Industry Media Website www.boxer.ie | Revenue None Founded 2008 | |
Key people Per Norman – CEO of the Board of Boxer ABCrister Fritzson – President of the Board of Boxer ABLucy Gaffney – Chairperson of Communicorp Group LtdPatrick Halpenny -chief executive of Communicorp Group Ltd Products Unlikely to commence trading, had planned to offer a digital terrestrial television service | ||
Boxer DTT Limited (which intended to trade as Boxer) was a company that had been awarded the contract to operate a mainly pay-TV digital terrestrial television service in Republic of Ireland.
Contents
Boxer was a joint venture between Boxer TV Access AB, now owned ultimately by the Government of Sweden via Teracom (3I recently sold their stake to Teracom in Boxer AB), 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 had been awarded in principle 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). Raidió Teilifís Éireann will hold one further multiplex licence intended mainly for free-to-air services.
However, on 20 April 2009 the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland confirmed that Boxer had withdrawn its application to operate the digital terrestrial television multplexes in Ireland. In the absence of a contract, the company is extremely unlikely to ever commence trading.
Competition
Boxer received in principle the conditional contract for Muxes 2–4 (A-C). They beat off strong competition from two other consortia to win the 12-year contract. These two were Easy TV made up of RTÉ Commercial Enterprises & Liberty Global Incorporated (parent of UPC Ireland) and OneVision which is made up of Setanta Sports, TV3 Ireland, Arqiva and Eircom. On 20 April 2009, the BCI revealed that OneVision had been the second placed applicant and that following Boxer's withdrawal, it intended to ascertain whether it was still interested in operating the DTT multiplexes.
Launch plans
Boxer's business plan submitted to the Commission detailed a service on the following lines.
Free to air "Saorview" channels:
The "Boxer Starter Pack" includes 7 channels for €9.99 per month (provisional):
The "Boxer Pack" includes the Starter Pack and 11 channels for €22.99 per month (provisional):
Two "Premium Packs" for €24.99 each per month:
Boxer pay features might have included "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 did not intend to produce content, but rather run a platform, so would have argued that such concern does not currently arise in its current business model.
Promotion
A national information campaign for Irish DTT will be carried out by the DCENR. Had Boxer launched, it had proposed 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 travelling information roadshows.
End of contract negotiations
According to an article in the Irish Independent on 26 February 2009, there could be further delays in a launch of Pay DTT slated for late 2009. Boxer had not completed contract with RTÉ NL regarding equipment and the contract for the license with the BCI is not yet concluded leaving a little unclarity regarding pay DTT launch date. According to the article however, "While there is an obvious synergy between the commercial and public aspects, the department expects RTÉ to deliver on the 2007 (Broadcasting) Act obligations (to achieve analogue switch-off by 2012) and to ensure the project does not lose its momentum," informed the Department of Communications to the newspaper article's author.
Thus at least with the rollout continuing with more transmitters starting test transmissions for DTT the Free-to-air launch looks at least on-target. Whether FTA DTT gets formal public marketed launch or not is the open question but without doubt FTA DTT will be receivable at least in test form and odds on are that free-to-air DTT will get a public launch, with or without pay DTT launch.
On 20 April 2009, the BCI announced that Boxer had ended negotiations on the DTT contract without a successful outcome. Boxer DTT confirmed this [4] on their website and wished the BCI well in reaching DTT objectives. Following One Vision's protracted and unsuccessful negotiations following Boxer's widthrawal, the BAI, its successor regulator on 30 April 2010, now intends to establish whether the third placed consortium, Easy TV, is still interested in the DTT multiplex operator's contract.