The Virgin Media Television thread

iseegirls · 18-08-2022 5:18pm

Zero listings anywhere, no adverts on VM, no press releases, nothing on their socials - just 1 short story from the Indo. Maybe it's possible that the start date isn't right.

Longwayjump1991 · 18-08-2022 7:22pm

I’d say it will be on air soonish anyway as channel 7 keeps running a 2RN test card.

awec · 19-08-2022 2:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119486638#Comment_119486638

They're all still celebrating over at VMTV that they've finally landed a sport that fits in with their approach to advertising.

Pussyhands · 19-08-2022 3:25pm

How do they have space for another channel? The current channels are already full of repeats. Who wants to be a millionaire is repeated 5 or 6 times it feels like.

odyssey06 · 19-08-2022 3:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494271#Comment_119494271

They'd get as many viewers by just adding another +1 channel, if they want to stretch out the same material.

RoTelly · 19-08-2022 3:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494290#Comment_119494290

It would be interesting to see if that were the case but VMTV channel get between 18% and 20% every month, I know

June saw

1 = 12%

2 = 6%

3 = 2.5%

+1 = 0.3%

total = 20.71%

RTÉ ONE +1 being the only +1 across all plaforms has 1.26% so it'd being interesting to see how vmtv one+1 would work if it was added to saorview.

iseegirls · 19-08-2022 4:21pm

Would be nice if they went into the archive a bit, and showed some older Irish stuff. (I know they never EVER will, but can always dream)

A quick look back through what they showed before could built up a decentish channel, if mixed in with a few films and sport.

The Irish versions of The Apprentice, Take Me Out, Masterchef, Bake Off, Family Fortunes, Young Dumb Living Off Mum, and other reality series like Celeb Salon, Head Chef, Tallafornia, Ireland's Oyster Clan, Newsb@g, a TikTok version of Uploaded, The Restaurant, Livin' With Lucy, Eating With The Enemy, Generation Dating, OAP B&B, Craic Den Comedy Club... Some may have aged badly though - but so has Wycliffe and that's shown on VM1 and VM3.

Documentary/Factual series like Adoption Stories, The Guards: Inside The K, Cocaine Wars, The Tenements, Our Island, Islanders, Tales Of Irish Castles, The Park, Fota, Cork Mega Port, The Joy, The Estate, Ireland's Paramedics, Assassins: Irelands Contract Killers, Jingle Jangle, Revolting Ireland, The Great Give Back, Fanning At Whelan's..

Quiz repeats like Crossfire, The Lie and Drama/Comedy like Smalltown, Darklands, The Decieved, Newsb@g, On The Couch, Holding, Red Rock

awec · 19-08-2022 5:12pm

IMO the Virgin TV schedule is so bad I can't understand how it even makes any money.

It has been so bad for so long that my eyes naturally just skip over it when I'm browsing the EPG, I am surely not alone on this?

Maz2016 · 19-08-2022 5:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494783#Comment_119494783

Your definitely not. The issue is some people just have saorview so are stuck with Virgin for soaps etc. Same for those with Virgin TV, I believe they done have the full ITV channels so stuck with virgin as well

Longwayjump1991 · 20-08-2022 1:00am

Is it safe to say that VMTV is basically a poor man’s version of itv?

dulpit · 20-08-2022 6:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119496335#Comment_119496335

That's far too generous a description...

Maz2016 · 20-08-2022 10:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119496335#Comment_119496335

What an insult to itv

lertsnim · 20-08-2022 2:10pm

ITV make or commission most of what they show so Virgin Media are much worse than what you say.

RoTelly · 20-08-2022 3:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119497623#Comment_119497623

VMTV ONE = should aim to provide strong local content, supported by the ITV Soaps, no real reason to axe Red Rock IMO

VMTV TWO = should aim for Sports and ITV reality TV such as LOVE ISLAND and IAACGMOOH (sports conflicts to VMTV ONE not THREE)

VMTV THREE = Repeats of ITV soaps, ITV archive and repeats of VMTV ONE, ITV programming that isn't as strong on VMTV ONE e.g. Ipress File and others

your then stretching it with FOUR AND MORE TBH, you'd be better off with +1 if you aren't planning any new content for either IMO.

Maz2016 · 22-08-2022 5:20pm

Can’t see this going ahead on Wednesday

Longwayjump1991 · 22-08-2022 5:47pm

No, I reckon it will launch in September maybe.

Pussyhands · 22-08-2022 5:53pm

I'm astounded that when virgin did their big upgrade for the news studio, that they went with a screen of screens. I think it looks terrible having the squares, especially for the weather. Looks like it's from the 90s

Koloman · 22-08-2022 6:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506306#Comment_119506306

Just before todays news at 5:30 they announced that VM4 would launch on Wednesday and a documentary about the British & Irish lions was the highlight.

Maz2016 · 22-08-2022 7:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506494#Comment_119506494

Interesting to see it’s going ahead as planned. Strange there’s no tv listings anywhere

lertsnim · 23-08-2022 8:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506306#Comment_119506306

I saw this morning that Channel 7 on Saorview has changed from RTE Junior has moved to a test card. I will be surprised if this channel launches with no testing.

icdg · 23-08-2022 8:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506825#Comment_119506825

No pre-publicity, no promos as far as I can see. The softest of “soft launches”.

Doesn’t look like it’ll be on Sky for now either.

EdmondShiels3 · 23-08-2022 8:54am

I hate the big screen they have for the news. It drives me wrong when I see it. Hopefully the new channel will be in HD on Sky. Not that I will watch it much as it will as it will be repeats like the others.

medoc · 23-08-2022 10:15am

I know things are very different than the analogue days. But as channel launches go this takes the biscuit. Practically no mention of it anywhere. You’d think there would have been some sort of build up. An ideal time to differentiate their channels and give them some identity. But as VMTV program their existing channels by copy and paste I doubt they have the brains to do anything else.

JDxtra · 23-08-2022 10:38am

No placeholder even on their own Virgin Media platform! No mention on social media, no program guide, no placeholder on their web site - absolutely zero publicity anywhere.

Quite an impressively soft launch when they don't even create some rolling test loop.

I suppose they are still fattening up that goose for sale, one more channel to the line-up may make it sound that bit better. Viewers? Meh, nobody cares about those...

Maz2016 · 23-08-2022 10:54am

We weren’t expecting much but this takes the p!ss! You know it probably will launch at 7pm tomorrow evening or whatever time and just say welcome to VM4. Then they sit back and let the advertising revenue come in. Once they cover the carriage costs I’d presume it’s profit after that. And if they just show repeats it’s a win win for them.

zeebre12 · 23-08-2022 12:59pm

If it's stil profitable launching a channel on Saorview you'd have to question why none of the UK Freeview channels have never launched here other than Sky News? Some even have their own Irish version with Irish ads.