Over 80% of Irish Commuters have Limited or No Internet Connection on Journeys

New Sky Go Extra service allows customers to download movies and entertainment to watch offline at any time

New research commissioned by Sky reveals that almost 83% of Irish commuters have little or no access to an internet connection on their journey to work. When commuting respondents tend to “check already downloaded emails” (44.2%), “play games on their phone” (46.5%) and read (51%). Irish commuters’ biggest frustrations are “cramped conditions” (48.4%) and “not making the most of your time when you could be doing something else” (22.6%).

The research coincides with the launch of Sky Go Extra, a new subscription service which will help Sky customers make the most of their “forced downtime” when commuting. Available to all Sky TV homes for just €6 per month, the new service delivers even more flexibility to customers by allowing them to download movies and TV shows in line with their Sky TV subscription to their smartphone, tablet, laptop or MacBook via Wi-Fi to watch offline later. So whether in a car, on a flight, on the train, bus or Luas, Sky customers will be able to enjoy a wide range of content literally anywhere, not just where they can find a reliable Wi-Fi or high-speed mobile connection.

According to Sky’s research access to technology on the move is important in people’s day-to-day lives with more than three-quarters of respondents owning a tablet or smartphone and 81.8% of those using it on their commute. Over 70% of commuters feel frustrated when they don’t have an internet connection on their journey, and will often resort to mundane activities such as “watching other commuters” (18.4%), or sleeping (24.2%), with over a quarter of all commuters claim to be bored on their journey. The research found that two thirds of commuters take the bus.

There is a difference between the sexes in average travelling times to work with 18% of males commuting more than 2 hours a day compared to females (10%). Males (32.2%) get more frustrated when the Wi-Fi drops in and out of signal compared to females (21.1%) and tend to watch more downloaded movies on their tablet (16.1%) than females (6.2%).

The launch of the new service builds on the enormous success of Sky Go, which offers Sky customers access to live and on demand programmes and films from up to 43 channels on a wide range of internet-connected devices, and now attracts more than 3 million unique users in the UK and Ireland each quarter.

In addition to being able to download content, Sky Go Extra customers are also able to register for Sky Go on up to four, rather than two, internet-connected devices, giving Sky households even more flexibility over when and where they enjoy the service.

Sky Go Extra is the first mobile TV subscription service in the UK and Ireland to offer Hollywood movies to download and watch offline. With a choice of hundreds of titles exclusive to Sky Movies available to download at any one time, Sky Go Extra customers who subscribe to the Sky Movies pack will be able to download blockbuster releases around six months after they have ended their run in cinemas. Once downloaded, customers can store the films on their portable devices for up to 30 days.

Blockbusters such as Avengers Assemble, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows and Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists will all be available for download through the service, alongside the entire James Bond film catalogue, containing all twenty-two official Bond films. All titles are available exclusively to Sky Movies subscribers and are not available on any other subscription movies service or TV channel for at least a year after they first appear on Sky Movies.

Sky Go Extra customers will also be able to download the latest shows from channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky 1, Sky Living and Sky Arts, as well as partner channels such as Nickelodeon and Disney. This includes the best of the US, such as Girls and The Following (Sky Atlantic), as well as Sky’s own home-grown hits such as Stella, An Idiot Abroad and Trollied (Sky 1). Customers with a 64 GB iPad will be able to store in excess of 400 half-hour shows and more than 80 movies.

Mark Anderson, Director of Sales & Marketing at Sky Ireland, comments: “Building on the ever-growing popularity of Sky Go, Sky Go Extra is the only mobile TV subscription service in the UK & Ireland which means customers can download the latest Hollywood movies to take with them while they are on the move, alongside a great choice of TV from Sky. The research shows that commuters are frequently frustrated with a lack of things to do in their ‘forced downtime’ so Sky Go Extra gives the perfect solution for the boring journeys to and from work. Together with our comprehensive TV On Demand service and our range of award-winning apps, we continue to deliver helpful and clever ways for Sky households to enjoy even more flexibility over when, where and how they enjoy Sky.”

During 2012, millions of Sky customers have used Sky Go to watch movies on demand, with Bad Teacher, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Captain America: The First Avenger the three most popular movies on Sky Go last year. Entertainment series on demand have also proven popular on Sky Go, with more than 2.5 million views of the second series of An Idiot Abroad and 1.1 million views of the latest season of Game of Thrones.

Sky Go Extra is the latest in a series of recent developments from Sky that help customers take full control of their TV viewing. This includes Sky’s comprehensive TV On Demand service giving TV viewers with a Sky+HD box and a broadband connection even greater flexibility and control over how they watch their favourite shows, at no extra monthly cost. Sky also offers its customers a wide range of award-winning apps at no extra cost, including the popular Sky+ app, which can even be used as a remote control for the Sky+HD box.

