Irish pay DTT left with no bidders

Easy TV has withdrawn a bid to operate the pay-TV component of Ireland’s digital terrestrial TV service.

A joint venture between Irish public broadcaster RTE and Liberty Global-backed cabler UPC, Easy TV came third in the original contest for a licence to operate the DTT service. It was, however, the last remaining bidder after the original winners pulled out.

Swedish pay-TV operator Boxer handed back the licence and the second placed One Vision consortium, which comprised Eircom, commercial broadcaster TV3, sports broadcaster Setanta Ireland and UK transmissions company Arqiva, also withdrew.

Easy TV is understood to have pulled out plans to operate a commercial service citing changed circumstances since it lodged its original bid in 2008.