So the changes are announced - UTV Ireland becomes Be 3 as of 9th January, with new on air identies for TV3 and (at long last) 3e the same day. 3e is incidentally far overdue a rebrand since it's been using the same very basic idents (they look like they were knocked together in five minutes) for nearly eight years now. TV3 News also becomes "3 News Ireland" as of the same date.
It also looks like the ITV daytime schedule (the only time when UTV Ireland looked properly like an ITV franchise TBH) will be completely axed and replaced by kids programmes when the changes occur.
New logos for all 3 chanels revealed. I imagine the new look will launch for all of them at the same time as UTV IReland becomes Be 3. I wonder if they will keep the HD channel and make it Be 3 HD on air or close it completely?
Will be interesting to see how much of the current ITV schedule will remain on be3, and how much annoyance it will cause of further parts of it are removed, if any.
No great surprise that the ITV daytime schedule is being dropped - more surprising was that UTV Ireland thought it would be relevant in the first place
Loose Women is remaining on be3. No mention of This Morning which to me suggests it is a casualty. I suspect the pre-recorded afternoon shows will remain though possibly split across the channels rather than all on be3.
Err. No.
Rebrands and name change all from Monday 9th January, according the the presser on the TV3 website - linked back in a posting on Page 46.
It's a totally horrid new logo for '3'.
At least with the halfbox shape of the current 3, there was something different about it. Looks like from the logo on the plasma at the official launch today, it's going to rather plain 3 trapped in a purple room of hell.
Some people with 45 seconds spare in powerpoint could come up with something more stand out and visually eyecatching.
No great surprise that the ITV daytime schedule is being dropped - more surprising was that UTV Ireland thought it would be relevant in the first place
All part of the problem of carrying the UTV name into this particular service. They ended up falling between two stools - those who wanted the full UTV Northern Ireland service, and those wondering why they were just getting a port of every British show available on an Irish channel.
The only confirmation is that 3Kids moves from 3e to be3, so will presumably take the same 7-10am slot, and be3 will continue to show Loose Women. I suspect TV3 will look to take repeats out of their own schedule and drop them down to be3, so for example Judge Rinder and the repeat of the Six o'clock Show might switch places.
And talking of Judge Rinder RTE have annoucned Amanda Byram and Nicky Byrne as hosts of their version of Dancing with the Stars.
