TV Ireland

TV3 Ireland
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Launched:20th September 1998
Audience Share: 10% (approx)
Owned By: CanWest and ITV plc
Web Address:www.tv3.ie
Availability [1] (http://myhome.iolfree.ie/~icdg/channels_tuning.htm)
Terrestrial Analogue:Usually channel 3 (184Mhz-224Mhz)
NTL Digital: channel 103
Chorus Digital: channel 3
Satellite:Sky Digital channel 103


TV3 Ireland is the sole commercial television channel in the Republic of Ireland. TV3 Television Network Limited is owned jointly by ITV plc, the largest UK commercial television company, and by CanWest Global Communications, a Canadian company. Currently 10% of the company is owned by the original TV3 Consortium. The main studios of TV3 are located in Ballymount, Dublin.

Contents

History

TV3, which was intended to be Ireland's third terrestrial channel, took almost ten years to bring from initial planning to debut. In October 1988 the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) was created to regulate new independent stations. The original TV3 licence to broadcast was granted in 1990 to a consortium including members of U2 and the owner of the Windmill Lane Studios where the group had made many of their records. Because of delays in setting up the station, the license was revoked by the IRTC. After a court battle, the license was eventually restored in 1993.

At this stage, an agreement to sell 49% of the company was sold to UTV, the ITV franchise in Northern Ireland, to raise much-needed cash for investment in facilities. However, as TV3 were trying to convince Irish cable and MMDS carriers to replace UTV with their channel, the new shareholders pulled out in 1995. Given that UTV had the third largest audience in the Republic, the carriers declined to drop them in favour of TV3. The result was that the project was on hold again.

In 1997, CanWest, who had been looking for an entry into the UK market for some time, decided to step in and buy a major stake in the new company. TV3 finally took to the air on September 20th, 1998 at 5:30pm. A preview of the station's programming formed the first half-hour of transmissions, followed by the first TV3 News at 6pm. As TG4 had been broadcasting for almost two years it was the third Irish station; TV3 became, in fact, the fourth television station and first station which was not publicly funded, by tax or licence fees channel. TV3's inital on-air branding referred to the station as "tvthree". Although this is still part of the corporate logo, it no longer appears on screen. "Three Is The Magic Number", by Schoolhouse Rock!, is the station's theme tune, and is played every day at start-up and close down. This same tune is also used by BBC Three as its theme tune.

In September 2000, Granada Media plc (a predecessor company of ITV plc which owned six ITV franchises) agreed to acquire 45% of the company from the original TV3 consortium. This was part of deal which gave TV3 the right to simulcast with ITV certain Granada programming. As part of this deal, Coronation Street and Emmerdale moved from RTÉ One to TV3. The Granada plc shareholding was taken over by ITV plc upon the merger of Granada with Carlton on 2nd February, 2004.

Programming

In the main, TV3 produces little in the way of original Irish programming. Apart from their news bulletins and sports coverage, most of TV3's schedules are taken up with live relays of Granada Television programmes and movies. The peak-time schedule closely resembles the ITV1 peaktime schedule, though during the day, most programming is US-based.

Efforts into Irish made television include the short run The Dunphy Show (2003), fronted by Eamon Dunphy, which was built up to be a contender with RTÉ's The Late Late Show. In spite of the flurry of media attention, Dunphy's show floundered in the ratings, and was cancelled only weeks before the initial season was due to conclude.

TV3's news service is broadcast at 17:30, 18:30, and 23:00. Originally the 17:30 and 18:30 bulittens were a single 18:00 hour-long bulletin. However this attempt to compete with RTÉ News: Six One was a failure and the bulletins were moved to 17:30 and 19:00 (later moved to 18:30 after an ITV network schedule change). For a time, the 17:30 programme was called "First Edition". Grainne Seoige, the main anchor from launch of TV3's evening news bulittens, moved in 2004 to become main anchor of Sky News Ireland. Ironically, TV3 had poached her from TG4 where she had also been main anchor. At weekends, there is a single news programme at 17:30. TV3 also runs a daily "Sport Tonight" programme following TV3 News Tonight at 23:00.

Ireland AM is the breakfast programme and is the only live breakfast television programme in Ireland. Broadcast from 07:00 to 10:00, it includes regular news updates on the hour and half-hour, but is mainly features and lifestyle based.

Rick Hetherington is Chief Executive of TV3, and James Morris is chairman.

See also

References

External link

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