The Virgin Media Television thread

iseegirls

Delta2113 wrote: »

ITV have pulled Emmerdale and Coronation Street. I can't see Virgin showing the soaps so we might be lucky and get The Chase.

I'd expect Corrie Memorable Moments and Emmerdale Family Tree instead. There's a special called When Phillip met Philip, where P Scholfield met him. So I'm sure VM1 will show that numerous times over the next week.

JDxtra

lertsnim wrote: »

Noticed today that the VM Player is on Android TV. It took them long enough. App is decent enough and has live streams.

Oh... Hasn't appeared for me yet on Nvidia Shield.

Elmo

iseegirls wrote: »

I'd expect Corrie Memorable Moments and Emmerdale Family Tree instead. There's a special called When Phillip met Philip, where P Scholfield met him. So I'm sure VM1 will show that numerous times over the next week.

You've reminded me that they repeated The Big Soap Quiz at Easter, another Christmas or new year programme.

Delta2113

By pure fluke with timing we got initial ITV Breaking News coverage instead off This Morning before it was yanked off and they showed Ireland's Paramedic I think it was.

lertsnim

JDxtra wrote: »

Oh... Hasn't appeared for me yet on Nvidia Shield.

It's definitely there in the Play store.

iseegirls

Don't Look Back In Anger 1998 and a Celebrity Catchphrase replaced the soaps last night on VM1. VM2s repeat replaced by Graham Norton special and Darcy Oake (BGT winner) special. VM3s repeats replaced by Paul OGrady Dogs and 50 Years a Prince this weekend.

I believe on Tuesday will be an hour each of Emmerdale and Corrie to catch up.

Not sure if VM will take the funeral when it happens, but there won't be any This Morning if it occurs on a weekday.

icdg

It is on Sat 3pm and not in the schedule. They are meant to be showing Scottish racing but I expect all sports events in the U.K. on Saturday afternoon to be postponed or moved to a lunchtime or prime time slot.

Maz2016

I see UTV+1 is being scrapped and replaced by ITV Granada +1 from Tuesday (sky, VM NI and FreeSat viewers) UTV branding has practically disappeared for the past year. I wonder if UTV will eventually be ITV Northern Ireland and would that have any effect on Virgin Media?

https://rxtvinfo.com/2021/explainer-whats-changing-at-itv-from-13th-april

Elmo

Maz2016 wrote: »

I see UTV+1 is being scrapped and replaced by ITV Granada +1 from Tuesday (sky, VM NI and FreeSat viewers) UTV branding has practically disappeared for the past year. I wonder if UTV will eventually be ITV Northern Ireland and would that have any effect on Virgin Media?

https://rxtvinfo.com/2021/explainer-whats-changing-at-itv-from-13th-april

People watching ITV in Ireland are watching ITV and not UTV per se.

I never opted for UTV +1 on Sat, choosing a random english ITV +1 variant.

Maz2016

Elmo wrote: »

People watching ITV in Ireland are watching ITV and not UTV per se.

I never opted for UTV +1 on Sat, choosing a random english ITV +1 variant.

I guess most would agree with you. I did watch UTV live news on UTV +1 in the evenings but I know I’d be in a minority there. I did use utv+1 a lot. Not a big deal to switch to itv+1.

My point moreso was if utv was renamed/fully replaced by itv , would ITV still sell their programming to VM?

dulpit

Maz2016 wrote: »

My point moreso was if utv was renamed/fully replaced by itv , would ITV still sell their programming to VM?

Why wouldn't they? UTV isn't (unless I'm mistaken) carried on any Irish TV provider package (obviously you can get it fta as satellite channel or terrestrial if near the border...)

Delta2113

When the ITV deal with Virgin Media Television runs out they have a number off options.

1. Do a new deal with VMT.
2. Try and have a go at a Utv Ireland again or ITV ROI for example.
3. Launch a Britbox streaming service for Republic of Ireland and include Coronation Street, Emmerdale etc.

Elmo

Delta2113 wrote: »

When the ITV deal with Virgin Media Television runs out they have a number off options.

1. Do a new deal with VMT.
2. Try and have a go at a Utv Ireland again or ITV ROI for example.
3. Launch a Britbox streaming service for Republic of Ireland and include Coronation Street, Emmerdale etc.

Pretty much ITV have plenty of options and as FTA TV fades where you get this content won't matter. ITV could launch ITV Hub here much like channel 4 have done with All 4.

ITV plc/ Granada where the real winners since 1978 they had 3 separate buyers for their programming, RTÉ, TV3, UTV and back to TV3/Virgin.

