Arqiva and Eircom are to take an increased stake in the Irish DTT consortium OneVision after partners Setanta and TV3 decided to reduce their holdings to 10%, the Sunday Business Post has reported.
Previously the four companies were to have held equal shares in the consortium, which has been in discussions with regulator BCI and public broadcaster RTE since the withdrawal of Boxer back in May. Any change in shareholdings will require the approval of the regulator.
It had been anticipated that Setanta’s role in the three commercial multiplexes would be reduced following the collapse of its Great Britain business and the subsequent refinancing of its Irish interests.
The troubled DTT project was dealt a further blow in July when RTE confirmed it would not be launching its services this autumn as had been originally planned. However, communications minister Eamon Ryan remains confident that services will be up and running within the next 12 months.
