Virgin Media Television
Virgin Media Television is the Irish free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasting arm of Virgin Media Ireland, operating channels such as Virgin Media One, Two, Three and Four.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Virgin Media Television is the television broadcasting division of Virgin Media Ireland, the Irish cable, broadband and pay-TV operator owned by Liberty Global. It operates a family of Irish channels — principally Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two, Virgin Media Three and Virgin Media Four — that together form one of the two main commercial broadcasting groups in the Republic of Ireland, alongside RTÉ. The channels carry a mix of news and current affairs, entertainment, drama, sport, lifestyle programming and imported content, and they sell advertising to the Irish market while also being carried on Virgin Media's own pay-TV platform and on competitor platforms. The business has its roots in the Irish commercial television sector: the flagship channel launched as TV3, Ireland's first commercial terrestrial broadcaster, and the group later expanded with additional channels and on-demand services. TV3 Group was acquired by Liberty Global in 2015 and rebranded under the Virgin Media name in 2018, becoming Virgin Media Television. The division also operates the on-demand service Virgin Media Player. As part of Virgin Media Ireland, the broadcaster sits within Liberty Global's European cable and media footprint. Its positioning is as a commercial, advertiser-funded Irish broadcaster offering broadly popular programming and a strong news operation, competing with RTÉ, TG4 and international streaming services for Irish audiences.
History
Virgin Media Television's history is bound up with the liberalisation of Irish broadcasting. Its flagship channel launched as TV3, Ireland's first commercial terrestrial television broadcaster, breaking the long-standing duopoly of RTÉ and providing advertisers with a commercial alternative. Over time the TV3 Group added spin-off channels — including what became Virgin Media Two, Three and Four — and an on-demand player, broadening its reach beyond a single general-entertainment service. In 2015 the TV3 Group was acquired by Liberty Global, the international cable and media group that also controls Virgin Media in the United Kingdom and Virgin Media Ireland. The acquisition folded the Irish broadcaster into a larger pay-TV and broadband business, allowing closer integration with the Virgin Media platform in Ireland. In 2018 the TV3 brand was retired and the channels were rebranded under the Virgin Media name, with the group becoming Virgin Media Television and the main channel becoming Virgin Media One. Since the rebrand, Virgin Media Television has operated as the content and broadcasting arm of Virgin Media Ireland, commissioning and acquiring programming for Irish audiences, running a substantial news operation, and offering the Virgin Media Player on-demand service. It remains one of the two principal commercial broadcasting groups in the Republic of Ireland.
TV3 launches as Ireland's first commercial terrestrial broadcaster
TV3 Group acquired by Liberty Global
TV3 channels rebranded as Virgin Media Television, with the main channel becoming Virgin Media One
Products and positioning
Commercial Irish broadcaster within Virgin Media Ireland, offering broadly popular free-to-air and pay-TV channels plus on-demand, competing with RTÉ and global streamers.
Virgin Media One
Flagship general-entertainment and news channel, formerly TV3.
Virgin Media Two
Entertainment and lifestyle channel.
Virgin Media Three
Entertainment channel featuring drama and imported content.
Virgin Media Four
Additional entertainment channel in the group.
Virgin Media Player
On-demand streaming service for the group's programming.
Recent events
Virgin Media Television unveils new autumn season schedule[1]
Virgin Media Television unveiled its new autumn season schedule, featuring original Irish programming, news and current affairs, live sport, international drama and returning audience favourites, available free-to-air across Ireland and on Virgin Media PLAY.
Virgin Media Television partners with Google Ireland on Pause Ads[2]
Reported:
Virgin Media Television announced a partnership with Google Ireland to integrate Pause Ads for Google Ad Manager across the Virgin Media Player.
WWE and Virgin Media Television announce an Ireland TV partnership[3]
Reported:
WWE and Virgin Media Television partnered to broadcast highlights of RAW and SmackDown on free-to-air television in Ireland for the first time. The agreement also makes premium WWE documentaries available on WMTV.
Virgin Media Television sues eir over alleged unpaid fee[4]
Reported:
Virgin Media Television sued eir, alleging that eir failed to pay a €2.5 million fee under an agreement concerning sports-channel distribution. Eir denied breaching the agreements and alleged that Virgin had breached them; Virgin rejected that claim. The action was admitted to the Commercial Court list on Monday.
Weekdays and relative dates follow the original report; their exact calendar dates have not been verified.
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