Saorview customer helpdesk will be available to assist with any queries that you may have with the upgrade, and can be contacted via 1890-222012, email [email protected] or Live Help at www.saorview.ie *Satellite tuner is an additional feature provided by the manufacturer. Note satellite channels are not part of Saorview.

Planned Service Interruptions Kilduff, Tipperary

Due to ESB works, services from Kilduff will be subject to an outage of up to 6 hours duration, between 09:30 and 15:30 on 17th September 2020. Mullaghanish, Cork

Due to maintenance works, services from Mullaghanish will be subject to short breaks between 00:00 and 03:00 on 17th September 2020. Signals at Kilkeaveragh, Maamclassach, Castletownbere, Bantry, Kinsale, Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Glanmire, Crosshaven, Bandon, Timoleague, Clonakilty, Rosscarberry, Leap, Drimoleague, Mt. Gabriel, Knockmoyle, and Dingle will be similarly affected. For information regarding upcoming work on our transmission network please see RTÉ Aertel page 169. If you wish to be kept updated on transmitter outages you can follow 2RN on Twitter @2rnNMC. To report a problem with your Saorview reception please phone us at 1890-222012, or alternatively you can call 2RN at 01 2082259 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

Saorview contact centre Christmas opening times 2019 The following opening times will apply over Christmas and New Year for the Saorview contact centre: Monday 23rd Dec – 10:00 to 21:00 Tuesday 24th Dec – 10:00 to 18:00 Christmas Day – Closed Thursday 26th Dec – 10:00 to 18:00 Friday 27th Dec – 10:00 to 21:00 Saturday & Sunday 28th & 29th Dec – 10:00 to 18:00 Monday 30th Dec – 10:00 to 21:00 Tuesday & Wednesday 31st Dec & 1st January – 10:00 to 18:00 Thursday 02nd Jan – 10:00 to 21:00 These times will apply to phone lines, email and Live Help on the Saorview website.



Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir, Saorview

Saorview Connect software update November 2019 A software update has been released for the Saorview Connect box. The new update software, version 0.20.20, addresses the following: An issue where some users could not access TG4 Player.

Performance improvement in recording of present/following programmes on satellite.

Minor performance improvements and bug fixes. If you own a Saorview Connect box that is connected to the internet, you may receive an overnight notification that this update is available. If you wish to download the upgrade immediately, go to Home > Settings > System settings > Software update > check for online software update, and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update. Please do not operate the box or remove power during the update process.



If you have any queries regarding this software update please contact the Saorview helpdesk at 1890-222012 or 01-2583540.

Saorview Connect software update On Monday 22 July 2019 a software update will be pushed out to all Saorview Connect boxes.



This software update is a maintenance release to prepare for the launch of a new feature on Saorview Connect.



Most users will see an automatic notification on their screens, advising of the update. You may either accept, delay or deny the update at that point. You can activate the update at a time of your choosing by going to Home > Settings > System settings > Software update > and selecting 'Check for online software update' and following the on-screen instructions. Please note that the box should not be disconnected from power or internet until the update is completed and the box reboots automatically.



Users will not notice any immediate change in the operation of their Saorview Connect box following this update. The new software version will be titled 20.19.



If you need any assistance with this software update please contact our helpline at 1890-222012 or 01-2583540, email [email protected], or via Live Help on the Saorview website.

Saorview Connect recording software - beta test release We have been working with the software developers to get our recording software upgrade ready for release to all Saorview Connect users. As part of this process, we want to roll out a new beta* version of the recording software to a larger group of Saorview Connect users than that in the original test. This is so that we can gather information on customer experience of use of the software in their homes. Please note that you will need an aerial, and an internet connection - either wired or wi-fi. If connecting to a satellite dish, two satellite connections available to the box will be needed. You will also need to connect an external USB hard drive to the box once the beta software is downloaded and the box has completed installation. If you wish to participate in this public test, please email [email protected] in the first instance with your contact details. We will select a number of respondents to participate in the beta test group and follow up with details of how to participate. *Beta testing is a common means of testing new software or product upgrades among a selected group of users. It is commonly used by mobile phone and computer manufacturers for final testing of a new software release before it goes live to all customers. Beta software may carry some minor bugs or glitches but is generally complete. If for any reason you wish to return to the previous version of software, you can email us with the details and we can reverse the change.