The deal ends in 2027 AFAIK

I wonder if VMTV will have been sold by that time.

lgs 4

I have stated this before. If Virgin put money into the network. We could have a very high standard of television viewing. The first thing that needs to do is to break the dependency on ITV for its programming . Look for programs in Europe and the US. That would be the main Virgin channels 1and 2 and make channel 3 a Multicultural Channel with programming from around Europe. To cater to Polish and Lithuanian and other nationalities communities living in Ireland. Cablelink did it back in the 1980s with news from Germany, Italy and Spain and it was very popular. HD on Saorview.

icdg

The foreign language programmes will only go so far. They are a turn off to large portions of the viewing public. Cablelink was putting those news bulletins on its Link channel (which filled Nickelodeon’s airtime after it closed down at 7pn) and not trying to make any money on them and there are no viewing figures to realistically say how well they did. That was also in the pre internet days. These days if I want I can get news from Spain, Italy, and Germany in their national languages - or in English if I prefer - on the internet easily.

When we speak about VMTV, the broadcaster, as opposed to Virgin Media, the cable company, the former are (one part time pay channel aside) a completely FTA commercial TV play. They live and die on ratings and on advertisers willing to buy airtime. Showing foreign language news from abroad isn’t going to do it for them. They pay for ITV’s content and having already paid for why would they not show it. The alternative is when this deal is up ITV re-enters the Irish market in some form. Possibly not with a linear channel this time, but perhaps Britbox. The mass demand is there for its content and someone is going to show it if VMTV wasn’t going to.

Elmo

Have to agree.

Irish broadcast content has been below par for the last number of years. RTÉ has no really competition from Virgin Media TV, while VMTV has no really competition from RTÉ, both are happy to continue as they are. I am not sure how happy RTÉ are with 27% share but VMTV are happy with audience from 14% to 17% by doing very little.

twinklerunner

lgs 4 wrote: »

I have stated this before. If Virgin put money into the network. We could have a very high standard of television viewing. The first thing that needs to do is to break the dependency on ITV for its programming . Look for programs in Europe and the US. That would be the main Virgin channels 1and 2 and make channel 3 a Multicultural Channel with programming from around Europe. To cater to Polish and Lithuanian and other nationalities communities living in Ireland. Cablelink did it back in the 1980s with news from Germany, Italy and Spain and it was very popular. HD on Saorview.

You’re deluded if you think there’s a market showing Polish/Lithuanian programmes etc. Those nationalities already watch their home tv services. They’re not relying on Irish TV providers.

iseegirls

Piece in the Irish Times today:
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/virgin-media-television-eyes-redemption-success-after-bumper-first-quarter-for-sport-1.4535317?mode=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Would have preferred some more questioning about renewal of Six Nations? All well and good taking the exact same ITV feed of the Racing and somehow taking credit for its ratings as if they've produced it themselves.

Elmo

iseegirls wrote: »

Piece in the Irish Times today:
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/virgin-media-television-eyes-redemption-success-after-bumper-first-quarter-for-sport-1.4535317?mode=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Would have preferred some more questioning about renewal of Six Nations? All well and good taking the exact same ITV feed of the Racing and somehow taking credit for its ratings as if they've produced it themselves.

You could say the same about drama TBH. The Irish Film Board mentioned once in that article with no mention of the BAI, which helped to fund Blood and Deceived.

Ten Pin

I have stated this before. If Virgin put money into the network. We could have a very high standard of television viewing. The first thing that needs to do is to break the dependency on ITV for its programming . Look for programs in Europe and the US. That would be the main Virgin channels 1and 2 and make channel 3 a Multicultural Channel with programming from around Europe. To cater to Polish and Lithuanian and other nationalities communities living in Ireland. Cablelink did it back in the 1980s with news from Germany, Italy and Spain and it was very popular. HD on Saorview.

Unfortunately, none of that will happen, the BAI seem to be hands off in relation to anything that would increase quality of service to viewers (eg BAI should have insisted on HD on Saorview to allow the VM/UTVI/TV3 deal to proceed). Once the news and current affairs output includes enough airtime for politicians then the rest of the schedule can be any sort of filler. A bit of sport and the soaps are just about enough to keep the whole thing going. On a business level it's probably doing OK and doesn't have the financial problems RTE have so it'll be steady as it goes at VM with the possibility of eventually being bought out again or maybe just becoming an ITV Ireland in all but name.....BAI will allow whatever happens to happen as long as no big feathers are ruffled.

Financial considerations are top of the list in most industries nowadays...if VM are holding their own in terms of advertising revenue for the scheduled output then they won't invest anything more than is absolutely necessary to keep it ticking over. The uncertainty of the sports rights market makes for no drastic changes to the non sports part of the schedule for a while yet.

