Virgin Media One, also called Virgin One, is an Irish
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...
Liberty Global
Liberty Global plc is a British-Dutch-American multinational telecommunications company with headquarters in London, Amsterdam and Denver. Its respective legal names are Liberty Global Plc, Liberty Global B.V. and Liberty Global, Inc., with ...
), operated through its subsidiary Virgin Media Television. The channel was known until 30 August 2018 as TV3 (and until 2006 as TV Three, launched on 20 September 1998), becoming Ireland's first commercial television channel. Its name was changed to Virgin Media One on the same day. The channel broadcasts a mix of Irish programming and acquired programming from
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
and others.
History
In October 1988, the
Independent Radio and Television Commission
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
(IRTC) was set up to regulate new independent stations. Following this TV3 was intended to be the Republic of Ireland's third terrestrial channel. The original broadcasting licence was granted to a consortium ''Tullamore Beta Ltd'' in 1990 (some of this consortium made up of Windmill Lane Productions and
Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness (born 16 June 1951) is the founder of ''Principle Management Limited'', a popular music act management company based in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland. He was the manager of the rock band U2 from 1978 to 2013.
Early life
...
). It was originally envisaged that the channel would broadcast solely on cable and analogue MMDS, but it was later (1990) decided that the channel should broadcast on some terrestrial UHF transmitters similar to other Irish channels. Initially their signal coverage was much poorer than that of RTÉ but this has been largely addressed since the switchover to
digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...
.
TV3's broadcast was further delayed when IRTC revoked the broadcasting licence due to delays in broadcasting the channel. After a court battle the licence was eventually restored in 1993. By 1993 an agreement was made to sell 49 per cent of the company to UTV, to raise much-needed cash for investment in facilities. However, UTV pulled out of negotiations in 1995, after TV3 tried to convince existing MMDS and cable television providers to drop UTV and replace it with TV3. Cable operators declined to drop UTV Northern Ireland from its line-up.
In 1997, Canadian communications company
Canwest
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...
bought a major stake in the new company. In 2001, Granada purchased a 45% share in the company. By 2006 the group was sold to Doughty Hanson & Co. In 2015,
Liberty Global
Liberty Global plc is a British-Dutch-American multinational telecommunications company with headquarters in London, Amsterdam and Denver. Its respective legal names are Liberty Global Plc, Liberty Global B.V. and Liberty Global, Inc., with ...
confirmed it planned to purchase the
TV3 Group
Virgin Media Television Ltd (formerly known as TV3 Television Network Ltd; previously traded as the TV3 Group until August 2018) is a commercial television company in Ireland, based in Dublin. Launched in 1998 as TV3 Television Network, the ...
, approval to purchase the broadcaster was given on 2 October 2015 by the CCPC.
In June 2018, it was announced that the TV3 Group channels would be rebranded as Virgin Media Television on 30 August 2018, with TV3 renamed Virgin Media One.
Subsidiary channels
Virgin Media One +1
A timeshift channel TV3 +1 launched on 2 December 2014 on UPC Ireland. The channel was added to Sky Ireland on 8 April 2015.
However, the channel is unavailable to viewers on
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
, as TV3 were in dispute with its operator 2RN (formerly a subsidiary of RTÉ) over the non-payment of tariffs over several years by TV3. On 30 August 2018, with the rebrand of TV3, TV3 +1 was rebranded as Virgin Media One +1.
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
. On 30 August 2018, with the rebrand of TV3, TV3 HD was rebranded as Virgin Media One HD.
Broadcasting policy
TV3 broadcasts a wide range of programming which in its early years depended heavily on international acquisitions. In 2008, the TV3 Group produced a three-year strategy to increase the amount of homegrown productions on the channel. Under its contract with the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI), TV3 is required since 2008 to have 30% of its programming coming from Ireland though TV3 now produces 40% Irish produced content (most of this content comes from in studio productions such as '' Ireland AM'' and ''
''). In 2010 TV3 announced a target of 50% Irish programming by 2012. TV3 has also confirmed its plan to build a major new studio in 2011 which will be fully HD capable with audience capacity.
The company has a small staff of 200 employees to run three television channels and one on-demand online service. On average, TV3 spend about €10 million on internal productions which are generally for daytime viewers. It does not have a history of strong prime-time content; generally its home produced programmes consist of at least one independently produced programme, e.g. The Apprentice, a number of internal documentaries such as Ireland Undercover and a number of BCI licence fee-funded independent products such as School Run, Diary of... and Modern Ireland.
As of October 2009, TV3 claims to be the most watched television channel by people aged 15–24 years old. This group was previously captured by
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''TelefÃs à ...
. This is an important group to capture as it is often these viewers whom advertisers wish to target. In reaction to this press release from TV3, RTÉ rebutted its claims stating that RTÉ One outdoes TV3 in far more demographic categories and that TV3's press release, "In terms of the selective audiences focussed upon by TV3 in their release, it's clear this is a recent phenomenon and only pertains to a narrow sub-demographic of young viewers in this country. By contrast, the year-to-date equivalent (1 January – 20 October), all day national share, sees RTÉ One with a 16.2% share of the 15-24s; TV3 with a 13.3% share."
Budget
In 2009 TV3 had revenues of €54,300,000. In the previous year (2008), TV3 received €62 million in advertising revenue. Increases in programme cost during 2008 included new sporting contracts with the GAA and
, the first renewal of its contract with the British broadcaster
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'', a small but significant increase in programmes commissioned from independent producers. It also increased investment in online technology, with its online service earning a profit for the first time.
In 2008, TV3 received €3 million in funding from the licence fee for independent productions on the channel.
In 2009, two rounds of redundancies reduced TV3 staff to 213 people. Staff savings have been augmented by agreed reductions in wages. The 200 staff working in TV3 now provide seven hours of live television five days a week, an increase of two hours and a staff reduction of 50 since 2007.
In February 2012 the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) restructured TV3's outstanding loans to the bank. The owners of TV3, Doherty Hanson & Co., have loans of €140million with the bank. €51million continued to be repaid over the next 5 years, while €81.1 was frozen until a "liquidity event", according to the IBRC this is in the event of a sale of TV3.
In 2014 TV3 saw losses of €7 million, and €17 million in 2015, with operating expenses of €55.6 million.