To sign up to Sky Go Extra, all customers need to do is visit http://www.sky.com/ireland/offers/sky-go-extra. Once they’ve done this, the next time they enter the Sky Go app they will be able to download programmes and register two more devices. To provide even more flexibility, Sky Go customers can cancel the service at any time, subject to giving 31 days’ notice. Sky Go customers will also be able to sign up for a two-month free trial of Sky Go Extra until the end of March.

Guinness Launches New Ad with Clock that Controls Time

Guinness launches second installment of 'Made of More'.

On Friday (18th January), Guinness launched the second installment of its ‘Made of More’ Marketing campaign with a second TV ad that sees a magic clock being able to fast forward and rewind time. The new ad ‘Clock’ was made available for fans to preview live on www.Guinness.com from noon on Friday before it hit TV. The TV premiere of the ad will be 24th January (Ireland and the UK).

‘Clock’ follows on in the celebration of the Guinness attitude shared by the famous stout and its drinkers – that you get more out of life by putting more in. 'Clock' is set in the Czech Republic in the 1890s and tells the story of a town’s clock that doesn’t settle for the ordinary; the clock starts to control time to enhance the townspeople’s days; either by accelerating time to make a task go faster or reversing time to avoid an unfortunate event and pausing time to allow a precious moment to last longer.

Nick Britton, Guinness Marketing Manager at Diageo, said: “Guinness has a history of iconic advertising and we are really excited about the new advert ‘Clock’ and about giving people the chance to preview ‘Clock’ live online from 12pm on Friday 17th January before it is aired on TV. The extraordinary clock in this advert is Made of More and has the ability to enhance peoples’ lives; we expect the clock to strike a chord with Guinness drinkers who are also Made of More and do not settle for the ordinary and who love the distinctive look and taste of Guinness and our iconic advertising.”

‘Made of More’ is the biggest Guinness Marketing campaign to date and kicked off in October 2012 with an advert entitled ‘Cloud’. The new advert ‘Clock’ has been created by advertising agency AMV BBDO together with renowned Director Peter Thwaites and continues to reinforce the Guinness attitude of never settling for the ordinary via the attitude ‘Made of More’.

The TV advert was created by AMV BBDO, who also created the first advert ‘Cloud’, and featured a total of 162 actors (4 featured actors, 8 walk on actors and 150 extras that made up the town people and the army). The ad was filmed in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic, a city which is best known for its historic architecture. Peter Thwaites previously directed AT&T ‘Birthday’, Martini ‘Luck is an attitude’ and Barclaycard ‘Waterslide’. Thwaites has also won the Directors Guild of America's prestigious Best Commercial Director prize for 2008.

Guinness Storehouse: Ireland's No.1 International Visitor Attraction

Guinness Storehouse celebrates a record breaking year as Ireland's No.1 international visitor attraction receiving 1,087,209 visitors in 2012.

This week, the Guinness Storehouse announced that 2012 was a record breaking year for the number of visitors that it catered to. In 2012, 1,087,209 guests passed through their doors, smashing the previously held record of 1,038,910 in 2008. This represents a 6% increase on 2011 visitor numbers and sees the popular visitor attraction retaining its position as Ireland’s number 1 international visitor attraction.

The Guinness Storehouse is also celebrating its status as one of the largest brand visitor attractions in the world having welcomed visitors from over 25 different countries. However, it wasn't just your ordinary Joe, Franc or Mario who visited the Storehouse in 2012. The attraction was also enjoyed by high profile guests such as the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Conan O’Brien, both of whom recorded segments for their respective US TV shows as well as actor Kellan Lutz (Twilight), musician Example and Fun Loving Criminals.

Paul Carty, Managing Director of Guinness Storehouse commented, “2012 was a very exciting and busy year for us at the ‘Home of Guinness’. Not only did we welcome record-breaking visitors through our doors, including some high profile guests and media, we also unveiled a number of innovative and engaging new experiences as part of our three year €10m investment plan. Over the past number of years, Irish tourism has been hit by the global economic recession. However, it’s heartening to see the numbers increase and with the spotlight on Ireland this year for The Gathering, I believe we can look forward to another successful year in 2013.”

Alex Connolly, Head of Communications with Fáilte Ireland commended the Guinness Storehouse on their performance, adding “along with festivals and events, attractions like the Guinness Storehouse are an integral part of the exciting mixture of things for visitors to see and do in Ireland. Fáilte Ireland is putting its full weight behind its Gathering initiative in 2013 and that should ensure even more visitors this year to places like the Storehouse and to attractions all around the country”.

93% of all visitors to the Guinness Storehouse are from overseas. Visitors from the USA, GB, Rest of Europe, Italy and Germany were the top 5 ranking nationalities in 2012 with USA +12%, Italy +15% and Germany +14% compared to 2011. The busiest month of the year was August with 121,182 visitors, making it the busiest month on record at the Storehouse.

