Response to RTE autumn schedule is a mixed bag
Thursday August 14 2008
RTE's newly unveiled autumn line-up is nothing if not divisive, as some media buyers heap praise on the new schedule and others predict the station could lose viewers.
For the RTE-loyalists, the broadcaster's heavy focus on home-produced content is a thing of virtue.
"They have more home produced content than ever before, Irish programming has traditionally rated very highly, so it should work well," explains Mediaworks broadcast director Conor Hanover.
Undoubtedly, there are more Irish shows on RTE this autumn than ever before -- in RTE entertainment alone there are five new home-produced programmes, plus another two in drama, and eight in lifestyle.
But with TV3 also expected to unveil record quantities of Irish programming at its autumn launch on August 28, is the market not approaching saturation point?
Is there not a limit to the amount of quality Irish programming people have the inclination, or even the time, to watch?
"It depends on the categories," admits Hanover.
"The Big Brothers and the celebrity shows aren't being watched any more, but what RTE is doing is very different.
"There are things in there like the Bertie special, which will rate very well."
Others, however, beg to differ on the merits of putting so many of RTE's eggs in the homegrown TV basket.
"The new shows are unproven," says Mindshare's head of TV buying Nick Slaymaker.
"There have been some Irish shows that have worked really well for RTE over the years, but some have been awful.".
Slaymaker adds that RTE Two is particularly vulnerable under the new line-up, since RTE hasn't secured new knock-out US shows to hook young viewers.
"The writers' strike would have had a big impact on the number of new shows coming to market this autumn, so there wasn't as much to choose from," he says.
"I'm struggling to see the next big drama from the States in there, the next Desperate housewives, so they could lose share on RTE Two over the autumn."
- Laura Noonan