Product placement
Product placement
Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...
within Irish produced programming had previously been banned by broadcasting authorities in Ireland, though in the past Irish viewers have been used to product placement as seen on US television and film productions. Due to an EU ruling made in 2007, Irish broadcasters can now place products within programming mainly entertainment shows, though excludes programming which is deemed mainly 'news and current affairs' and programming aimed at children. On 15 August 2011 it was confirmed that TV3 would become the first official broadcaster to implement the new broadcasting terms. Kenco reportedly paid TV3 Group a six-figure sum to place its branding on two key early morning television shows mainly, '' The Morning Show'' and '' Midday'' from September 2011. Similar to
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
and
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
broadcasters will have to air the logo 'PP' at the beginning and end of the show to inform viewers that products will appear on the show. RTÉ Television has previously used product placement on its series '' The Late Late Show''.
Irish-produced programming
Virgin Media Ireland programming has often been criticised for having no "distinctive, clearly Irish identity". In spring 2008, a major effort was made by the station to change this situation. In general Virgin Media Ireland spends around €10 million on its Irish productions each year. In 2008 it significantly increased the number of prime time shows produced in Ireland. Under current broadcasting legislation, Virgin Media One is required to use 15% of its total Irish production budget for independent productions. Since 2004 independent productions for the network have been able to avail of the BAI's Sound and Vision Fund, a fund provided to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) from the licence fee. In 2008 independent producers received €3million from the Sound and Vision fund for programming that they produced for the network.
News and current affairs
Virgin Media News provides national Irish and international news through television, online, on-demand and on mobile. The news service begins at 07:00 with regularly bulletins featured on '' Ireland AM'' until 10:30. The main news bulletins on Virgin Media One are ''Virgin Media News at 12.30'', '' Virgin Media News at 5.30'', ''
Virgin Media News at 8.00
''Virgin Media News at 7.00'' (formerly News at 8.00) is the main primetime news programme on the Irish television network Virgin Media One (formerly known as "TV3"). It is produced by the Virgin Media News division.
The ''News at 7.00'', pres ...
'', plus ''Virgin Media News on Two'' on Virgin Media Two. On Virgin Media Three, ''60 Second Update'' bulletins are broadcast throughout prime-time.
Sports programming
From its infancy, TV3 aired a live sporting programme called '' Sports Tonight'' (1998–2009) hosted by Trevor Welsh. The show would air weeknights from 23:30, until its cancellation on 23 March 2009.
At its launch, TV3 secured rights to number of Republic of Ireland exhibition matches. It joined forces with Sky to provide deferred coverage of World Cup Qualifying games along with a programme dedicated to League of Ireland games, ''The Soccer Show'' and live coverage of League of Ireland games. Later those games moved to RTÉ after the government chose to put those games on a live free-to-air footing.
Virgin Media Ireland currently holds the Irish broadcasting rights to 2018 for
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
on Tuesday nights, while RTÉ 2 covers Wednesday nights and the final exclusively live. which includes in-vision sporting commentary and analysis by Virgin Media Sport presenters and crew. Coverage is presented by Tommy Martin alongside 2 pundits examples being Graeme Souness, Harry Redknapp, Brian Kerr, Neil Lennon, Martin Keown or Tony Cascarino. Commentary is provided by Dave McIntyre and Kevin Kilbane or Mark Lawrenson with Trevor Welsh also providing highlights commentary. The network previously held exclusive Irish rights from 2001 to 2004. It then lost these to RTÉ but since 2009 have shared rights with RTÉ and will continue to have these rights until 2018. TV3 also held rights to the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
matches on Thursday nights until 2015. In 2015 TV3 began airing the FA Cup Final live and will do so through to 2018. The coverage was presented by Tommy Martin alongside Paul McShane and Brian Kerr with commentary by Dave McIntyre and Kevin Kilbane.
A milestone in TV3 broadcasting history came with coverage of the
2011 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2011 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, the 40th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the second season since it was renamed from UEFA Cup to UEFA Europa Le ...
, held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Forty cameras were used to broadcast to an audience in the tens of millions across the world.
From 2008 to 2013 TV3 secured broadcasting rights for a selection of GAAAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship and
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...
matches as part of ''
Championship Live
''Championship Live'' is Virgin Media One's main Gaelic games television programme. Typically, it is shown on Virgin Media One (formerly known as "TV3") on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons during the All-Ireland championships in both hu ...
''. In 2008, the station began broadcasting a selection of live matches, as well as a weekly preview show called ''Championship Throw In''. TV3 lost these rights in 2014 to
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
.
TV3 first aired Rugby with coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The channel had coverage of 13 games with all Ireland matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals, the final and the opening match shown live alongside Setanta Ireland who broadcast all matches. TV3 coverage in 2007 was hosted by Matt Cooper with analysis by Paul Wallace, Trevor Brennan, Jim Glennon, Michael Cheika, Jim Williams and Victor Costello. The commentators were Conor McNamara and Phillip Matthews.
Days after the loss of Gaelic games Championship rights in 2014, the station secured live free to air coverage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. TV3 broadcast all 48 matches in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Coverage was presented by Matt Cooper or Tommy Martin alongside Keith Wood, Matt Williams, Peter Stringer, Shane Jennings, Neil Back, Murray Kinsella with commentary by 2 commentary teams – the first being Conor McNamara, Stuart Barnes and Liam Toland and the second being Dave McIntyre and Hugo McNeill. Other commentary was provided by the world field such as Andrew Cotter, Joel Stransky, Alan Quinlan, Chris Patterson. The coverage has been met with significant criticism due to the high number of ad breaks and their positioning throughout the coverage. After a successful Rugby World Cup for TV3 they shocked RTÉ Sport in November 2015 by winning the rights to broadcast all matches in the 6 Nations from 2018 to 2021 with RTÉ continuing to cover the tournament in 2016–2017.
Anna Daly
Anna Daly (born 10 March 1977) is an Irish television presenter. She worked for TV3 and was a presenter on TV3's breakfast show, ''Ireland AM'' and ''Weekend AM''.
Daly was born in Dublin and graduated with an International Marketing degree fro ...
,
Ciara Doherty
Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pab ...
and Alan Hughes.
Originally ''Ireland AM'' broadcast for two hours each morning, it now broadcasts for 3 and a half hours. In 2013 45 minutes extra were added to the show with the first hour hosted by Anton Savage as a current affairs programme, in 2014 TV3 drop the extra 45 minutes and the first hour of Current Affairs.
In 2008, TV3 launched a female skewed programme similar to '' The View'' called '' Midday''. ''Midday'' broadcasts from 11:30 until 12:30; the show is presented by Elaine Crowley and is joined on occasion by Sybil Mulcahy in front of a live studio audience.