Earlier this year, the first phase of the €10million investment in the popular attraction was unveiled with the opening of the new ‘Global’ 4th Floor, which houses a range of interactive exhibits that tell the story of how Guinness is enjoyed and celebrated around the world. This investment continues through the next two years. In 2013, the Guinness Storehouse will develop a new Guinness Taste Experience, an interactive room telling the Arthur Guinness Story and also invest in a new look Flagship Retail Store.

Bitbuzz Freedom Expands to Further Dublin Locations

Following the recent successful Dublin launch of Bitbuzz Freedom on Grafton St, the service has now been expanded to parts of Henry Street, Temple Bar and the Hibernian Way. Bitbuzz Freedom allows smartphone users to use practical shopping apps and social networking sites to stay in contact with friends and family. This service is complimentary in multiple 20 minute Wi-Fi sessions on Dublin’s busiest shopping streets.

Since launching in June this year Bitbuzz Freedom has already recorded excellent levels of usage on Grafton Street. Shane Deasy, Managing Director, Bitbuzz, said of the expansion to further Dublin locations: “We’re very pleased with the uptake of the service so far and this expansion to other busy outdoor cultural, shopping and socialising destinations throughout the capital is a natural progression. The launch of Bitbuzz Freedom has brought Dublin on a par with many leading cities worldwide, and indeed ahead of others in terms of Wi-Fi deployment.”

“We believe that complimentary Wi-Fi is especially important for international tourists visiting the city. In this respect Henry Street (Dublin 1), Temple Bar (Dublin 2) and the Royal Hibernian Way (Dublin 2) are ideal locations for expansion of the service and we would like to thank the business owners in these locations and on Grafton Street for their continued support. We anticipate further pick-up of this new service in the run-up to Christmas and look forward to expanding Bitbuzz Freedom to other locations throughout the country over the coming months.”

Bitbuzz Freedom is an expansion of the Bitbuzz service and offers the same quality of service the Wi-Fi company currently provides in hotels and coffee shops. Bitbuzz uses multi-band wireless point-to-point backhaul technology to provide a much better performance than traditional "mesh" solutions, enabling users to move around and continue surfing the internet as they walk down the street.

Bitbuzz recently announced that it now has over one million registered users, which was in part attributed to the launch of Bitbuzz Freedom earlier this year.

Sony World Photography Awards 2013 - Last call for entries

----- Press Release -----

All competitions close 4 January 2013 except Professional categories which close on 9 January 2013. Case studies of winning photographers plus entries from the 2013 awards available for publication.

04 December 2012: The World Photography Organisation (WPO) announces the countdown to the close of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards, one of the world’s leading photographic awards programmes.

There is just one month remaining for professional and amateur photographers from around the world to select and enter their best images of the year. Professional photographers will compete for the coveted title of L'Iris d'Or/Sony World Photography Awards Professional Photographer of the Year 2013, plus a $25,000 (USD) cash prize. Amateur photographers will contend the Open Photographer of the Year 2013 title, plus $5,000 (USD). All category winners across the awards will receive the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony.

Both winning and shortlisted photographers across the many competition categories receive worldwide recognition and exposure as a result of the awards.

British photographers Palmer + Pawel, 2012 category winners, commented: “The awards allow you to reach a much wider audience, they open doors and enable you to take advantage of opportunities that otherwise might not be available. Winning the Professional Sport category not only allowed us to gain more exposure but it also resulted in us being funded to carry out our Sao Paulo Nights project - we shot the first part when we were invited by Sony Brazil to the city to talk about our work.”

Argentinean photographer Irina Werning described the support of the World Photography Organisation to its winners as “invaluable”. Following her win at this year's awards, Werning spent November 2012 on a five-country tour of Latin America, made possible by Sony Latin America and WPO. Alongside an exhibition of her images, Werning gave master classes and had the opportunity to shoot new pictures for her series ‘Back to the Future’ (which won the 2012 Professional Portraiture category) in each of the five countries.

All 2013 winning and finalist photographers will receive an exhibition of their work at Somerset House, one of London's historical landmarks, from April - May 2013. They will also be featured across the WPO website and all winners, as well as a selection of shortlisted photographers, will be published in the annual Sony World Photography Awards hardcover book.

The deadline for entries for the ten Open categories, for amateurs and enthusiasts, is 4 January 2013. The Professional competition, with 15 categories for serious photographers, will close on 9 January 2013. All entries are free via www.worldphoto.org and the shortlist will be revealed on 5 February 2013.

The 2013 Honorary Jury, who will judge the professional competition, is chaired by leading American agency director and newly appointed Magnum Foundation Director, Catherine Chermayeff. The panel comprises photography professionals from the World Photographic Academy including: travel photographer Macduff Everton; Guardian picture editor Fiona Shields; Magnum photographer Chien-Chi Chang and Director of the Moscow House of Photography, Olga Sviblova.

Further details about the Sony World Photography Awards and the World Photography Organisation can be found at www.worldphoto.org