Brand new RTÉ2+1 service and extended 24 hour RTÉ One+1 available on Saorview A brand new RTÉ2+1 television service as well as an extended 24 hour RTÉ One+1 service are now available on Saorview. Beginning this evening, Tuesday 19 February, the new time-shifted RTÉ2+1 will run each evening from 7pm to 2am with RTÉ One+1 running 24 hours. RTÉ2+1 can be found on Saorview at channel number 12. RTÉ One+1 can be found at Saorview channel number 11. Most Saorview boxes and TV sets will automatically pick up the new channel. If for any reason you can't see the new channel on your Saorview receiver, you should rescan or retune your device to update the Saorview channel list. Information on how to rescan, including help videos, can be found at https://www.saorview.ie/en/help/saorview



If you need help rescanning, our helpdesk is available at 1890-222012 and there is Live Help available on the Saorview website. For full contact information please see https://www.saorview.ie/en/about#contacts

Saorview contact centre Christmas opening times The Saorview contact centre will be available to provide customer support during the following times over the Christmas holiday period: Monday 24th December 10:00 - 18:00 Christmas Day; Closed Wednesday 26th December; 10:00 - 18:00 Thursday 27th to Friday 28th December; 09:00 - 21:00 Saturday 29th December to Tuesday 1st January; 10:00 - 18:00 Wednesday 2nd January; 09:00 - 21:00 For Saorview customer support, please call 1890-222012 or email [email protected], or go to www.saorview.ie for live help.

Saorview Connect recording software We are working on a new release of software for Saorview Connect which will allow you to record on your Saorview Connect box. The software is almost ready to go, and we are working with the manufacturer and their developers to iron out one last bug before releasing it. As soon as this bug has been fixed, the upgrade will be made available to your Saorview Connect box through your internet connection. We want to ensure that recording on Saorview Connect will be reliable and easy to use, so please accept our apologies for this unavoidable delay as we work towards a launch date for this feature upgrade.

Saorview Connect - update on recording software We recently announced that a recording software update would be made available for Saorview Connect boxes. For the last couple of weeks we have been running a Beta trial and this has identified a bug that needs to be resolved before we can make the software available to everyone. The manufacturer's software developers are currently working on a fix for the bug, and at this stage we estimate that the software release will be delayed by approximately a couple of weeks. We want to thank our Beta software testers for their valuable feedback, and to assure you that we are working towards a final release of the recording software update as soon as possible.

Saorview Connect – recording software upgrade Saorview is about to introduce a significant software upgrade to your Saorview Connect box. This upgrade will enable the box to record to an external USB hard drive, and to pause, fast forward and rewind live TV. It will be possible to record one programme while watching another. Recording will be possible on both Saorview and satellite channels. These features will be available on the Powerpoint DXD7025 box that you may already have purchased. The recording upgrade had originally been planned for mid-2018, but had unfortunately been postponed a few months for operational reasons. We apologise for this delay, and are happy to announce that the planned release date for the software is 5th November. The actual date could be a little earlier or later, depending on what issues are found in the public beta testing (see below). We appreciate that the postponement has been frustrating for some customers, but we do not want to deliver a substandard experience by cutting corners at this stage. Before this upgrade is published to all boxes, we will do some final beta* testing with a small group of users. This is in order to identify any bugs remaining, and to evaluate customer feedback for future upgrades. If you wish to participate in this public test, please email [email protected] in the first instance with your contact details. We will select a number of respondents to participate in the beta test group and follow up with details of how to participate if you are selected. *Beta testing is a common means of testing new software or product upgrades among a selected group of users. It is commonly used by mobile phone and computer manufacturers for final testing of a new software release before it goes live to all customers. Beta software may carry some minor bugs or glitches but is generally complete. If for any reason you wish to return to the previous version of software, you can email us with the details and we can reverse the change. Also please be aware that the focus of the beta testing is finding and fixing bugs, not adding new features.

