The Virgin Media Television thread

The Parish priest

Just watched the last Ireland live, no mention that it was the last one but a noticeable Goodnight and Goodbye from Alison and the weather man

An Ciarraioch

Rather strange watching the ads during the last prime-time Chase - promoting the programmes on next week, but without mentioning the channel, must not be able to mention Be3 until after the switchover!

mikeym

Some Virgin Media customers are hoping for UTV NI to come back but they dont realise that Virgin own UTV Ireland/Be3.

Utv Ireland has been a disaster since it came on air in 2015.

The only sporting event they showed was Boxing and they only seemed to rely on imported content from the UK.

And now Virgin Media get another channel to advertise their Broadband/Tv.

mikeym

mikeym wrote: »

Some Virgin Media customers are hoping for UTV NI to come back but they dont realise that Virgin own UTV Ireland/Be3.

Utv Ireland has been a disaster since it came on air in 2015.

The only sporting event they showed was Boxing and they only seemed to rely on imported content from the UK.

And now Virgin Media get another channel to advertise their Broadband/Tv.

Could never understand why they didn't show any films.

irishfeen

zorro2566 wrote: »

Could never understand why they didn't show any films.

Very very simple - they did not have the rights to show them. TV3, RTÉ & TG4 did.

Elmo

irishfeen wrote: »

Very very simple - they did not have the rights to show them. TV3, RTÉ & TG4 did.

They had a few. UTV Ireland problem was that it really only had one main supplier and that was ITV Studios. Seems to think that was enough and it would have been had they not put so much effort and money into their news service. It was a good news service but it was never going to take on already established news programmes on other channels.

Like TV3 it didn't try to fix the gaps in its schedule. TV3 never really significantly changed their 7 to 9 pm schedule over the last 2 years and UTV Ireland never really significantly changed their Weekend schedule. You would think that both would try different things rather than continue with shows that did rate.

icdg

You have to remember who was running the channel and what business model they had run - successfully I may add - in Northern Ireland for the previous fifty years. They never aspired to be any more than ITV for the Republic of Ireland. Their real problem was that because of the large proportion of ITV shows now produced by independents (which btw was at pretty much 0% up to 1990 - that indie quota has worked wonders since) that they ended up being a lot less than what they aspired to be.

icdg

There's a sticky over on the Talk to Sky forum about the arrangements for the changeover from UTV Ireland to Be3. Sounds like that following the Chase on Sunday night, UTV Ireland (transmitting from Belfast, remember) will actually physically close down, with Be 3 (from Dublin) opening up at 10:00am on Monday morning. So while they're calling it a rebrand it really is more like one channel closing and a new one opening in its place.

mrwish

Have they got the ITV stuff like Coronation Street and Emmerdale in actual HD over on TV3 yet?

Just thinking that if they haven't any HD link between ITV and TV3 then once UTV Ireland closes and becomes Be3 from Dublin then any ITV HD stuff will be upscaled... UTV Ireland coming from Belfast has meant that they have benefitted from UTV's ITV network connection in HD.

Elmo

mrwish wrote: »

Have they got the ITV stuff like Coronation Street and Emmerdale in actual HD over on TV3 yet?

Just thinking that if they haven't any HD link between ITV and TV3 then once UTV Ireland closes and becomes Be3 from Dublin then any ITV HD stuff will be upscaled... UTV Ireland coming from Belfast has meant that they have benefitted from UTV's ITV network connection in HD.

Coro St and Emmers moved on the 1st December.

Delta2113

I understand why no GMB but they should have found a place for Lorraine on Be3.

Elmo

Delta2113 wrote: »

I understand why no GMB but they should have found a place for Lorraine on Be3.

Yeah I though that strange too, Lorraine had aired on UTV Ireland before UTV Ireland made the decision to start airing GMB.

political analyst

When does the agreement by which ITV 2, 3 and 4 are provided by Virgin Ireland run out? Other posters have said that those channels' days on the main cable TV provider in the Republic may be numbered because of Virgin Ireland's deal with ITV.

lertsnim

mrwish wrote: »

Have they got the ITV stuff like Coronation Street and Emmerdale in actual HD over on TV3 yet?

