ON TUESDAY, Communications Minister Eamon Ryan made much play of securing a deal with his British counterparts on digital terrestrial television (DTT).

Among other things, it will facilitate the broadcast of TG4 on free-to-air DTT in Northern Ireland when the analogue signal is switched off in 2012. They must have been dancing in the streets of Belfast at that news.

But a byproduct of the memorandum of understanding between the governments is to “facilitate the widespread availability on the DTT platforms of BBC services in Ireland”.

This was the first hint that the Beeb’s TV channels might be available on the free-to-air, public service DTT multiplex that RTÉ has been charged with airing in 2012.

Ryan’s press release went a step further: “The memorandum commits the two governments to facilitating the widespread availability of RTÉ services in Northern Ireland and BBC services in Ireland on a free-to-air basis.”

Good news for viewers, perhaps, but it caused quite a stir with pay TV operators NTL/ Chorus and Sky, who between them pay millions of euros each year to the BBC to carry their channels, which are hugely popular with Irish viewers.

They’re not impressed at the prospect of the Beeb being available for free on the public service DTT multiplex, a move that could potentially cost them subscribers.

This might also put the kibosh on the viability of a commercial DTT multiplex, which the Eircom-led OneVision consortium is trying to construct.

It would be hard for a commercial DTT operator to compete with a free-to-air DTT service that already offers RTÉ, TV3, TG4 and the BBC channels.

A source close to OneVision said this could potentially drive a “horse and coach” through its business plan.

Denis O’Brien has already walked away from DTT, handing back his licence last year.

Ryan’s deal might result in OneVision going the same way, not to mention some stiffly-worded correspondence from NTL/Chorus and Sky.