TG4 boosts reception in the North

Northern Ireland’s Irish speaking community was given a boost today as TG4 began broadcasting to thousands of homes.

The free service is being beamed into all households across Belfast as part of a deal brokered under the Good Friday Agreement.

Viewers can expect sports coverage including the Tour de France and Aussie Rules, while American soap operas and dramas will be aired along with documentaries on life in Ireland.

Noel Dempsey, Communications Minister, said the move could pave the way for more locally produced programmes.

“I would like to thank all the people who where responsible for the planning and installation of the service,” he said.

Mr Dempsey said today’s official launch of the TG4 service came after years of close cooperation between the British and Irish government departments and agencies.

It is understood officials on both sides of the border are examining the possibility of extending the service further across Northern Ireland. The station is currently broadcast to 90% of homes in the north.

Pol O Gallchoir, TG4 chief executive, said the extension of the channel was a very welcome development for the thriving Irish language community in the north.

“Since coming on-air in 1996, we have been inundate with requests from the north about how people could access our service,” he said.

Mr O Gallchoir added broadcasting in the north had been a high priority for the channel, particularly given the specific commitments in this regard contained in the Good Friday Agreement.

TG4 began broadcasting from its headquarters in Baile na hAbhann in Galway in 1996 and now has a daily audience of around 100,000 people.

It is hoped the station will be fully independent by 2006.

It invests over €15m annually in original programming from the independent production sector and has won the rights to broadcast live coverage of Wimbledon, the Tour de France and even the Dáil debates.

The transmitter, located on Divis Mountain a few miles outside Belfast, will allow viewers in the city to access the service using their existing television aerials.

The Irish language station currently operates under RTÉ control and is supplied with 365 hours of free programming by the public broadcaster.