Television in Iridia
Television arrived to Iridia in 1962.
History[edit | edit source]
Television was introduced to Iridia on September 15, 1962. The company responsible for the national television transmission was Írids Sjónvarps, founded in April of that same year. That same day, their news program, Dagur og Vika (Day and Week) frest went on air.
Initially television was available between Fridays and Mondays, with an April 1963 revision adding programming on Wednesdays. Programming was limited initially to two daily hours (between 20:00 and 22:00). Having almost finantially lost in October 1963, Írids Sjónvarps was incorporated into ÍRU (Írids Ríkisútvarpið) and the television service as renamed Sjónvarpið.
By the middle of the 70s, television in the country mostly remained unchanged. The main differences were the first outdoor broadcasts held in 1965, the first coverage of the Norse Regional Olympics held in Iridia in 1967, the allowance of advertisments in 1968 (initially under a permit) and the arrival of color television in 1974. By this point broadcasting hours had become around five a day, and television was already allowed on Tuesdays. Satellite technology wouldn’t come to Iridia until 1980. This allowed the channel to cement their relationship with the rest of the Eurectipheria, transmitting the Summer Olympics and that year’s Eurectivision Song Contest, the first event transmitted to the country live via satellite, allowing for an expansion of the country’s international recognition. The first ESC broadcast in Iridia was in 1981 and its first participation was in 1982.
Commercial television arrived in October 1986. Rás 2 began broadcasting for about six hours a day. In preparation for its launch, the government suppressed the Thursday break in July 1986, because Rás 2 would broadcast throughout the week and, it it broadcast alone on Thursdays, it would cheat ÍRU. When Rás 2 launched, viewers noted a pattern emerging between the two channels: while the state channel would rely on local content and little imports, Rás 2 made a profit from imports, essentially a reverse ÍRU.