In 2009, TV3 launched a new topical show called '' The Morning Show with Sybil & Martin''. In August 2013, TV3 confirmed that '' The Morning Show'' had been axed from the new autumn schedule after weeks of speculation.
In 2013 ''
Late Lunch Live
''Late Lunch Live'' was an Irish afternoon television show on TV3. It premiered live on 30 September 2013 airing every Monday to Friday from 14:00. By 2014 the show was moved to a new timeslot of 15:30 to 16:30.
The program features news and ...
'' started broadcasting Monday to Friday at 14:30. The show is hosted by
and Martin King. In February 2015 this was replaced by ''The Seven O'Clock Show''.
In 2014 the afternoon news at 12:45 was rebranded as ''The 12:30'' and now runs for 30 minutes Monday to Friday. In June 2015, TV3 Group confirmed it would extend its '' Ireland AM'' format into the weekends. From August 2015, the station began broadcasting ''
Weekend AM
''Weekend AM'' (stylised as ''Weekend:am'') is an Irish morning television show on Virgin Media One, that was first broadcast as ''"Saturday AM"'' on 29 August 2015 at 09:00, with ''"Sunday AM"'' beginning the following day.
Development
Follow ...
'' live providing up to six hours live content on the weekends.
Reality and entertainment programming
1998–2001
The channel's first attempt at a travel show was ''Messrs Tylak and Rooney'' in which
Joe Rooney
Joseph "Joe" Rooney (born 1 October 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian and singer-songwriter from Drogheda, County Louth.
He is arguably best known for his acting and in particular for playing Father Damo in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted' ...
and Paul Tykla traveled around Ireland's tourist spots.
In 2000, TV3 commissioned the dating game ''Perfect Match'' hosted by Twink (
Adele King
Adèle King (born Adèle Condron-King, 4 April 1951) is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink. She is the mother of singer Chloë AgnewThe Weakest Link
''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...
'' hosted by Eamon Dunphy.
Other entertainment shows included a film show, ''Take 3''.
2002–2006
In May 2002, ''Haunted House'' started out with about 26 contestants who would be ultimately voted out of the house by the public. The tasks were similar to those of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''.
In 2003, TV3 launched the ill-fated ''
The Dunphy Show
''The Dunphy Show'' is an Irish chat show hosted by Eamon Dunphy that aired for one series on TV3 in 2003. The programme featured guest interviews, audience participation and live music from guest music groups. ''The Dunphy Show'' aired every F ...
'' presented by Eamon Dunphy, which was built up to be a contender with
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''TelefÃs à ...
's '' The Late Late Show''.
TV3 also launched a weekly movie review show called ''Popcorn''.
In 2005, TV3 made a second attempt at launching another late night talk show every Wednesday at 22:00 hosted by
Brendan Courtney
Brendan Courtney (born 24 June 1971 in Dublin) is an Irish TV presenter and fashion designer. He was the first openly gay presenter in Ireland. He has hosted ''Wanderlust'' on RTÉ Two, ''The Brendan Courtney Show'' on TV3.
Career
Courtney began ...
called ''The Brendan Courtney Show''. It was somewhat successful and ran for two seasons.
In the same year the channel launched a property based show hosted by
Richard Eberle
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
and
Maura Derrane
Maura Catherine Derrane (born 8 July 1970) is an Irish television presenter and journalist. She currently works for Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ), having previously worked for TV3 and TG4.
Derrane is a from Inishmore, County Galway. She ...
called ''The Property Game''. Similar to other European broadcasters TV3 began to produce its own reality based TV series.
In 2006 TV3 produced its second reality TV series. '' The Box'', fronted by Keith Duffy, debuted on Monday 9 October 2006.
2007–2014
From 2007 TV3 continued its commitment to increase its Irish entertainment output. In April 2007, the channel launched the female-skewed news entertainment show ''
'' airing weeknights at 18:00.
An Irish version of ''
Deal or No Deal
''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch ''Miljoenenjacht (Netherlands), Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this f ...
'' which ran for one season in association with the
Irish National Lottery
The National Lottery ( ga, An Crannchur Náisiúnta) is the state-licensed lottery operator in the Republic of Ireland. Established in 1986 to raise funds for good causes, it began operations on 27 March 1987 when it issued its first Scratchcar ...
was launched in 2009. It was produced by
Endemol
Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
for TV3.
As part of the autumn-winter schedule in 2008, TV3 aired the Irish version of the internationally successful ''
The Apprentice
''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States.
Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...
''. This proved to be very successful for TV3. The series aired on the channel between 2008 and 2012. It also led to spin-off shows called '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' and ''The Apprentice: At Home''.
In 2009 entertainment news anchor
Lorraine Keane
Lorraine Keane (born 1972 or 1973) is an IFTA-nominated Irish broadcaster and journalist.
She is best known as the entertainment news correspondent for TV3 and presenter of the daily entertainment show Xpose.
Keane announced her departure from ...
'', which resulted in a reality TV show called ''Total Xposure'' which focused on a nationwide search for a new presenter.
TV3 began to air an Irish version of the international dating show ''Take Me Out'' from 2010. The series was presented by radio DJ
Ray Foley
Raymond Foley (born 21 September 1980) is an Irish television host and radio presenter.
Having worked at Dublin's 98FM and SPIN 1038 early in his career, Foley moved to Today FM in 2004. In 2006, he moved to midday and presented ''The Ray Fole ...
.
In 2011,
Adele King
Adèle King (born Adèle Condron-King, 4 April 1951) is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink. She is the mother of singer Chloë AgnewAlan Hughes Family Fortunes'' aired on the channel in 2011 along with an Irish version of '' Mastermind''.
On 7 June 2010 TV3 introduced ''Celebrity Salon'', in which each season focuses on six celebrities who have to complete daily tasks in relation to the beauty industry. The celebrities who appeared in the show's first season included Brian Dowling,
Pippa O'Connor Pippa may refer to:
* Pippa (given name)
* Pippa Bacca (1974-2008), performance artist
* Kelly Ripa (born 1970), nicknamed Pippa, American talk show host
Fictional characters
* Pippa Cross, a character in books by Libba Bray
* Pippa Ross, a cha ...
,
Leigh Arnold
Leigh Arnold (born Megan Leigh Arnold) is an Irish actress. A native of Foxrock, County Dublin, Arnold is known for her role of Dr Clodagh Delaney in the Irish TV series '' The Clinic''.
