Each year, on November 21st, RTÉ joins the EBU, EGTA and broadcasters across the world to mark World Television Day.
As part of World Television Day on November 21, RTÉ, in partnership with the IFI Irish Film Archive and the BAI, will celebrate the enduring power of television by broadcasting a specially curated selection of iconic Irish TV ads from the past five decades.
The special ‘takeover ad breaks’ feature a selection of classic ads for leading Irish brands like Aer Lingus, Avonmore, Club Orange, ESB, Irish Rail and Spar.
Specially selected, and restored, this will be the first time the ads have been aired on TV since their original transmission.
The breaks will air on RTÉ One on November 21st, at 18.55 coming out of the RTÉ’s Six One News, and at 21.35pm coming out of the Nine News.
Earlier this year the IFI Irish Film Archive, supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Archiving Funding Scheme, has catalogued, digitised, restored and preserved a large collection of 35mm film television advertisements made in the 1960, ‘70s and ‘80s. The Ads provide a unique window into Irish society and consumer habits.
In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 21 as World Television Day, “in recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by alerting world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues.”
This year again a 30-second video clip emphasising the role TV has around the world as provider of trusted content. It will be aired by broadcasters across Europe, Asia, Canada, USA and Australia on 21 November. The video highlights that now, more than ever, the trustworthiness of television plays a central part in our daily lives as it keeps viewers up to date on what is going on at home and abroad and brings the world’s attention to what matters. Editorial responsibility, truthful reporting, top quality content, the safest environment and the reliable, independent measurement system are the DNA of TV.
Television broadcasters are proud to have the trust of their audiences. News and current affairs, on television in particular, are core to public service media (PSM). Informing all audiences with independent news and helping them to better understand the world is crucial for a democratic society. Through its Quality Journalism initiative, the EBU is building on the strength of the Eurovision newsroom and developing new services to help public service media sustain audience trust and remain a key source of information for individuals,” says Noel Curran, director general of the European Broadcasting Union, one of the organisations behind World Television Day in Europe.
