The Virgin Media Television thread

iseegirls · 30-04-2020 11:33am

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 · 30-04-2020 9:57pm

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_ · 01-05-2020 9:19pm

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 · 02-05-2020 3:56am

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 · 02-05-2020 9:01pm

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 · 03-05-2020 12:10am

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 · 05-05-2020 2:43pm

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 · 05-05-2020 7:36pm

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 · 05-05-2020 7:44pm

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 · 05-05-2020 8:34pm

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 · 06-05-2020 3:45pm

Paul Farrell takes over as CEO of VMTV

Brock Turnpike · 06-05-2020 5:25pm

Elmo wrote: »

Paul Farrell takes over as CEO of VMTV

Who?

thesultan · 06-05-2020 6:00pm

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

Elmo · 06-05-2020 6:12pm

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 · 06-05-2020 6:43pm

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 · 06-05-2020 8:32pm

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 · 07-05-2020 7:34pm

Elmo, take a warning. No personal comments about people

icdg · 07-05-2020 9:55pm

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 · 07-05-2020 10:33pm

Will never go back to UPC and/or Tv3.

Elmo · 08-05-2020 12:05am

Delta2113 wrote: »

Will never go back to UPC and/or Tv3.

Always thought UPC1, 2 & 3 would have been better

icdg · 08-05-2020 11:25am

Never is a long time!

I think it will all have to do with what happens to the VM brand. LibertyGlobal will only own 50% of the merged U.K. operation but retains 100% of the Irish operation, which will, it appears, go back to being grouped with what is left of UPC (Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland - the sale of the latter, formerly Cablecom, recently fell through).

There will be all sorts of legalities tied up in the Virgin deal, it was meant to run for 30 years, as I recall, but with a break clause after 10 years which passed in 2017. I think they’ve invested so much in the brand here that they’ll try to continue using it here rather than going back to the previous brands but these things sometimes take on a life of their own. I also think Liberty Global will probably look to get out of Ireland either way at the right price down the road. As a group it has all the look of a business in wind down having sold off or created JVs for most of its operations, with only four countries with wholly owned operations left.

The Cush · 11-05-2020 12:45am

icdg wrote: »

There will be all sorts of legalities tied up in the Virgin deal, it was meant to run for 30 years, as I recall, but with a break clause after 10 years which passed in 2017.

I found the original Trade Mark legal document on this, between Virgin Enterprises Limited and NTL Group Limited, dated April 3 2006 (ending at midnight (GMT) on 2 April 2036)

“Minimum Term” means the period of 10 years from the Commencement Date;

“Term” means the term of this Deed which is to be a period of thirty (30) years from the Commencement Date unless terminated earlier in accordance with this Deed;

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1270400/000110465906053116/a06-15794_1ex10d2.htm

Marcusm · 11-05-2020 1:16pm

icdg wrote: »

Never is a long time!

I think it will all have to do with what happens to the VM brand. LibertyGlobal will only own 50% of the merged U.K. operation but retains 100% of the Irish operation, which will, it appears, go back to being grouped with what is left of UPC (Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland - the sale of the latter, formerly Cablecom, recently fell through).

There will be all sorts of legalities tied up in the Virgin deal, it was meant to run for 30 years, as I recall, but with a break clause after 10 years which passed in 2017. I think they’ve invested so much in the brand here that they’ll try to continue using it here rather than going back to the previous brands but these things sometimes take on a life of their own. I also think Liberty Global will probably look to get out of Ireland either way at the right price down the road. As a group it has all the look of a business in wind down having sold off or created JVs for most of its operations, with only four countries with wholly owned operations left.

Malone has a fierce grá for Ireland all the same.

EdmondShiels3 · 15-05-2020 12:40am

Are they going to show the new series of who wants to be a millionaire?

Maz2016 · 15-05-2020 6:45am

EdmondShiels3 wrote: »

Are they going to show the new series of who wants to be a millionaire?

I’d say there will be very new shows on Virgin for the foreseeable

Elmo · 15-05-2020 1:19pm

what series of WWTBAM is airing on VMTV ONE, I hadn't realised that ITV have a new series.

iseegirls · 15-05-2020 4:26pm

Elmo wrote: »

what series of WWTBAM is airing on VMTV ONE, I hadn't realised that ITV have a new series.

Virgin Media One are (re-)showing Series 32 at the moment. This is the series that originally ran from 1/Jan/19 to 6/Jan/19 and 4/Mar/19 to 10/Mar/19. 3rd time they're showing this series, and 4th if you count in their repeat on the following Saturday.

Virgin Media TV, have showed Series 33 twice which ran between 24/Aug/19 - 20/Oct/19.

However, they haven't shown Series 34 yet - which are 10 episodes in total. This is the first series where they haven't shown it at the same time as ITV.

its_steve116 · 18-05-2020 10:24pm

Would be lovely if VMT invited Swimmers Jackson onto Ireland AM.