Early life
Arnold was a pupil of St Andrew's College i ...
Celia Holman Lee
Celia Holman Lee (born 2 December 1950) is an Irish model, fashion stylist and television presenter who was born in Ballynanty, Limerick City.
Career
Celia Holman Lee started out as a model at the age of 15 while still at school after being appro ...
and
Breffny Morgan
Breffny Morgan is an Irish socialite and television personality, known for his appearances on reality shows such as ''The Apprentice'', ''Celebrity Salon'' and ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''.
He was born in Cork, and moved to America to study and ro ...
.
In the same month TV3 introduced ''Style Wars'', a search for Ireland's top fashion designer in a similar format to '' Project Runway''.
The same year TV3 produced a localized version of the BBC Three series ''Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum''.
On 8 April 2011 TV3 produced a reality show based on cooking, ''
Head Chef
A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads and manages the kitchen and chefs of a restaurant or hotel. A chef patron (feminine form ''chef patronne'') (French for ''boss chef'') or executive chef is ...
''. Due to its success a celebrity version, '' Celebrity Head Chef'', and youth-oriented show, '' Junior Head Chef'', were also introduced.
TV3 began to produce an Irish version of '' Come Dine With Me'', produced by ITV for TV3 Group. The series aired on the channel as well as international channels such as
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
.
Following the success of
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's scripted reality shows such as ''
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...
'', TV3 introduced its equivalent with the launch of '' Tallafornia'' in 2011. The show proved to be successful for the channel. A number of spin-off shows followed and aired on sister channel 3e. A new reality TV series was introduced, ''
Dublin Wives
''Dublin Wives'' (previously ''Dublin Housewives'') was an Irish reality television programme broadcast on TV3. The series followed the lives of five housewives living in the city: Danielle Meagher, Jo Jordan, Lisa Murphy, Roz Flanagan and Vi ...
'' (previously ''Dublin Housewives'').
In 2013 new shows were introduced to the schedule including ''
The Great Irish Bake Off
''The Great Irish Bake Off'' was an Irish reality TV cooking series. The show was based on the successful BBC show ''The Great British Bake Off''. The show was produced by Sideline Productions for the TV3 Group. It premiered on TV3 Ireland on 1 ...
'' and an Irish version of '' Celebrity Apprentice''. Keith Barry hosted a second show for TV3, ''Brain Hacker''. It also confirmed new game shows such as ''Pressure Point,'' ''Can't Move? Improve!'' and ''Save Your Money''.
2014–2016
TV3 announced a number of new entertainment series for the next two years, including an Irish version of the successful
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
Ray Foley
Raymond Foley (born 21 September 1980) is an Irish television host and radio presenter.
Having worked at Dublin's 98FM and SPIN 1038 early in his career, Foley moved to Today FM in 2004. In 2006, he moved to midday and presented ''The Ray Fole ...
'', ''Crossfire'' and ''Jason Byrne's Snaptastic Show'' all aired on the channel in 2014. ''The Lie'' got a second season in 2015. In 2015 ''The Restaurant'' was picked up by TV3, after a five-year hiatus from RTÉ. Brian Ormond will present a new game show called ''Wishlist'' on the channel in 2016.
2017–present
As part of the three channel partnership, the station began to simulcast This Morning, as a result Ireland AM was shown from 7:00 to 10:30, The Chase will be shown at 13:00. They also air British soap operas Emmerdale and
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
Stellify Media
Stellify Media is a Northern Irish television production company. Stellify was formed by Kieran Doherty and Matthew Worthy as a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television.
Al Porter
Al Porter (born Alan Kavanagh, 6 January 1993) is an Irish comedian, actor, and radio personality.
Career Acting
Porter has been acting since he was 10 years old, and has been the headline attraction in the annual Christmas Pantomime in the Olym ...
that aired on TV3 on 8 October 2017. As of 8 February 2019 they have aired the Irish version of
Got Talent
''Got Talent'' is a British talent show TV format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell's SYCOtv company. It has spawned spin-offs in over 69 countries, in what is now referred to as the 'Got Talent' format, similar to that described by Fremantle ...
, locally called Ireland's Got Talent. Since 2017 they have also aired The Voice UK, this is the first version of the voice to air in Ireland since
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''TelefÃs à ...
The X Factor UK
''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Thames and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcas ...
Drama
Upon launch the network was slow to embrace producing localized dramas however, it contribute to producing a number of short and feature films with both the Broadcasting Authority of Irelandand
Screen Ireland
FÃs Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board, is the Republic of Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. It provides funds for the developm ...
(then Irish Film Board) such as Watermelon.
In 2004 it co-produced
RTÉ Two
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
's ill-fated 20 some-things drama '' The Big Bow Wow''.
Since 2006, the channel has looked towards home produced drama with the likes of ''Laura Windermere's Bag'' and ''Deception''. It also took a look at two other drama serials ''The Guards'' and a revival of RTÉ's ''The Clinic''; however, neither came to fruition.
In 2008, further homegrown produced drama series were added, the first being the one-off bilingual drama ''School Run''. This was based on a school and was co-financed by TV3 and Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's Sound and Vision Fund. It debuted in December 2008. In 2009, TV3 produced ''Laura Windermere's Bag'', a contemporary adaptation of the
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
TV3 would later produce ''The Guards'' starring Emmett J. Scanlan, promoting it as an Irish version of '' The Wire'' it was scheduled to broadcast in summer 2010. When production began two episodes were produced and later an additional four episodes were added to the series. Despite promotion around the series, the programme never aired on TV3.
In 2011, TV3 broadcast RTL's ''Jack Taylor'' series. In 2012 TV3 and ITV co-produced Titanic with funding from the BAI. In 2013, TV3 premiered a new Irish drama ''Taylor Hill'', the show was later aired as '
Deception
Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...
' which received mixed reviews. As part of its 2012 autumn-winter season TV3 announced it was to air its first comedy show which follow three couples embarking on couples counselling in '' On the Couch'', this show aired in early 2013.
In 2015 TV3 broadcast the film adaptation of the play ''The Guarantee'', which explores the Irish Banking collapse in the late 2000s.
In 2016, a three-part Irish produced series titled 'Smalltown' aired on the channel starring Pat Shortt.
Soap opera
In late 2009, following the cancellation of
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
's critically acclaimed medical drama series '' The Clinic'' TV3 speculated at reviving the show as a soap rather than a serial. TV3 later confirmed it would not seek to revive the show.