Irish brand Saorview Connect wins top global innovation accolade Saorview Connect – an advanced, connected, free-to-air television service – has won the prestigious IBC Innovation Award for Content Everywhere at a ceremony in Amsterdam on Sunday 16th September. The service provider came out on top against massive global names including sports network ESPN and WRC (the World Rally Championship) to take home the award. IBC 2018 is the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show. The awards recognise innovation within the media, entertainment and technology industry. The three categories encompass the breadth of the industry, rewarding projects for content creation, content distribution and content everywhere. Speaking on the win, Richard Waghorn, Director of Transformation and Technology at RTÉ, said: “The Saorview Connect project team and I are thrilled with the win. We created a service that we believe is truly the future of free TV, and for this to be acknowledged at a global level is a true honour. Saorview Connect was developed to give Irish consumers a world-class TV viewing experience and this award reaffirms Ireland’s position as a country on the cutting edge of digital innovation. We’re excited to continue to innovate and provide a world class service for Irish consumers.” The awards, first presented in 2006, are now widely regarded as the leading recognition of innovation and collaboration in the world of media, entertainment and technology. To make the shortlist, a project has to have solved a real creative, operational or commercial issue for a media business. While the technologies involved are of course celebrated, what makes the IBC Innovation Awards truly unique is that the award itself goes to the end user – the organisation that is using the solution to achieve ground-breaking results. Michael Lumley, chair of the IBC Innovation Awards judging panel, said: “This year’s IBC Innovation Awards shortlist is a real global snapshot of the cutting edge of our industry, with all the hot topics of the moment represented, and entries from practically every corner of the globe. To make it to the final and to see your project presented on stage at the awards ceremony on Sunday night and to win at IBC is a tremendous achievement.” A full breakdown of nominations is available on the IBC website. For media queries please contact: Luke Reilly | [email protected] 01-4200070 IBC 2018 Awards Winner Breakdown Innovation, Content Creation: Eurosport

Innovation, Content Distribution: Medialaan

Innovation, Content Everywhere: RTÉ

Technical Paper: BBC R&D

Judges’ Prize: Econet Media

Special Award: BBC R&D

International Honour for Excellence: Joan Ganz Cooney

Radio Maria launches on Saorview channel 210 We are pleased to announce the addition of Radio Maria Ireland to the list of radio stations available on the Saorview Platform. Radio Maria Ireland is an independent Christian talk radio station licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Programme content includes Catholic religious teaching, youth discussion, music, news and interviews, Mass and other liturgies. Listener interaction in programmes is a special feature. Radio Maria Ireland is a member of The World Family of Radio Maria, an association that sponsors over 80 Radio Maria Stations in 70 countries Worldwide. Radio Maria is a non-commercial and not-for-profit organisation and depends on its many listeners, benefactors and volunteers to maintain its operations. Radio Maria is the first independent radio station to join the Saorview channel line-up. For further information on Radio Maria Ireland please see https://www.radiomaria.ie/

Saorview launches the world’s first free shopping channel – Free TV. And it’s free-ly good Today, Saorview announced the launch of Free TV, the ‘world’s first shopping channel where everything is free’. ‘Free TV’ is a once-off, online event designed to launch Saorview Connect, Saorview’s new premium quality free TV service which its creators have dubbed ‘The Future of Free TV’.