Unfortunately, high standards of viewing are low on the priority list....and it's not only a VM problem....RTE have a few filler programs that are poor fare...who ever thought that "Pulling with their parents" deserved a prime time slot on RTE 2 and a repeat on RTE 1 a day or two after...

icdg

Ten Pin wrote: »

Unfortunately, none of that will happen, the BAI seem to be hands off in relation to anything that would increase quality of service to viewers (eg BAI should have insisted on HD on Saorview to allow the VM/UTVI/TV3 deal to proceed). Once the news and current affairs output includes enough airtime for politicians then the rest of the schedule can be any sort of filler. A bit of sport and the soaps are just about enough to keep the whole thing going. On a business level it's probably doing OK and doesn't have the financial problems RTE have so it'll be steady as it goes at VM with the possibility of eventually being bought out again or maybe just becoming an ITV Ireland in all but name.....BAI will allow whatever happens to happen as long as no big feathers are ruffled.

Financial considerations are top of the list in most industries nowadays...if VM are holding their own in terms of advertising revenue for the scheduled output then they won't invest anything more than is absolutely necessary to keep it ticking over. The uncertainty of the sports rights market makes for no drastic changes to the non sports part of the schedule for a while yet.

Unfortunately, high standards of viewing are low on the priority list....and it's not only a VM problem....RTE have a few filler programs that are poor fare...who ever thought that "Pulling with their parents" deserved a prime time slot on RTE 2 and a repeat on RTE 1 a day or two after...

The BAI have no jurisdiction over anything technical. That’s Comreg’s balliwick. Yes why we still maintain this split technical/content regulation in this day and age is anyone’s guess (the U.K. unified them nearly twenty years ago) but it’s the system we have.

Dodge

Ten Pin wrote: »

Unfortunately, high standards of viewing are low on the priority list....and it's not only a VM problem....RTE have a few filler programs that are poor fare...who ever thought that "Pulling with their parents" deserved a prime time slot on RTE 2 and a repeat on RTE 1 a day or two after...

All of that is subjective. Of course a regulatory body won’t tell a TV station what ‘high standards of viewing’ is. Because your idea of what ‘high standards’ are will be completely different to other people’s views on it

odyssey06

Dodge wrote: »

All of that is subjective. Of course a regulatory body won’t tell a TV station what ‘high standards of viewing’ is. Because your idea of what ‘high standards’ are will be completely different to other people’s views on it

They could compel TV stations to spend a % of their revenue on programming \ content. The content could still be low brow though!

Elmo

odyssey06 wrote: »

They could compel TV stations to spend a % of their revenue on programming \ content. The content could still be low brow though!

TV3/VMOne have a certain amount that they have produced from their licence. This come in the form of Ireland AM, Elaine, News and TSOCS. I think its 30% but it may be only 20%

Under EU rules all independent broadcasters must spend a minimum of 1% of their home produced costs on independent productions.

You could insisted on Prime Time programming. 1 hour of news daily, 1 hour of everything else (excluding sports coverage) but 30mins per week must be Drama/scripted comedy (on average, over the course of a year).

This would mean that in prime time your forcing the broadcaster to produce quality programming, while allowing them to fill daytime and nighttime with imported shows.

icdg

The U.K. competition authorities have provisionally cleared the merger of VM U.K. and O2 U.K., meaning that the separation out of the Irish operation from VM is likely to proceed in due course.

mollser

VM showed the new episode of Graham Norton last night, before BBC.

I thought I was losing the plot there but did a replay tv on vm and yes they did.

It's that normal? Or are these repeats or something? Very baffled!

icdg

mollser wrote: »

VM showed the new episode of Graham Norton last night, before BBC.

I thought I was losing the plot there but did a replay tv on vm and yes they did.

It's that normal? Or are these repeats or something? Very baffled!

No, it was the episode billed for last night on BBC One. It wasn’t even on the EPG, I only came across it flicking channels on Thursday night.

What makes that really odd is that because last Friday nights episode didn’t air on BBC One until late Monday night (due to coverage of Prince Philip’s death), they did air a repeat instead on VMTV last Saturday.

Ten Pin

The show with Tom Cruise and John Bishop was supposedly aired on BBC on either Sunday or Monday night. It was on VM1 on Tuesday at 9 and again on VM2 on Thursday at 11.

EPG for Tuesday VM1 had the correct guest list but the Thursday EPG VM2 info was for some other episode.

icdg

Ten Pin wrote: »

The show with Tom Cruise and John Bishop was supposedly aired on BBC on either Sunday or Monday night. It was on VM1 on Tuesday at 9 and again on VM2 on Thursday at 11.

EPG for Tuesday VM1 had the correct guest list but the Thursday EPG VM2 info was for some other episode.

OK, what it seems happened is that last nights show on BBC should have been a clip show, but instead they decided to air the episode that would have aired last week, and did get a late night airing on Monday. Clip show next week.

mollser

Great detective work thanks!