TV3 tendered for a production company to produce a new weekly soap for the channel, which would air from 2015. UK production houses Lime Productions ('' Hollyoaks'') and Zodiak Media ('' Being Human'') along with Irish production houses
Element Pictures
Element Pictures is an Irish film studio, cinema and television production company
(''
Pure Mule
''Pure Mule'' was an Irish six-part drama mini-series aimed at a young audience and broadcast on RTÉ Two as part of RTÉ's autumn schedule in 2005, shot and screened in 2004–2005 in County Offaly.
Towns featured in the series include Ban ...
'') and Parallel Films ('' The Clinic'') were among 16 tenders brought to TV3 for the new soap. ''According to The Sunday Times'', 2 March 2014, TV3 sent a letter of intent to Element Pictures and Company Pictures to produce the new soap. Filming was to begin in the summer of 2014.
Virgin Media Ireland's main soap was '' Red Rock''. It began filming in October 2014 and began airing in January 2015. It aired on Wednesday and Thursday nights at 20:30. It is set in a fictional fishing village in Dublin. The series was partly funded through the licence fee by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, funding up to 18% of costs. The series cost about €4.4million to produce 104 episodes. The series took a break during the summer months. However, in 2017 the channel confirmed this soap would end the finally episodes were spread out between 2018 and late 2019.
Youth and music programming
When it launched TV3 aired a strand of programming called ''Gimme 3'', targeting 6-12-year-olds between 16:00 to 17:00 and every Sunday from 07:30 to 10:00. It was presented by Hector Ó hEochagáin and Clodagh Freeman. The strand aired programming such as '' The Ren and Stimpy Show'', '' Conan the Adventurer'', ''
Conan and the Young Warriors
''Conan and the Young Warriors'' is a 1994 American television animated series produced by Sunbow Entertainment and aired by CBS as a sequel to the animated series ''Conan the Adventurer'', but featuring a different set of characters (besides Cona ...
'', ''
The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats
''The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats'' is an animated television series which aired between September 9, 1995 and June 15, 1996 on ITV kids strand CITV, and was shown in May 11, 2009 on Scottish children's programme ''wknd@stv''. The series is ...
Salty's Lighthouse
''Salty's Lighthouse'' is an American animated television series for preschoolers. The series was produced by Sunbow Entertainment and aired from October 3, 1997, to June 26, 1998, on TLC. in association with the Bank Street College of Education i ...
'' and '' The Brothers Flub''. Gimme 3 was cancelled in 1999, but cartoons remained on the channel every weekend morning until 2003.
On Saturday mornings the channel aired teenage-skewed programming between 08:00 to 11:00, airing shows such as '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'', '' City Guys'', ''One World'', '' Malibu, CA'' and ''
USA High
''USA High'' is an American teen sitcom that ran on USA from August 1997 to June 1999, ending after 95 episodes. The series revolves around six friends enrolled at the American Academy boarding school in Paris, France.
Background Information
''U ...
''. ''Exam Countdown'', presented by Ray D'Arcy, was shown for 4 weeks in 2001at 10:30am on Saturday and Sunday, as it led up to the Leaving Certificate Exams.
On bank holidays and during the December holiday period, TV3 regularly airs films targeting kids and families. In press reports TV3 are expected to launch a children's channel called
3Kids
Virgin Media Two, also called Virgin Two, is an Irish free-to-air television channel operated by Virgin Media Television (a subsidiary of Virgin Media Ireland).
History 2006–2009
Channel 6 was launched on 30 March 2006, then operated by Kis ...
as part of its digital channels which were expected to launch in 2013. As of August 2013, TV3 has failed to announce a launch date for the channel at its autumn 2013 press call. In June 2016, 3Kids launched as it own programming block initially on 3e before moving to
be3
Virgin Media Three, also called Virgin Three, is an Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland, Virgin Media Television.
The channel was first launched by Northern Irish broadcaster UTV Media on 1 ...
in January 2017 following the launch of the latter.
In 1998, TV3 aired its own version of the pan-European chart music show ''Pepsi Chart Show'' which featured live performances from the Top 40 singles chart. It was broadcast mainly in London and was hosted by
Sarah O'Flaherty
Sarah O'Flaherty (born 1973), known as Sarah O', is an Irish television presenter who has worked on Irish, English and Scottish television shows.
. Every Saturday morning at 10:00 (and Thursday at midnight), TV3 aired a music video show hosted by Darragh Purcell called ''Pop on 3'' which had a broad music policy. This was later replaced by ''The Sound Room'', also hosted by Darragh Purcell.
In 2001, ''Dynamite TV'' aired on Sunday afternoons at 17:00, with repeats on Saturday mornings at 11:00. This show had no presenter or voice-overs, just providing text on screen to go along with the music videos which were mainly Top 40 songs.
In 2003, similar to '' Video Hits'' on Australian television, TV3 aired a music video show called ''Music3'' (pronounced as "Music Cubed") where viewers selected their favourite music videos from a list shown on 3Text and occasionally on screen. The show aired every night between 01:00 to 04:00 and running from July to December. Viewers were invited to send text messages to the show and to send in requests via a premium rate phone number.
Factual programming
In early 2008, TV3 made a commitment to producing factual programming. The first major documentary was ''Me and The Big C'', charting people's struggle with cancer; ''Inside and Out'', a makeover show hosted by Sinead O' Carroll; ''Dirty Money: The Story of the Criminal Assets Bureau'', a crime documentary fronted by Paul Williams; and ''Diary of...'' which followed six people as they went through life-changing events.
The autumn 2008 schedule continued this trend, with several Irish produced series including ''Now Then: How the Irish Have Sex''; ''CCTV Cities'' with
; ''Living With Murder'', presented by Maura Derrane; and ''Corrupt'', examining corruption in Ireland. ''Crunch Time'' was a three-part documentary exploring Ireland's property crisis.
Many of TV3's factual programming is produced with the assistance of the licence fee through the
BCI BCI may refer to:
Organizations
* Bar Council of India
* Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK
* Bat Conservation International
* Battery Council International, American trade association
* BCI, an investigative law enforcement agency for the U.S. ...
Caroline Morahan
Caroline Morahan is an Irish actress and television host. In 2010, she was chosen as the face of Littlewoods Ireland.
Early life
Caroline Morahan graduated from Dublin City University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies, earni ...
, was broadcast in 2009. TV3 introduced '' Paul Connolly Investigates'', a series of investigative journalist documentaries which focuses on crime and deviance in Ireland.
