In this guide
Two public media organizations with different rolesIrish language, Irish production and Irish settingSaorview is a distribution identityUse an exact title for cultural and local programmesIreland’s public television landscape includes a broad English-and-Irish remit and a dedicated Irish-language broadcaster. Identifying which of those interests matters is more useful than asking for an undifferentiated Irish channel list.
Two public media organizations with different roles
Coimisiún na Meán identifies RTÉ and TG4 as Ireland’s public service media organizations. The regulator describes RTÉ’s remit as including both English and Irish. TG4 should therefore be recognized as a separate broadcaster, rather than assumed to be an extra RTÉ channel.
RTÉ’s own service description distinguishes RTÉ One, RTÉ2 and the RTÉ News Channel. A scheduled drama, a general entertainment programme and a rolling-news requirement are different requests, even when all involve RTÉ.
Irish language, Irish production and Irish setting
These three descriptions are easy to confuse. An Irish-language programme is defined by language; an Irish production is defined by its production context; a story set in Ireland is defined by its subject or setting. A viewer may want any combination.
For example, a hypothetical household looking for Irish-language viewing should retain the original programme title and confirm the spoken language of the episode. A general label such as “Irish drama” does not settle that question. Subtitles are another attribute and should be checked on the programme itself.
Saorview is a distribution identity
RTÉ describes Saorview as Ireland’s free digital television service. It is useful to recognize that name when reading a broadcaster’s reception instructions, but a distribution platform is a different thing from an individual programme channel. A Saorview channel position cannot be assumed to be the same number inside an unrelated app.
Likewise, an official broadcaster programme page can identify the series without proving that another service has the corresponding live transmission. Keep the title and broadcaster as the reference, and treat access as a separate question.
Use an exact title for cultural and local programmes
- Keep Irish-language titles in their original form when searching.
- Distinguish RTÉ One or RTÉ2 from the RTÉ News Channel.
- Name TG4 explicitly when that is the intended broadcaster.
- Add an episode or edition when the programme is recurring.