Elmo · 20-05-2020 10:38am

@iseegirls never understood why RTÉ commission Say Yes To The Dress when the american version didn't do all that well, and DIY SOS seems a very strange comission since Baz's life changing series was so well received and considereding that DIY SOS never really did well for TV3/Virgin Media. I wonder what the audience on the BBC is like, I think its probably one of the BBC's worst lifestyle formats. IMO.

Is it owned by BBC Worldwide?

iseegirls · 20-05-2020 11:11am

From searching around - seems like the BBC Studios' Unscripted Productions is the main producer for DIY SOS under BBC Studios. https://www.bbcstudios.com/case-studies/diy-sos/

Not sure what that got bundled into for Virgin Media even back when they first aired it. Searching through the BBC Studios catalogue - there isn't any other programme there that Virgin Media/TV3 showed before apart from DIY SOS.

Few stats for anyone interested. TV3 showed S14-S19 between 2013 and 2015. And then The Big Build one hour series' S24 - S28 from 2016 up to the 3rd May 2020.

S29 is what RTE2 will be showing.

Elmo · 20-05-2020 11:20am

EastEnders ! I think they had Dr Who at one point also.

iseegirls · 20-05-2020 11:43am

Elmo wrote: »

EastEnders ! I think they had Dr Who at one point also.

Eastenders switched to RTE1 in 2001. Dr Who 2007-2009 for the 2 series they showed, so this would have been before when DIY SOS started on the channel. Just seems like an odd show that they would go out of their way to purchase, unless it was bundled in with other rights.

Elmo · 20-05-2020 12:17pm

iseegirls wrote: »

Eastenders switched to RTE1 in 2001. Dr Who 2007-2009 for the 2 series they showed, so this would have been before when DIY SOS started on the channel. Just seems like an odd show that they would go out of their way to purchase, unless it was bundled in with other rights.

Have to agree, wonder how they got it. Did they get it in 2015? You'd wonder why they didn't go after other BBC programmes that RTÉ don't pick up.

RTÉ always had a choice to take EastEnders under their long term agreement with BBC Worldwide, up to 2001 they'd decided not to.

its_steve116 · 21-05-2020 12:24am

I think VM2 should bring back the comedies it used to show - Family Guy, American Dad!, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, How I Met Your Mother etc. Letting go of them was a mistake

Brock Turnpike · 21-05-2020 7:01am

its_steve116 wrote: »

I think VM2 should bring back the comedies it used to show - Family Guy, American Dad!, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, How I Met Your Mother etc. Letting go of them was a mistake

Is that what's needed now though? Have we not moved into a time where original content is key? All of the shows you mentioned are available on streaming services. Surely VM and RTE should be focusing on original content? That's the space in which they can be different rather than showing content produced by other TV stations all the time.

Elmo · 21-05-2020 3:28pm

@iseegirls Also Law and Order SVU and Bull are two strange ones. And Judge Judy, surely they come with other american rights.

its_steve116 · 21-05-2020 4:26pm

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

Is that what's needed now though? Have we not moved into a time where original content is key? All of the shows you mentioned are available on streaming services. Surely VM and RTE should be focusing on original content? That's the space in which they can be different rather than showing content produced by other TV stations all the time.

I would agree with you. If they at least got rid of the reality shows from the VMT stations and cut down on the ITV programming, that would at least be an improvement.

iseegirls · 21-05-2020 4:28pm

Elmo wrote: »

@iseegirls Also Law and Order SVU and Bull are two strange ones. And Judge Judy, surely they come with other american rights.

All guesswork, but here goes:
Judge Judy been with them since Day 2 - part of Viacom/CBS TV Series. Bull is under a CBS TV Distributor as well - maybe that got thrown in when they renewed Judge Judy.

Looking back at other Distributors - the main one back when they started was 20th Century Fox. Nearly everything from 1999-2000 was on TV3 (from their wiki page) - Martial Law, Family Guy (they only showed 1st series), Futurama (same - only 1 series), Strange World, Judging Amy, Stark Raving Mad, Snoops, Angel, Buffy, Roswell, Harsh Realm, Then Came You. A few other ones a few years later like Tru Calling, Arrested Development, Wonderfalls around 2003, and then around 2009 there was Glee and Modern Family.

Universal TV Programs then for Law And Order: SVU. They had Just Shoot Me , Will And Grace, Crossing Jordan, American Dreams, Las Vegas, Dragnet from them over the early years too. Again though - seems odd they've only continued with Law And Order: SVU.

I've no idea how these rights work anyway, pure guesswork. Maybe they can just get particular rights for single programmes.

It's a pity the channels like VM2 and VM3 are now just morphed into an ITV archive nowadays.

iseegirls · 25-05-2020 10:36am

Virgin Media Two ploughing on with next repeated series of Love Island (the 2019 summer one) when the 2018 version finishes on Sunday. Even though it didn't even appear in the Top 20 ratings for April.

Virgin Media One changing schedule again at 9pm.
Mon: (was Gogglebox Ireland) Countdown To Execution (4th time to be shown)
Tue: (was Hatton Garden Heist) The Missing Evidence: Death Of Marilyn Monroe (8th time to be shown, first shown in 2013)
Wed: Gogglebox Ireland (Series 2 - first shown early 2017)
Thu: (was Police Code Zero) I Married A Waiter (ELEVENTH time to be shown)
Fri: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (6th time to be shown)

This is just getting lazy. No wonder they're struggling so badly at 9pm.