Yes they do.

irishfeen

Why in the name of Christ don't TV3 mark native HD programmes on the EPG's

It's very amateurish and makes them stand out from the rest.

medoc

Why the big secrecy about the new brand/channel? Surely they could have had teasers in the breaks etc the past week. They are advertising programs for next week giving time and day but not mentioning a channel name.

JDxtra

I know. Very odd. Channel launch is tomorrow and zero online presence or on screen promotions. No even EPG data!

Odd indeed! Just seen a trailer for a new drama called Bull which utvi say starts on Thursday at 9pm, but utvi will be consigned to history by then!

patrickmooney

Scrolling strap going across Virgin Channel 105 (Sky Sports Mix) saying as of tomorrow it's available from Channel 400. I wonder if 105 will be the home for TV3+1 or be3 (in HD?).

icdg

Neither - I'd put my money on it being for 3e, as they've already announced Be 3 is moving to 106. 3e to 105 is the missing piece of that particular jigsaw, and Sky Sports Mix being on 105 never made any sense anyway.

Elmo

icdg wrote: »

Neither - I'd put my money on it being for 3e, as they've already announced Be 3 is moving to 106. 3e to 105 is the missing piece of that particular jigsaw, and Sky Sports Mix being on 105 never made any sense anyway.

Anything moving into 110?

Any changes on the Sky epg relating to the '3' channels?

ziggyman17

political analyst wrote: »

When does the agreement by which ITV 2, 3 and 4 are provided by Virgin Ireland run out? Other posters have said that those channels' days on the main cable TV provider in the Republic may be numbered because of Virgin Ireland's deal with ITV.

can not see them getting rid of ITV 2, 3 and 4, losing another 3 stations while rising the monthly payments would not be good for Virgin.

icdg

zorro2566 wrote: »

Any changes on the Sky epg relating to the '3' channels?

Not as far as I know.

dublinman1990

What is going on re Be3 going on 106 on Saorview from tomorrow?

Is that really happening by then or will it just be placed on UTVI's position on No 6?

Have Saorview not put any plans to change channel numbers at all?

If not; will Saorview continue with their current arrangements from tomorrow?

dublinman1990

^^^^^^ I seem to answered my own question here regarding Be3 on Saorview.

An infographic released from TV3 is showing updated channel numbers for Be3.

• Be3 on 106 for Saorview is not happening from tomorrow. It will take over UTVI on No 6. Retune of Saorview Set Top Boxes & TVs required for Be3.
• Be3 on Sky begins at 10am tomorrow. Other platforms will have it from 7am.
• 3e will be on 105 on Virgin Media replacing Sky Sports Mix.
• GMB & Lorraine will not air on any TV3 channel from tomorrow.

http://www.tv3.ie/xpose/article/entertainment-news/227519/TV3-Group-launches-new-look-threechannel-lineup

twinklerunner

irishfeen wrote: »

Why in the name of Christ don't TV3 mark native HD programmes on the EPG's

It's very amateurish and makes them stand out from the rest.

I agree, but they're not on their own - via Sky anyway. Eir Sport 2 HD shows no such info and TG4 HD indicates that all programmes in HD also have DS - even The Waltons!

mackersdublin

icdg wrote: »

There's a sticky over on the Talk to Sky forum about the arrangements for the changeover from UTV Ireland to Be3. Sounds like that following the Chase on Sunday night, UTV Ireland (transmitting from Belfast, remember) will actually physically close down, with Be 3 (from Dublin) opening up at 10:00am on Monday morning. So while they're calling it a rebrand it really is more like one channel closing and a new one opening in its place.

No more Dolby audio so on the HD channel :mad:

iseegirls

Be3 has a new doc called aerial Ireland tomorrow. Anyone know if this was a TV3 production, or one left over from UTV Ireland?

icdg

Report from Newstalk with some better shots of the new branding. Though I'm pretty sure their statement about TV3 being renamed is inaccurate.

http://www.newstalk.com/UTV-Ireland-enters-its-last-day-of-broadcasting