TV3 announced a raft of TV documentaries in 2011 including ''The Irish of 9/11'', ''The Hospice'', ''
Paul Connolly
Paul Connolly (born 29 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a right back. He played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Derby County, Sheffield United, Leeds United, Portsmouth, Preston North End, M ...
Investigates'', ''Anatomy of a Car Crash'', ''Challenging God'', ''24 Hours to Kill'', ''The Day the Germans Bombed Dublin'', ''The Rise and Fall of Fianna Fáil'', ''Sex Lives'', ''Hen Parties'', ''Paddies in Paradise'', ''Strictly Irish Dancing'', ''Ireland's Disco Kids'', ''Dejunk Your Life'' and ''Ireland's Top Teens''.
In 2012 and 2013 TV3 introduced further factual programming including ''Challenging God'', a
Vincent Browne
Vincent Browne (born 17 July 1944) is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with ''The Irish Times'' and ''The Sunday Business Post'' and a non-practising barrister. From 1996 until 2007, he presented a nightly talk-show ...
-hosted series which questions the validity of God in 21st-century Ireland. New documentary series include ''The Estate'', which looks at life in a low-income neighbourhood; ''In the Name of the Republic''; ''Michaela: The Search for Justice''; ''Sex'' and the ''Gaelteact''.
As of 2014 the station has a new department Public Affairs and Documentary Unit which will broadcast a weekly investigative series. This took over factual programming from its News and Information Department.
Lifestyle
*''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' was a new prime time weekly show set to begin airing in February 2015. TV3 had announced ''Life'' as a daily half hour to broadcast at 19:30 Monday to Friday. By early 2015, TV3 confirmed the show would not go ahead originally as planned but would broadcast for a short six-week run each Friday from 20:00. ''Life'' was expected to be hosted by TV3's Aisling O'Loughlin and Sybil Mulcahy, but instead Mulcahy took on the presenting role for the six-week run. As of spring 2015, Mulcahy has confirmed her departure from TV3 taking effect from late summer 2015.
*TV3 announced in January 2015 that its afternoon show ''
Late Lunch Live
''Late Lunch Live'' was an Irish afternoon television show on TV3. It premiered live on 30 September 2013 airing every Monday to Friday from 14:00. By 2014 the show was moved to a new timeslot of 15:30 to 16:30.
The program features news and ...
'' would be dropped in favour of ''
The 7 O'Clock Show
''The Seven O'Clock Show'' was an Irish evening-time television show on TV3. It is a live show, and provides chat, live music, cooking, entertainment, showbiz and technology updates. It replaced ''Late Lunch Live''. The show was pushed back to ...
'', which will air at 19:00 for an hour Monday to Friday on TV3.
*In a special upfront event in June 2015, ''The Great Irish Menu'' and ''House Rules'' would make-up some of the channel's autumn/winter schedule. Neither shows were produced.
Family Affairs
''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...
The Young and The Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
'' (2003 – )
=Prime time
=
* ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'' (2001–2014, 2016–)
* ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
From the outset TV3 relied heavily on acquiring programming from other countries. Prior to the channel's launch TV3 signed agreements with big US broadcasters to air first rights of '' Sex and the City'', ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'' and '' Just Shoot Me!''. TV3 has also relied on acquisitions from the UK and Australia. In its early days the channel aired two popular UK dramas, ''
Family Affairs
''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' (broadcast with advertising simultaneously with
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
), and also the short-lived Australian soap '' Breakers'' and the US soap '' Sunset Beach''.
Since 1999, TV3 has a long-term agreement with
Big Ticket Television
Big Ticket Television, Inc. (also known as Big Ticket Entertainment and Big Ticket Pictures) is an Emmy Award-winning American production company. Big Ticket is a subsidiary of CBS Studios (formerly CBS Paramount Television and CBS Television Stu ...
to broadcast '' Judge Judy''. New episodes air weekdays at 16:30 and 17:00.
2001–2006
In 2000
Granada Television
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
(now
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
) acquired 45% share in TV3. Under an agreement with Granada many of ITV's programming began to simulcast on TV3 from 2001, such as ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''TelefÃs à ...
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'' until it ceased broadcasting.
2006–2009
In 2006, upon ITV selling its share of TV3 to Doughty Hanson, ITV signed a long-term agreement which secured the continued simulcast of key ITV programming such as '' The Jeremy Kyle Show'', '' The X Factor'', ''
Dancing on Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's '' Hollyoaks''. Broadcasting the teen soap opera proved very unsuccessful for the channel and it was axed within a month to be replaced by '' The Royal Today'', and after the cancellation of ''The Royal Today'' by repeats of the US sitcom ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
''.
'' The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' airs on both TV3 and 3e under a long-term broadcasting agreement with NBC/Warner Brothers Studios, however the show moved to
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''TelefÃs à ...
in 2017. TV3 also holds an agreement with
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an As ...
to broadcast selected programming from its daytime schedule.
2009–2014
A number of new shows were added to the TV3 schedule from 2009 to 2014. TV3 signed a distribution deal with ITV, BBC and
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
.
* ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''
* ''
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...
''
* ''
Bondi Rescue
''Bondi Rescue'' is an Australian factual television program which was originally broadcast on Network 10 between 2006-2021 and will be broadcast on Paramount from 2023. The program follows the daily lives and routines of the Waverley Council p ...
'' (2014; moved to 3e)
* ''
Broadchurch
''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes and produced by Kudos in assoc ...
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'' (2010–2014)
* ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
'' (2010–2015)
* ''
The Graham Norton Show
''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...
'' (2010–2014)
* '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''
* '' Modern Family''
* '' Over the Rainbow'' (2010)
* '' Prime Suspect''
* '' V'' (2009–2010)
* '' The X Factor US''
In 2013, it was announced that TV3 would be losing many of its ITV Studios programming to UTV by early 2015. On 6 November 2013, UTV Media announced its plans to launch a new television channel within the Republic of Ireland by January 2015. UTV Ireland serves audiences within the Republic of Ireland along with its existing Northern Ireland service UTV. As part of this announcement UTV Ireland Ltd confirmed it secured Irish broadcasting rights to key programming from ITV Studios Global Entertainment (including '' Emmerdale'', ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'', '' Jeremy Kyle'' among other shows). From early 2015, TV3 withdrew such programming from its existing schedule. Upon announcement of the new channel it was welcomed by TV3 Group's CEO David McRedmond, saying he welcomed the opportunity to reinvest funds previously spent on ITV programming and investing more home grown independent productions.
