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 TV3 Group was formed in January 2009. The company was acquired by Liberty Global in 2015, and the channels were rebranded to Virgin Media Television in 2018.
Present services
Broadcasting
- Virgin Media One (formerly known as “TV3“): 20 September 1998
- Virgin Media One HD: 11 August 2015
- Virgin Media One +1: 2 December 2014
- Virgin Media One HD: 11 August 2015
- Virgin Media Two (formerly known as “3e“): 6 January 2009 (previously “Channel 6” from March 2006 to January 2009)
- Virgin Media Two HD (only available on Sky and Virgin Media)
- Virgin Media Three (formerly known as “Be3“): January 2017 (previously UTV Ireland from January 2015 to January 2017)
- Virgin Media Three HD (only available on Virgin Media)
- Virgin Media Sport: August 30, 2018
- Virgin Media Kids (formerly known as “3Kids“): 27 June 2016 as 3 hour block on Virgin Media Three
Virgin Media Player
TV3’s Video on Demand (VOD) relaunched on Saturday 8 October 2011. 3Player replaces the original TV3 Catch-Up service previously available at tv3.ie and through its iPhone/iPad app. The new service was revealed at a press call on Friday 7 October 2011. It is estimated by the TV3 Group that the service will be worth about €7.5 million by 2015. 3Player is in HTML5 format which makes it available on the majority of operating systems. In May 2013, TV3 confirmed that it now seeks its users to register with the company. Registered 3player users will be able to create playlists of their favourite shows and use their logins to pick up where they left off across all devices.
3 Player relaunched as “Virgin Media Player” in August 2018, to coincide with the rebranding of TV3 to Virgin Media Television.
Online
TV3 launched a basic and standardized website in 2000 at tv3.ie, this website only provided basic information such as a programme guide, TV listings and corporate information. This website was revamped in 2006 and again in 2008.
In 2009, tv3.ie started investing in its online brand. The website relaunched featuring an on-demand service 3Player, TV listings, programme information, news, showbiz, sport, weather, dating, fashion, competitions and other features. On 13 May 2013 the channel overhauled its entire tv3.ie website which now includes a new hourly online video news service that will run alongside its on-air output. The revamped website provides viewers with up-to-date current affairs, entertainment news, sport, fashion, dating, specialized content and more.
With the rebranding of the entire TV3 Group in August 2018, the website address changed to “virginmediatelevision.ie“, with a whole new look.
Mobile Applications
On Friday 24 September 2010 TV3 launched its iPhone application. The service is free to download and offers TV3 viewers the opportunity to watch TV3 content including news, showbiz and sport. It also supplies audiences with an on-demand catch-up service which allows its viewers to watch streamed content.
Publishing
Virgin Media Television published Xposé Magazine every month, based on their daily entertainment show of the same name.