Boxer TV Ireland

Infobox Company
company_name = Boxer DTT Limited
company_
company_type = Private company limited by shares
foundation = 2008
location = Dublin, Ireland Boxer DTT Limited
Stockholm, Sweden Boxer TV-Access AB
Dublin, Ireland Communicorp
Dublin, Ireland BT Ireland
Copenhagen, Denmark Boxer TV Danmark
key_people = Per Norman - CEO of the Board of Boxer AB
Crister Fritzson - President of the Board of Boxer AB
Lucy Gaffney - Chairperson of the Board of Communicorp Group Ltd
Patrick Halpenny - CEO of the Board of Communicorp Group Ltd
num_employees = 50 (when hired)
industry = Media
products = Television, digital terrestrial television

revenue = Not disclosed as private company
homepage = [http://www.boxer.ie/ www.boxer.ie]

Boxer DTT Limited (which intends to trade as Boxer) is a company that has been awarded the contract to operate a mainly pay-TV digital terrestrial television service in the Republic of Ireland.

Competition

Boxer received in principle the conditional license for Muxes 2-4 (A-C). They beat off strong competition from two other consortia to win the 12 year licence. These two were Easy TV made up of RTÉ Commercial Enterprises & Liberty Global Incorporated (parent of UPC Ireland) and Onevision, made up of Setanta Sports, TV3 Ireland,Arquiva and Eircom. [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/0722/1216627319711.html]

About Boxer DTT

Boxer is a joint venture between Boxer TV Access AB, majority owned ultimately by the Government of Sweden via Teracom (70%, 30% UK 3i), and Denis O'Brien's Communicorp Group Limited specifically established, with the support of BT Ireland, to promote, support and drive take-up of DTT in Ireland. They will hold three multiplex contracts, for multiplexes (A,B,C). (As with all BCI licences, the operating company only holds contracts, the actual broadcasting licences being issued by the Commission for Communications Regulation to the BCI). Radio Telefís Éireann will hold one further multiplex licence intended mainly for free-to-air services.

Launch plans

The 12 year licence will enable Boxer to operate three multiplexes (broadcasting networks) providing about 30 channels of digital TV through existing roof top aerials. The service will debut in major cities and coverage will be extended to the whole country by 2012, when current analogue TV signals are likely to be phased out. [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/0722/1216627319711.html] Launch date was provisionally January 2009, subject to successful conclusion of contract negotiations by September 29th 2008. However, there are indications that this date may be put back to enable co-ordination between the RTÉ Public multiplex (free-to-air) and the Commercial multiplexes with a September 2009 launch date. [http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2008/07/27/story34651.asp]

Boxer's business plan submitted to the Commission detailed a service on the following lines. Until carriage contracts are signed, the line-up is still largely conjectural (especially the proposed BBC Ireland and ITV Ireland services, which would require a larger amount of co-operation than normal from the BBC and ITV) but was that proposed to the BCI [http://www.bci.ie/DTT/licensing.html]

Free to Air Channels on Boxer

* RTÉ One
* RTÉ Two
* TV3 Ireland
* TG4

Boxer Starter Pack - 7 channels EUR 9.99 per month (Provisional)

* BBC One
* BBC Two
* UTV
* Channel 4
* Discovery
* Eurosport
* BBC News Channel

Boxer Starter Pack + Boxer Pack - 11 channels EUR 22.99 per month
* Sky One
* Living
* Sky News
* Film 4
* MTV (time sharing with Nickelodeon)
* Nickleodeon (time sharing with MTV)
* Disney Channel
* E4
* Setanta Ireland
* BBC Ireland (new channel based on BBC 3, BBC 4, CBeebies & CBBC)
* ITV Ireland (new channel based on ITV 2, ITV 3 and ITV 4)

Premium Pack Sport and/or Film additional EUR 24.99 each per month
* 3 x sports channels
- Either from Setanta or Sky or rights holders direct
* 3 x movie channels- Either from Sky or UPC or rights holders direct

Boxer pay features are to include “pay as you go”, “plug and play” installation and a selection of portable card options for different customer requirements.

Some commentators point to potential media concentration conflicts due to Communicorp involvement in radio and the Irish Independent Newspaper as shareholder in receiving competition regulatory approval. However, Boxer will not produce content, but rather run a platform, so would argue that such concern does not currently arise in its current business model. [http://www.tribune.ie/business/article/2008/jul/27/boxer-dtt-faces-tough-fight-under-competition-rule/]

Promotion

A national information campaign for Irish DTT will be carried out by the DCENR (from Mar 2009 [http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/Minister+Ryan+announces+end+of+Digital+Terrestrial+Television+trial.htm] ) and Boxer. Boxer propose to use mostly TV and Radio advertisements making use of Communicorp's group of radio channels and via promotion in retailers large and small using commission sales and potentially traveling information roadshows.

Commendations

Other DTT enthusiasts have praised Boxer as a proven good choice of Irish DTT operator, that is an experienced provider in other markets with DTT. They note its successful involvement in Analogue TV switchoff in Sweden. They note it as one of the few commercial DTT operators to succeed as Boxer TV Access AB and their selection by the Danish TV regulator for Danish DTT to start in November 2009 [http://www.boxertv.dk] . They point to a company that is not part of the broadcast TV business or telecoms infrastructure business and is wholly devoted to DTT and thus more likely responsive to change offering based on customer feedback. They argue that earlier start date and innovative new pricing models are a welcome alternative for those where cable or mmds service is unavailable and more affordable to citizens than competitors. They also strongly commend the inclusion of local radio stations to be available, for the first time across Ireland serving people from other regions than where they work. [http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055339462]

See Also

*Digital terrestrial television in Ireland
*Digital television in Ireland
*Digital terrestrial television
*List of digital television deployments by country
*Television in Ireland
*The Irish Film Channel

External Links

* http://www.digitaltelevision.ie
* http://www.rtenl.ie/dtt.htm
* http://www.boxer.ie
* http://www.bci.ie/DTT/licensing.html
* http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/Minister+Ryan+announces+end+of+Digital+Terrestrial+Television+trial.htm
* http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0731/news1pm_av.html?2405347,null,209%27) for the audio clip
* http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0731/television.html
* http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0731/breaking56.htm
* http://www.digitaltelevision.ie/News/Minister+Ryan+announces+end+of+Digital+Terrestrial+Television+trial.htm
* http://www.communicorp.ie/press_release.php?id=58
* http://www.boxer.se
* http://www.boxertv.dk/
* http://www.btireland.ie
* http://www.rte.ie/about/pressreleases/2008/0721/statementeasytv.html
* http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/0721/digital.html
* http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/0722/1216627319711.html
* http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/surprise-win-for-obrien-in-tv-bidding-war-1437863.html
* http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2007/1025/1193257255092.html
* http://www.tribune.ie/business/article/2008/jul/27/boxer-dtt-faces-tough-fight-under-competition-rule/
* http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2008/07/27/story34651.asp