2015–2018
Virgin Media Ireland continue to hold a number of rights to ITV programming not produced or distributed by ITV Studios. '' The X Factor'' and ''Downton Abbey'' returned to the station in 2015. TV3 aired '' Nothing to Declare'' at 19:30 Monday to Friday until February 2015, when it was replaced by ''Late Lunch Live''. ''
Broadchurch
''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes and produced by Kudos in assoc ...
'' aired Monday nights at 22:00.
'' Judge Judy'' remains on TV3 and has been its highest rated daytime schedule programme since its inception in 1998. Re-runs of '' The Jeremy Kyle Show'' have now ended. '' Tipping Point'' is broadcast by the channel.
Late night TV includes re-runs of ''Law & Order: SVU'' which has been part of the TV3 schedule since it began.
Prime time programming includes ''Tipping Point'' spin off ''Tipping Point:Lucky Stars'', '' Off Their Rockers'', '' All Star Family Fortune'', ''
The Cube
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...
'' and Australian Drama ''
Wentworth Prison
''Wentworth'' is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo (Australian TV channel), SoHo on 1 May 2013 and it concluded on Fox Showcase with its 100th episode on 26 October 2021. The series serves as a contemporary ...
''.
Virgin Media Ireland has rights to both the UK edition of '' The X Factor'' and ''
Got Talent
''Got Talent'' is a British talent show TV format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell's SYCOtv company. It has spawned spin-offs in over 69 countries, in what is now referred to as the 'Got Talent' format, similar to that described by Fremantle ...
'' until 2016 with the opportunity to extend. It also holds rights to airing the US version of ''Got Talent''. TV3 has signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to broadcast its new movie releases.
On 29 November 2014 TV3 Group launched its #NewDawn campaign which is part of its rebrand and new schedule for 2015. The campaign was launched with a 90-second and 60-second TV3 promo which aired at 19:45 on TV3. A trailer promoting the newly produced drama series '' Red Rock'' was also revealed.
TV3 announced in May 2015 that it had acquired the rights to air '' Big Brother UK'' and ''
Celebrity Big Brother UK
''Celebrity Big Brother'' is a British television reality game show based on the Dutch show '' Big Brother'', created by producer John de Mol in 1997, which aired from 2001 to 2018. The show followed a number of celebrity contestants, known as ...
''. This marks the first time ''Big Brother'' has aired on an Irish TV channel, while being available to more Irish audiences since the show transferred from
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
The original logo and design for the channel were devised by Dynamo. In the lead-up to the network's launch, TV3's logo was unveiled during promotion ads on
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
and
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
. The logo consisted of a redesigned number 3. The upper half of the 3 was separated from the lower half; the two halves came together to form two swooshing arches that would form the 3. There were a number of different idents from September 1998 to July 2000 including 'Bubbles', 'Camera Lenses', 'Robot', 'Umbrella', 'Fan', 'Planets', 'Children's Toy', 'Bumper Cars' and 'Roller-Coaster'. Each of the idents would end with a girl whispering the word 'three' a number of times.
July 2000 – September 2003
In July 2000, TV3 developed new idents. The new idents removed the words 'TV' and 'three' from beneath the stylized 3 logo. The project was directed by Dynamo's creative head of broadcast media, Brian Williams. These were TV3's first idents to feature live action – actors would be seen in the background of the logo doing various day-to-day activities with the 3 logo spinning around to reveal itself. In 2001, some of these idents would have characters from Granada TV programming appear in the background, such as characters from ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
Heartbeat
A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart.
Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to:
Computing
*Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system
*Heartbeat, clus ...
''.
September 2003 – March 2006
In September 2003, TV3 again launched a new set of idents. Again, this series of idents consisted of live action scenes. The final scene would see a large 'swoosh' effect in the center of the screen with the 3 logo appearing in the centre of the screen. These idents consisted of outdoor activities such as a walk at the beach, children playing football, children playing, people walking over the
Ha'penny Bridge
The Ha'penny Bridge ( ; , or ''Droichead na Life''), known later for a time as the ''Penny Ha'penny Bridge'', and officially the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in May 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Made of cast i ...
etc. The presentation package was produced by Bruce Dunlop Associates.
March 2006 – January 2009
In March 2006, TV3 took steps to rebrand, as Channel 6 launched in an attempt to become a competitor in the Irish market. These idents consisted of live action scenes often involving the number 3 such as three drops of water into a river. The 3 logo now moved from just the stylized 3 into three circles with the stylized 3 in the last circle. The presentation package was produced by Cleverality.
January 2009 – August 2009
In January 2009, TV3 unveiled its new station logo – a simple
sans-serif
In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than seri ...
number 3 similar in style to that of
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to:
Television
*Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso
*Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala
*Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by EPTV ...
's logo. This revamp coincided with the launch of 3e. Officially, the TV3 logo is that of a box with a 3 cut out of the right hand side – this design is used on all news programmes. However, the idents consisted of a set of simple graphical 3s in a domino effect with different colours such as grey, purple and blue. The idents were produced by Image Now.
August 2009 – August 2011
Between August 2009 and February 2010 TV3 introduced 8 new idents. The first two idents – known as 'Orchard' and 'Escalator' – launched TV3's live action idents. In September, a third ident entitled 'Wave' was added, followed in October by a fourth ident known as 'Bridge'. An edited version of the Bridge ident (to promote the series ''V''), a sixth new ident known as 'Dog' was introduced in November 2009 and in December 2009 the ident 'snowman' was added and in February 2010 the 8th ident was added, 'bubbles'. TV3 has been working with Image Now to create these idents.
August 2011 – January 2015
On Monday, 22 August 2011, TV3 revealed a new on-air look. While utilising its existing logo, TV3 revealed new idents which are computer-generated and based around specific themes (e.g.: crime, urban, entertainment). The new look idents were designed by Image Now, who have previously worked on the channel's branding since 2009.
January 2015 – December 2016
On Monday, 5 January 2015, TV3 revealed a new on-air look to coincide with its new programming. Originally the new idents consisted of only two idents. Gradually TV3 added additional idents featuring TV3 presenters. One of the original idents features a neon TV3 logo in a purple room and the second ident features a scene from its new soap ''Redrock''. The slogan 'We Entertain' features heavily on-air and in promos.
January 2017 – August 2018
On 6 December 2016, it was announced that TV3, along with 3e and its newly purchased channel UTV Ireland, will receive new logos, idents and new schedules. New Director of Programming Bill Malone announced that TV3 will become a more mature channel. "TV3 will become the premium channel, the grown up channel and 3e will become, well, what TV3 is now".
