RTÉ has launched a new global online Irish television service for international audiences.
The new service, RTÉ Player International, includes 500 hours of free and paid-for Irish television content, including just-aired television content refreshed daily.
This development strengthens RTÉ’s digital service offering to international audiences, which currently spans a range of online products including RTÉ.ie, GAAGO, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr, RTÉ Radio Player and RTÉ Archives. Combined, these services attract an average of 2.2 million unique international browsers per month.
At the time of launch, the RTÉ Player International iPad and iPhone app has over 500 hours of Irish television content, including just-aired TV programmes, box sets and collections featuring some of Ireland’s most popular shows, such as The Late Late Show, Six One News, Prime Time, Nationwide and The Saturday Night Show, which will be free, and Callan’s Kick’s, Second Captains Live, The Meaning of Life, which are part of the paid-for content offering (see Notes to Editors for more).
Spanning RTÉ News and Current Affairs, drama, comedy, entertainment, documentaries, lifestyle, Irish-language and kids content, the content offering will continue to expand with new programmes added regularly. The app will also feature editorially selected collections of content, themed around events, seasons, genres and people to bring a unique selection of contemporary and classic Irish television to audiences internationally.
Speaking at the launch of RTÉ Player International, Kevin Bakhurst, deputy director general, RTÉ and managing director, RTÉ News and Current Affairs, said: “RTÉ remains a very important connection point for Irish people living abroad. Both at home and abroad we are seen as a trusted source of quality news and entertainment content. Whether people want to follow the latest news stories, celebrate national events or enjoy a vast range of content that is uniquely Irish, the launch of RTÉ Player International, the first dedicated global iOS app for Irish television content, is a very exciting development in our history. It not only greatly strengthens our offering to international audiences, providing them with a new way to connect to home, but also serves as an important new international platform for Irish content creators.”
According to Múirne Laffan, managing director of RTÉ Digital, “having identified that there is a strong demand internationally to access RTÉ’s television content, we set out to deliver a best-in-class experience for audiences internationally to access and discover a vast range of curated content that is uniquely Irish. The new app, which is available to download for free from the App Store, provides a premium-quality experience for international audiences. The App presents the content in a truly immersive way and crucially, it is under-pinned by a quality on-demand streaming service, so international audiences will be very well served by this new offering.”
