The Virgin Media Television thread

Doodah7

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

Can someone explain how VM manage to have absolutely terrible Skype connection for every guest they talk to? I understand connectivity is based on network connectivity. However, no other station I've broadcaster I've watched during this lockdown has had terrible quality on such a consistent level. They generally get good picture and send quality, whereas it is absolutely piss poor every time on VM.

I think it is symptomatic of the station as a whole...

VM is a complete and utter waste of bandwidth.

iseegirls

Managing Director of Virgin Media TV, Pat Kiely, announced he's leaving in July. Spoke on The Last Word earlier, not exactly stating that the TV side is in trouble. Obviously the big ticket items like Irelands Got Talent took a hit - but proud of his studio based shows and news. Wish Matt would have brought up their massive reliance on ITV Studio programming, but he's on the channel so he wasn't going to press him that much.

In other news, they're repeating Red Rock from the beginning on Tuesday week at 8.30pm on VM1. It's repeated on VM2 later that night, and again the following afternoon. They're plugging it already on Instagram and Twitter. I do really like that promotion video they shot all those years ago when it first began. Again, such a pity they didn't give it more of a chance.

Maz2016

You’d feel a bit sorry for Virgin. They must be really finding it tight with the downturn in advertising revenue and not being able to rely on the license fee to the extent RTÉ can. I still think they are missing opportunities by not giving clear target audiences to their 3 channels. Could be time to reduce to 2 channels and use VM3 as VM1+1

Elmo

Maz2016 wrote: »

You’d feel a bit sorry for Virgin. They must be really finding it tight with the downturn in advertising revenue and not being able to rely on the license fee to the extent RTÉ can. I still think they are missing opportunities by not giving clear target audiences to their 3 channels. Could be time to reduce to 2 channels and use VM3 as VM1+1

They are part of a multi million euro telco company, earning far more than the license fee.

I honestly think that’s their plan to reduce VM3 to VM1 +1 and on cable to VM2 +1

Red Rock 5 days a week?

lertsnim

Maz2016 wrote: »

You’d feel a bit sorry for Virgin. They must be really finding it tight with the downturn in advertising revenue and not being able to rely on the license fee to the extent RTÉ can. I still think they are missing opportunities by not giving clear target audiences to their 3 channels. Could be time to reduce to 2 channels and use VM3 as VM1+1

I can't have any pity for the laziest scheduling in the history of Irish television.

mikeym

I like to watch the 5:30 Virgin Media News but half an hour is perfect for me.

iseegirls

Elmo wrote: »

Red Rock 5 days a week?

2 nights - Tuesday and Thursday night at 8.30pm.

I can't see it lasting. They tried a rerun of one series before during a summer break at 10pm before, and they soon moved it to after midnight.

An Ciarraioch

Beat The Chasers should get a decent audience at 9 every weeknight from tomorrow - seems to be generating a lot of interest in the UK.

Elmo

iseegirls wrote: »

2 nights - Tuesday and Thursday night at 8.30pm.

I can't see it lasting. They tried a rerun of one series before during a summer break at 10pm before, and they soon moved it to after midnight.

No once pandemic is over it will be dropped

Was beat the chasers a new addition to schedule?

lertsnim

Elmo wrote: »

Was beat the chasers a new addition to schedule?

Brand new and shown the same time as ITV.

iseegirls

Few minor bits here:

The same Red Rock episodes will be shown multiple times across the week. So for episode 1, it will shown:
VM1 - Tues 8:30pm
VM2 - Tues 00:10am
VM2 - Wed 2:30pm
VM3 - Sat 4:00pm
VM1 - Sat 5:00pm

Add in VM1+1, that's a total of 7 times. They sure are milking it. Even a quote from Bill Malone during the week - "Red Rock was a real success story for Irish drama..." Well why didn't they renew it so??

Another thing noticed in next weeks schedules is the shortening of time after 12midnight and before 9.30am on both VM2 and VM3. Example, Tipping Point scheduled for 50mins, Prime Suspect 2hr episode (with ads) showing in 90 minutes. Looks like no advertising happening between these slots.

Elmo

You’d wonder why they aren’t repacking the missing Coro St and Emmerdale eps with Red Rock.

7:30 Monday, Wednesday & Friday
7pm & 8pm Tuesday & Thursday

7 eps per week that’s 34 weeks of TV (if they did 40 hours per season)?

