UTV, the listed Northern Irish broadcaster, is considering a bid for TV3, the privately owned television station with substantial debts to IBRC.
Here is the full article I wonder could the two channels merge in the future, with just 2 different advertising feeds and rename UTV to TV3?
I'd imagine it would be TV3 that gets renamed. I guess unlike RTE that TV3 probably isn't available in Northern Ireland due to carrying much of the same flagship programming as UTV, so they'd continue as two different channels but with UTV having the option to take some TV3 content to flesh out it's schedules.
I think it's unlikely they'd rename a Republic of Ireland broadcasters U[lster] Television. They'd either keep two separate names or come up with one unified one.
I guess TV3 would probably in effect become UTV, you'd hope that all the original programming such as Ireland AM doesn't get replaced with even more from ITV though.
I think it's unlikely they'd rename a Republic of Ireland broadcasters U[lster] Television.
This is why they renamed Ulster Television to UTV in 1993, because they knew it could be seen in the Republic. The name no longer stands for anything, having been changed at corporate level in 2006.
I think it's unlikely they'd rename a Republic of Ireland broadcasters U[lster] Television.
This is why they renamed Ulster Television to UTV in 1993, because they knew it could be seen in the Republic. The name no longer stands for anything, having been changed at corporate level in 2006.
BBC might as well not stand for anything as we only ever hear those initials. In reality people are going to think UTV stands for Ulster Television.
Whether that's a problem in the Republic I don't know, it would probably be more of a problem to launch a D[ublin]TV in the North. My main concern is it would be a bit like launching a radio station called Capital FM in many cites that aren't the capital of the nation.... oh wait.
There more I think about this, I think they'd probably create a new brand for both or keep them as separate entities.
It must be pointed out also that UTV owns radio stations in the south of Ireland including FM 104 - Dublins biggest music radio station so UTV currently do have operations in the south. I could see UTV buying TV3 but not making any substantial changes. For example TV3 was taken over in 2006 and no real on air changes took place as a result.
As people may or may not know, TV3 were awarded the franchise for the Republic's commercial television station back in 1989 but did not go on air until 1998. UTV was part of the reason for this nine-year gap. They had agreed to take a 49% stake in the station but when cable TV providers here refused to replace UTV with TV3, they pulled out.
In addition, everyone seems to have forgotten that until TV3 did its supply deal with ITV, UTV was the second most popular station in the Republic, despite its name (which has not been Ulster Television for nearly twenty years now). TV3 in its early days was very much seen as a poor mans Sky One/Channel 5 with some Irish news bulletins. Only after it did the deal with ITV did it become mainstream really. Going back even further, up until the launch of TG4 in 1996 UTV (and Channel 4) were the only broadcasters Irish companies that wanted to advertise on television could deal with if they didn't want to accept RTÉ's rates. For a period, RTÉ's earnings from advertising were capped and that helped UTV & Channel 4 gain Irish advertising even further.
So no, UTV's name is no obstacle to it in the Republic. Even if it were still formally "Ulster Television", that is no different from other institutions that have Ulster in its name that operate in the Republic, such as Ulster Bank, Ulster Rugby, Ulster GAA etc. Three counties of Ulster are in the Republic after all.
I don't know if this deal is actually a runner. IBRC is in liquidation and Doughty Hanson might even get away with buying the debt back in a firesale. Doughty Hanson are not a media company and have no long term interest in TV but will want to get their money back.
If it did happen, whether the two channels would eventually consolidate is something that would have to be looked at. The biggest obstacle is that UTV's deal with ITV covers the entire network schedule. TV3's only covers programmes actually made by or in some cases directly for ITV. No films, no imports and no sports (though handly enough, they both (by complete coincidence) have first pick rights for Tuesday night Champions League and Thursday night Europa League). Also they have differing licence requirements.
:-(
A former member
Was it possible to tune in to UTV in all parts of Ireland? Even down in Tralee? Was HTV able to be picked up?
The majority of people receive UTV on cable/MMDS or satellite, though it is not on the Sky EPG in the Republic. "Deflectors" - an Irish uphamisim for unauthorised terrestrial retransmitters (which were illegal until 1999 but legal from then until 2012) were a method of reception mainly in the South and West but are now almost all gone. Note though that most of the deflectors in the South would have retransmitted HTV/S4C rather than UTV/Channel 4, at least until ITV went free to air on satellite.