For those who overspent this Christmas, Free TV offers viewers the chance to win a range of nifty prizes ranging from HDTVs to tickets to the biggest gigs of the year. Kevin McGahern, of Republic of Telly fame, plays Free TV’s cheesy shopping channel host – complete with a garish suit pattern and an over-abundance of fake tan. The live broadcast is open to everyone and takes place on Saorview’s Facebook page (facebook.com/saorviewirl) on Thursday, January 25th from 8:00pm. Saorview Connect Saorview Connect offers a homegrown, premium quality TV experience, without the fuss of a contract or monthly bills. The on-demand service means viewers can catch their favourite shows when they want to. With just a click of their remote, users can access content from the last seven days – which means never missing an episode of First Dates again. With so much great telly, sometimes deciding on what to watch can be a struggle. Saorview Connect has you covered here too, with its Spotlight feature recommending the very best of the next 7 days TV handpicked by a team of telly watching experts. What’s more, the first Saorview Connect box also includes a satellite tuner, so you can connect it to a satellite dish to access additional free TV channels. Saorview Connect has been designed to make viewers’ experience as seamless as possible – from the search function to find your favourite shows quickly to the unified remote that means fiddling with two remotes is a thing of the past. Speaking about the launch of Saorview Connect, Richard Waghorn, RTÉ’s Director of Transformation and Technology, said: “Saorview Connect is our most premium free TV offering yet. The future of free TV has landed. We’re excited to launch our innovative service with this tongue-in-cheek campaign.” Host of Free TV, Kevin McGahern, commented: “Hark! Free TV is coming! Free TV is a fun way to remind the people of Ireland that the best things in life are free. With Saorview Connect, you have access to a load of new premium features with no monthly bills or contract. Eh… why would ever bother with a subscription package?” Tune in to Free TV on the Saorview Facebook Page on January 25th at 8pm to win. For media queries please contact:

Luke Reilly | [email protected]

01-4200070

Get more with the Saorview Red Button this Saturday With a busy weekend of sport available to TG4 viewers this Saturday, we're lighting up the Red Button to make sure you don't miss out on your choice of Rugby or GAA action.



This Saturday TG4 presents live coverage of the Eirgrid under-21 GAA football championship final between Galway and Dublin at O'Connor Park Tullamore (KO 17:00), after which Connacht will confront Scarlets at the Sportsground at 19:35. In the meantime, Munster fans can choose to follow their heroes by pressing the Saorview Red Button to catch Benetton Treviso V Munster with a kickoff time of 18:05. Want to find more great entertainment on Saorview? we've something for everybody - check out our What's On section for our pick of great viewing choices over the next seven days.

Software upgrade to Saorview Plus+ PVR A new software version for the Walker WP-6500 Saorview Plus+ recorder is now available for over-air download on Saorview. This new version (V1.20) is intended to correct intermittent functioning of on-screen subtitling (occasional lack of punctuation in English and occasional lack of síneadh fada in Irish) and other housekeeping functions around hard drive content management. The update download will occur automatically at 03:00 daily when the PVR is in standby mode. The download may be manually performed at any time by employing the following remote control selections….. Menu -> Setup -> Configuration -> Receiver upgrade -> OK -> Scan for upgrade - > OK. A search progress bar will be displayed on the lower Right Hand Side of the screen which will indicate the status of the download search and/or the download progress. For help and advice please contact us by phone at 1890-222012, email [email protected] or visit the help section of this website for online live support.

be3 launches on Saorview Monday 9th January 2017, 7am sees the launch of be3 on Saorview. be3 replaces UTV Ireland on Saorview channel 6, and is part of the TV3 Group of channels. be3 will be home to children's programming in the morning, and drama and chat in the afternoon. Popular programmes such as ‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Loose Women’ and ‘Benidorm’ will also be available on be3, while there will be special news bulletins at 7pm and 10pm. Popular dramas such as Doc Martin, Wentworth, and all new Prime Suspect 1973 will be broadcast exclusively in Ireland on be3. be3 viewers will also have a second chance to catch Coronation Street and Emmerdale. TV3 Group’s children’s programming strand, 3Kids will also be broadcast each weekday morning from 7am. An exclusive new production entitled Aerial Ireland will premiere on be3 at 9pm on Monday, January 9th, to mark the launch of TV3 Group’s newest channel. This landmark documentary was directed and produced for the Smithsonian Channel USA by award winning filmmaker Stephen Rooke of Tile Films (Waterways, Saving the Titanic)