An Ciarraioch · 25-05-2020 11:02am

Is this the last week of Emmerdale before the episodes run out?

DjMidas · 25-05-2020 11:18am

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its_steve116 · 25-05-2020 12:54pm

iseegirls wrote: »

Virgin Media Two ploughing on with next repeated series of Love Island (the 2019 summer one) when the 2018 version finishes on Sunday. Even though it didn't even appear in the Top 20 ratings for April.

Virgin Media One changing schedule again at 9pm.
Mon: (was Gogglebox Ireland) Countdown To Execution (4th time to be shown)
Tue: (was Hatton Garden Heist) The Missing Evidence: Death Of Marilyn Monroe (8th time to be shown, first shown in 2013)
Wed: Gogglebox Ireland (Series 2 - first shown early 2017)
Thu: (was Police Code Zero) I Married A Waiter (ELEVENTH time to be shown)
Fri: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (6th time to be shown)

This is just getting lazy. No wonder they're struggling so badly at 9pm.

If I were in charge of VMT, LI wouldn't be on at all. I'd replace it with a wildlife documentary or something

channelsurfer2 · 25-05-2020 12:56pm

iseegirls wrote: »

Virgin Media Two ploughing on with next repeated series of Love Island (the 2019 summer one) when the 2018 version finishes on Sunday. Even though it didn't even appear in the Top 20 ratings for April.

Virgin Media One changing schedule again at 9pm.
Mon: (was Gogglebox Ireland) Countdown To Execution (4th time to be shown)
Tue: (was Hatton Garden Heist) The Missing Evidence: Death Of Marilyn Monroe (8th time to be shown, first shown in 2013)
Wed: Gogglebox Ireland (Series 2 - first shown early 2017)
Thu: (was Police Code Zero) I Married A Waiter (ELEVENTH time to be shown)
Fri: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (6th time to be shown)

This is just getting lazy. No wonder they're struggling so badly at 9pm.

how did they do ratings wise up against WWTBM on UTV at 9pm. even though clarkson is not some peoples favourite person I would say those that had a choice watched it on utv rather than whatever VM1 had on.

Brock Turnpike · 25-05-2020 1:52pm

I can't believe they decided to show re-runs of any of the Love Island shows. Do they not realise is basically a social media experience and that's why it gets high viewing numbers in real time? It's a program that appeals to people who love to gossip with their mates on social media, and people tune purely so they can join in the gossiping.

its_steve116 · 25-05-2020 2:41pm

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

I can't believe they decided to show re-runs of any of the Love Island shows. Do they not realise is basically a social media experience and that's why it gets high viewing numbers in real time? It's a program that appeals to people who love to gossip with their mates on social media, and people tune purely so they can join in the gossiping.

It's rubbish. Especially after what happened to Caroline Flack, I don't think it should ever continue now. I'm not one of those people it's aimed at; I prefer music programmes and comedies/dramas. This is just one reason I was so opposed to Doughty Hanson purchasing Channel 6 back in 2008; because DH were going to make a dog's dinner out of the channel. I would rather Channel 6 had died a natural death without being purchased. I know it probably wouldn't have survived on it's own but I'd have rathered it had completely closed down than being bought over and ruined. RTÉ is much better

iseegirls · 25-05-2020 3:16pm

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

I can't believe they decided to show re-runs of any of the Love Island shows. Do they not realise is basically a social media experience and that's why it gets high viewing numbers in real time? It's a program that appeals to people who love to gossip with their mates on social media, and people tune purely so they can join in the gossiping.

I just see it as pure laziness. Over the 2 series - they'll have 100 episodes - and so that has 9pm covered for over 3 months. And they oddly seem content with that then.

You have the madness of whats on before and after it some night. Heartbeat is being stripped across 8pm every weekday, and then you have shows like A Touch Of Frost after Love Island. Who are they targeting again on this channel - it's a right mess.

Elmo · 25-05-2020 9:48pm

iseegirls wrote: »

I just see it as pure laziness. Over the 2 series - they'll have 100 episodes - and so that has 9pm covered for over 3 months. And they oddly seem content with that then.

You have the madness of whats on before and after it some night. Heartbeat is being stripped across 8pm every weekday, and then you have shows like A Touch Of Frost after Love Island. Who are they targeting again on this channel - it's a right mess.

I can't see ITV being able to repeat a full series of Love Island considering the circumstances surrounding the death of its host.

zeebre12 · 04-06-2020 8:44am

Do they not have full series rights to Heartbeat? You never see the earlier series. At least they would be something different

Elmo · 04-06-2020 4:38pm

zeebre12 wrote: »

Do they not have full series rights to Heartbeat? You never see the earlier series. At least they would be something different

Which series do they show

zeebre12 · 04-06-2020 10:05pm

Elmo wrote: »

Which series do they show

No sure but they never show the earlier ones..

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