Full Circle

There's a story that I often tell when asked why I founded Narrowstep. It involved being Welsh, a rugby fan and working in San Francisco back in 2000. Trying to watch rugby internationals was next to impossible (despite having 300 TV channels and 10Mbps connection to the web) - culminating in one morning spent with three hundred or so other rugby fans in Kezar's bar in Haight Ashbury drinking Guinness and watching the sun come up (kick off on the West Coast was 7am). The bar failed to get the satellite feed working, so I resorted to phoning a friend in London who placed his phone next to the BBC commentary. This was relayed onto the PA in the bar where hundreds of Welshmen and Irishmen listened in hush tones as they drank their Guinness as the sun came up over Golden Gate Park.

On my return to London I started planning setting up a company that could deliver television any time, any place on any device.

Tomorrow sees the launch of ITV Local's latest channel for Wales. It seems that my original vision for Narrowstep has come a full circle from the days where I couldn't watch Welsh television when travelling abroad (or, indeed, in London for that matter) and created a company to address this situation. And, yes, they have the rights for the Rugby World Cup.

My personal interests notwithstanding, the Welsh are a perfect narrowcast audience, with only one Welsh language channel and a dearth of any media representation oversees, despite having a diaspora to rival the Irish.

Pob hwyl i'r fenter newydd.

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