On 9 January 2017, TV3 Group revealed a new on-air presentation featuring the number 3 superimposed on various natural and urban landscapes across Ireland. A new logo was also revealed along with new promos and on-screen graphics. Similarly, new identities were introduced to 3e and its new station be3.
August 2018 – present
On 28 June 2018 it was announced that TV3 will become Virgin Media One, while its sister channels 3e and be3 will become Virgin Media Two and Three respectively. A fourth pay TV sports channel will also become available on the Virgin Media platform, called
Virgin Media Sport
Virgin Media Sport (formerly TV3 Sport) is a sports production unit at Virgin Media Television in Ireland which produces specialist sports content for its television channels Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two, and Virgin Media Three. The depa ...
.
Continuity announcers
TV3's continuity is largely pre-recorded unlike its competitor
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''TelefÃs à ...
. Tara Loughrey Grant began as a continuity presenter on TV3 in 1999 and was the voice of TV3 until 2005, where she later moved onto radio and then onto Channel 6 (prior to TV3 Group purchasing the channel). She then went onto present RTÉ Ten from 2008 onward and regularly contributes to RTÉ Radio and television.
Conor Clear and Andrea Hayes followed as continuity presenters. In 2008, TV3 introduced in-vision continuity links during the ''3 Daytime''. Hayes began as a guest on the Midday panelist in summer 2013. She also works on Dublin's Sunshine FM. Conor Clear also acts as a weather presenter. Clare McKenna is a voiceover artist and has been working for TV3 since 2006. In 2013, McKenna begun a career as television presenting on Ireland AM whilst covering for
Anna Daly
Anna Daly (born 10 March 1977) is an Irish television presenter. She worked for TV3 and was a presenter on TV3's breakfast show, ''Ireland AM'' and ''Weekend AM''.
Daly was born in Dublin and graduated with an International Marketing degree fro ...
when she was on her maternity leave. Upon Daly's return McKenna left Ireland AM so she could take up her own maternity leave. McKenna returned to TV3 in late 2014 reprising her role as a voice-over for TV3 promotions.
Daytime in-vision continuity lasted until the end of 2009.
Currently there are 6 announcers across the 3 Channels. Lara Lenehan and Dave Cronin are the current continuity announcers on Virgin Media One.
Controversies
Lack of original programming
In the early years of TV3 many media commentators criticised the lack of original programming on the station. Since 2008 TV3 has increased its production of Irish programming. The view of many commentators such as Stephen Price of ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
The Sunday Business Post
The ''Business Post'' (formerly ''The Sunday Business Post'') is a Sunday newspaper distributed nationally in Ireland and an online publication. It is focused mainly on business and financial issues in Ireland.
Founding to Irish financial crisi ...
'' is that TV3 needs to differentiate itself in the growing Irish multi-channel market by making more original programming.
''Play TV'' and ''Brainbox''
''Play TV'' was an interactive phone-in quiz show on TV3: it ran from May 2009 until March 2010.
On 21 September 2009, callers to the ''
Liveline
''Liveline'' is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the ...
'' radio show on RTÉ Radio 1 complained about the phone charges and methods surrounding TV3's late night quiz show ''Play TV''. Host Joe Duffy stated that many of his listeners and callers to the show had not got a satisfactory reply from TV3 in relation to their complaints and hence his reason for this section of his show, and that TV3 was unwilling to be a part of the discussion show having been asked by RTÉ Radio. Some of the contestants had not been paid their prize money. TV3 advised viewers who played the game to go to RegTel with any complaints.
On 25 September 2009, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) met to review 20 complaints made to it by individuals in relation to Play TV; 15 were upheld, 1 was rejected, 1 was determined to be invalid and 2 remained under investigation.
In January 2010, the compliance committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland upheld 10 more complaints against TV3. In February the BAI upheld three more complaints.
On 5 March 2010, TV3 announced that Play TV's contract was terminated immediately. In their statement they put the removal of the "infomercial" down purely to audience figures rather than the complaints received and upheld by the BAI. They did not apologise for their conduct.
At the launch of TV3's Autumn (18 August 2010) schedule David McRedmond (CEO TV3) was interviewed by ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
''. He admitted mistakes had been made but and admitted that ''Play TV'' was axed not just due to falling audience figures but also to the bad press and the regulator's constant scrutiny of the show. He still refused to apologise to viewers on behalf of TV3, again stating that "it was an essential part of getting us through the recession", regardless of what the BAI called a "misleading and unfair" programme.
''Brain Box'' is an interactive phone-in quiz show on UTV and STV. As part of the Autumn schedule 2010 TV3 announced the re-broadcast of UTV's ''Brainbox'' TV show. The show began airing on TV3 on 9 September 2010, just 7 months after the axing of the controversial '' Play TV''. It ceased broadcasting less than a week later.
Health of Brian Lenihan
On Saturday, 26 December 2009, TV3 News announced that it had been informed that the then
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
Brian Lenihan was suffering from a serious illness. The announcement was made according to TV3 as it was for the public good, but many people were outraged at the way it was announced on TV3.
Senior government sources spoke of "outrage" across the political spectrum at the insensitive content and tone of a news bulletin broadcast, which the station had earlier flagged as a "news story of national importance". However, the station's decision was defended by ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' and the political magazine '' The Phoenix''. The BAI ruled in favour of TV3 in relation to this announcement, rejecting all 14 complaints made against TV3 to the regulator.
TV3 at the time also stated that the bulletin was a normal bulletin that would normally run at 5:30. However TV3 are not known to have produced a news bulletin on St. Stephens' Day (a bank holiday in Ireland) and since 2006 had reduced weekend bulletins to five minutes.
''Psychic Readings Live''
''Psychic Readings Live'' was a phone-in programme broadcast June–December 2012. It was much criticised for some apparently faked callers and psychics and for playing on the hopes and fears of some viewers. Complaints about it were upheld by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and it was cancelled in December 2012.
On-air identity
File:TV3 Ireland.svg, (2009–2017)
File:TV3 Ireland 2017.png, (2017–2018)
File:Virgin Media One logo.png , (2018 - Present)
List of television channels available in Ireland
This is a list of channels available in Ireland. Public broadcaster Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (4 channels), first commercial broadcaster Virgin Media Television (4 channels), Irish language channel TG4, and Irish Parliament Channel Oireachtas ...