Rick_

All the VM channels are broadcasting without DOGs currently. Strangely, TG 4 is broadcasting everything 16:9 but in a 4:3 frame. At least it is from the NIMM.

Digifriendly

PFMC84 wrote: »

All the VM channels are broadcasting without DOGs currently. Strangely, TG 4 is broadcasting everything 16:9 but in a 4:3 frame. At least it is from the NIMM.

IIRC wasn't this the issue initially on TG4 from NIMM before it was corrected to full widescreen?

An Ciarraioch

PFMC84 wrote: »

All the VM channels are broadcasting without DOGs currently. Strangely, TG 4 is broadcasting everything 16:9 but in a 4:3 frame. At least it is from the NIMM.

And I thought it was just that the Italia '90 game couldn't be converted to widescreen?

Delta2113

New Emmerdale episodes will run out in May and Coronation Street in June. Big problem.

Anyone fancy some more off The Chase or Tipping Point?

An Ciarraioch

Beat The Chasers had a very respectable average of almost 200k, according to Medialive, so comfortably ahead of Emmerdale as VM1's second-best performer of last week.

Maz2016

An Ciarraioch wrote: »

Beat The Chasers had a very respectable average of almost 200k, according to Medialive, so comfortably ahead of Emmerdale as VM1's second-best performer of last week.

It was a brilliant show in fairness. I can just see the schedules now when emmerdale and Corrie finish. The big soap quiz, Deirdre and me , look back at the dingles etc etc. All shown so many times

JDxtra

VM TV will be shafted without the soaps and big ITV shows like Love Island.

Nobody will tune in for the "filler" TV that makes up an ever increasing percentage of their schedules.

Elmo

JDxtra wrote: »

VM TV will be shafted without the soaps and big ITV shows like Love Island.

Nobody will tune in for the "filler" TV that makes up an ever increasing percentage of their schedules.

In fairness when they lost Coro St et al to UTV Ireland 7% of the audience stayed with TV3, this is largely the same situation.

10pm airing of Tonight show is bringing in a bigger audience then back in 2015-2016.
Ireland AM may suffer as less people are up at 8am if your working you don't have to rush out the door and have the TV in the background, This morning etc might be up considering more people are out of work (if they are watching TV) and remember it often got into UTV Ireland's top twenty shows.

On top of this unlike TV3 back then it doesn't have to worry about who has Coro St and Emmerdale, which could see people hang around for The Six O'Clock Show.

And as for 3e, it wasn't effected by the arrival of UTV Ireland keeping 2.5 during those years. So its like that both VMTWO AND THREE will retain their 3.5 and 1.5 audience share respectively.

The problem is advertisers and regardless of Coro St or Emmer they aren't buying advertising at the moment.

Elmo

Paul Farrell takes over as CEO of VMTV

Brock Turnpike

Elmo wrote: »

Paul Farrell takes over as CEO of VMTV

Who?

thesultan

Could the six o'clock show not bring in a few live guests still at social distancing?

Elmo

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

Who?

A very successful business man who has no previous TV experience and no creative background he'll fit in nicely.

Brock Turnpike

Elmo wrote: »

A very successful business man who has no previous TV experience and no creative background he'll fit in nicely.

Ah ok. Makes sense.

byte

Here's an article about it in the IT:
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/paul-farrell-is-the-new-managing-director-of-virgin-media-television-1.4246297

He's been with Virgin Media Ireland as VP of commercials for the past 4 years.

icdg

Elmo, take a warning. No personal comments about people

icdg

Big news out of the U.K. today - Virgin Media’s U.K. operations to be merged with O2 UK, in a joint venture to be owned by Liberty Media and Telefonica.

This doesn’t in principle effect the Irish operation, but it will no longer report to the U.K. operation. That, in turn, basically removes the entire rationale for them to have the same brand. Indeed the future of the Virgin Media brand at all may be in question if the new operation decides they’d rather use a brand they own - like O2.

So after all the investment in the VM brand in both the cable company and the TV operation, a reversion to UPC and TV3 possibly on the cards down the road. Don’t expect anything to happen in the short term though.

Delta2113

Will never go back to UPC and/or Tv3.

Elmo

Delta2113 wrote: »

Will never go back to UPC and/or Tv3.

Always thought UPC1, 2 & 3 would have been better