RTÉ News Now


RTÉ News Now is an Irish free-to-air news television network operated by Irish State-broadcaster RTÉ. The channel launched as RTÉ News Now available exclusively online on 12 June 2008. The channel began broadcasting as a free-to-air channel on 29 October 2010 on Saorview.
The channel broadcasts free-to-air and commercial-free. It is available in Ireland and globally online, on mobile phones and an iPhone/iPad application is also widely available free. It is operated by RTÉ's department RTÉ News and Current Affairs and broadcasts in the Irish, English and ISL languages.

History

RTÉ News Now was originally available only to online users of the RTÉ website and on mobile phones when the channel launched on 12 June 2008. Availability of the channel improved during test trials of Saorview in December 2009. The channel has been made available since May 2010 on train services within Dublin city and surrounding regions under a special agreement between CIÉ and RTÉ. Previously, Sky News provided such a service.
Since October 29, 2010 the channel is available free-to-air to 98% of homes throughout the Republic of Ireland through Saorview. Upon the announcement in February 2011 that RTÉ News Now would become a permanent fixture to the Saorview line-up a number of media organizations criticized such a move claiming RTÉ would continue to have a monopoly over news output within Ireland.
In 2017 Head of News and Current Affairs at RTÉ Jon Williams has suggested he could discontinue RTÉ News Now to save money.

Advertising

RTÉ News Now is currently one of only two RTÉ channels that does not carry advertising. The other being RTÉjr. In January 2015 it was reported that RTÉ intend to ask the Minister for Communications to allow them carry advertising on RTÉ News Now as part of an overhaul of the service. The broadcaster has put forward a proposal to add advertising to the channel in the near future, such a proposal needs government sanction.

Format

The channel airs live news programmes such as, as they are broadcast on other RTÉ channels, along with weather forecasts. During other periods, live current affairs programmes such as Prime Time are shown. Outside of these hours the most recent show is repeated, looped, unless interrupted by live feeds of breaking news stories. Up-to-the-minute financial data and weather are also broadcast on-air. As with many other stations, a live ticker is provided, across the bottom of the screen, providing headlines sourced from content on the broadcaster's website.
RTÉ have a number of bulletins on the channel that do not air on RTÉ One or RTÉ Two; they also provide a live Irish language news bulletin at 17:00 each weekday. They provide special reports from different news and current affairs programming, this is identified as RTÉ News Now Highlights. News2Day also appears on the channel.
RTÉ have proposed some other changes to the RTÉ News Now schedule:
The channel broadcasts a mix of news and current affairs shows.

News

The channel airs the following RTÉ news programmes live:
Regular news bulletins and weather forecasts shown on RTÉ One and Two throughout the day are also simulcast on RTÉ News Now.

Typical Weekday Schedule

As of April 2019, the following is a typical weekday schedule currently broadcast on the channel:
' Raw Politics broadcasts on the channel each day since November 2018 airing separate to the Euronews channel.

Breaking news

RTÉ News Now provides detailed analysis of breaking news stories domestically and internationally.

Overnight and special simulcasts

RTÉ News Now simulcasts Euronews from 23:00 to 7:00 every day.

RTÉ Weather

RTÉ Weather provides the channel with weather updates, some updates are a re-broadcast of what has previously aired across RTÉ television or updates produced specific to the channel. Due to commercial advertising being prohibited from the channel weather updates have no sponsorship unlike other updates across RTÉ television and radio.

RTÉ TEN

RTÉ TEN provides viewers with up-to-the minute showbiz news from music reviews, interviews, film premieres and more. The show airs daily and hosts a weekly round-up show each weekend.

Current affairs

It broadcasts these current affairs shows:

Sports

RTÉ News Now broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics, they also have a special highlights programming for the duration of the games provided by the Olympic Broadcast Services. They also broadcast some live sport for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
They also broadcast the Camogie finals along with RTÉ Two.

RTÉ News rebrand

On 9 February 2009 RTÉ News received a major revamp, with a new 'walk-around' studio, new music, titles and graphics. The new look also lead to the revamp of RTÉs New's Now on-screen rolling tickers. Weather forecasts form of a core of the news bulletins, like much of RTÉ's news. During commercial breaks a new RTÉ News Now ident is shown.
On 25 May 2011 RTÉ News Now revamped its on-screen identity giving viewers more detailed content.
In late 2014, RTÉ News Now is set for another rebrand. On 30 November 2014 RTÉ News Now revealed its new on-air identity inline with RTÉ News rebrand in early 2014.

RTÉ News and Current Affairs not available on News Now

The channel is available nationwide as of 29 October 2010 on Saorview, Ireland's national digital terrestrial service. On 2 October 2012 it also launched on UPC Ireland. On 18 January 2016 it launched on Sky Ireland. The channel is available online throughout the world, without restriction. The service is available through a special iPhone application. Currently, the service is available in Windows Media Player and RealPlayer formats, and in Flash H.264 format on the Ireland-only RTÉ player. On 19 January 2010 RTÉ announced a new application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
It was announced on 19 May 2010 that RTÉ News Now would begin appearing on Transvision digital screens in the main Dublin Bus and Train stations. In November 2010, the service became available, free of charge, on Android smartphone customers through the app store, Android Market for use over 3G networks and wi-fi, regardless of service provider.

RTÉ News Now App

On Thursday 17 April 2014 RTÉ News Now launched a new app for both iPhone and Android. With over 1 million downloads the service is the most used news app in the Republic of Ireland. The next generation News Now App provide users with an expanded range of content, new features and an innovative, market-leading app experience. The service will eventually be made available on iPad and other tablets.

RTÉ News Now Strategy: 2012 to 2017 and Possible Closure

On 16 September 2013 RTÉ management announced its Strategy:2012-2017. Under the strategy RTÉ confirmed its commitment to the 24 hour news channel. It is hoped that the channel will broadcast live bulletins from 07:00 - 00:00 with fewer repeats. Over 80% of the channels existing content is made-up of repeats with exception to live news broadcasts and breaking news stories. RTÉ want to drive the channel towards becoming "the driver of the 24-hour news cycle.”
By 2018, due to the lack of revenue available for the channel and low viewing figures, RTÉ's Dee Forbes confirmed her intention to close the channel by early 2019 following a review by the government and broadcasting authorities. An internal review within RTÉ will also determine the stations closure. As of April 2019 no decision has yet been announced on the channel's future and it is still on air. With early morning news bulletins discontinued on RTE 1, the only morning news coverage on RTE Television is now provided on RTE News Now with the live simulcast of RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland web-stream and short news updates at 10.00am and 11.00am..

Awards

In October 2008, RTÉ News Now won the award for Business Services at the Inspired IT Awards in Dublin. In November 2010, RTÉ News Now iPhone app won Best Media app, Best Apple App and the Grand Prix awards at 'The Appy's 2010 with The Carphone Wareshouse'.