Media&Marketing:The decision by Sky News to move its Irish news bulletin into the more competitive 6.30pm slot shows the confidence the station has in taking on TV3 and RTÉ.
While the station strongly denies the move is anything to do with its competitors, there is little doubt that, when it comes to big global events, the station is capable of pinching market share from the two established players.
However, as a rolling news service, the success or failure of Sky News in Ireland is not going to be based on the viewing figures for just one bulletin, even one in the middle of prime time like the 6.30 bulletin. Research shows that viewing of Sky News peaks during international events.
The station did particularly well in Ireland during the London bombings in the summer and during the Asian tsunami. Irish survivors of the tsunami trying to contact their families often used the on-screen service offered by the channel. Despite this, there is little chance the new 6.30pm bulletin, hosted by Gráinne Seoige, is going to eclipse RTÉ's Six One News or TV3's bulletin any time soon, particularly if you study the viewing figures for adults for the last month.
If you look at those living in multi-channel homes, on average Sky News Ireland at 7pm had 2 per cent share, RTÉ Six One News had a 47.9 per cent share with TV3's 6.30 bulletin holding a 7 per cent share.
Canvassing opinion among advertisers yesterday, many believed the decision to move to 6.30pm might result in lower ratings during that time slot, but the overall strength of the general Sky News's schedule would prove attractive.
Tony Newby of Dublin media buyer/planner Universal McCann agreed: "Although the Irish news bulletin will undoubtedly take a bit of a hit in its new time slot, I think the overall reasons for the move are positive. The increased investment in the channel and its subsequent re-branding should ultimately see an increase in viewership for Sky News," he said.
What it ultimately comes down to is whether Sky News is for Irish news or international news, or both. Moving the Irish bulletin to 6.30pm, for example, is part of more a wide-ranging relaunch of Sky News UK.
There is less emphasis now on rolling news and more emphasis on what is called "appointment to view" shows. Unlike its formative years, the news service now wants people to strongly identify with presenters.
Chirpy northerner Eamon Holmes is now co-anchoring the morning programme with Lorna Dunkley, while James Rubin, a former deputy Secretary of State in the Clinton administration, has been brought in to an evening programme called World News Tonight. The changes have been described as a big roll of the dice for Sky News, which is not only facing competition from TV3 and RTÉ in Ireland, but from BBC News 24 in the UK.
Sky News Ireland may not want to broadcast the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis - which only attracted 207,000 viewers last Saturday night at 8.30pm.
BBC displacement
The BBC has been found guilty of illegal product placement tactics. An internal BBC report found that advertisers were paying independent production companies to place products into the sets of programmes being produced specifically for BBC broadcast.
The public broadcaster is to create tighter self-governance rules to deal with the issue.
Byrne goes solo
PR executive Gráinne Byrne has set up a new public relations firm called GBC Public Relations which will specialise in consumer and corporate PR.
Byrne previously had her own company, Gráinne Byrne Communications which she sold to Beattie Media three years ago - Beattie Media Ireland then merged with Park Communications.
However, Byrne says she missed being her own boss. "There's a fantastic team at Park and I thoroughly enjoyed working there but found that I missed being in charge of my own destiny."
