[Rdd]

VMTV Four HD launches on Sky in ROI (satellite channel 160, Sky Glass channel 159) on Thursday,

VMTV Three still in SD only, oddly.

Even more oddly VMTV’s own player app refuses to acknowledge the existence of VMTV Four or any programme aired exclusively on the channel (not much, but there have been some).

[Ballinagrappa]

VMTV Four HD launches on Sky in ROI (satellite channel 160, Sky Glass channel 159) on Thursday,

VMTV Three still in SD only, oddly.

Even more oddly VMTV’s own player app refuses to acknowledge the existence of VMTV Four or any programme aired exclusively on the channel (not much, but there have been some).

The only channel not to be on Sky, Saorview or Saorsat will then be Virgin Media More as this is exclusive to VMTV subscribers.

VMTV Four will start to show programming shortly when it gets a launch on Sky and VMTV Three should be HD'd later this year according to customer services.

[TVenthusiasm]

VMTV Four HD launches on Sky in ROI (satellite channel 160, Sky Glass channel 159) on Thursday,

VMTV Three still in SD only, oddly.

Even more oddly VMTV’s own player app refuses to acknowledge the existence of VMTV Four or any programme aired exclusively on the channel (not much, but there have been some).

Given the limited ability of VM4 right now, I'd say this is a great move as it means the channel will be available to a much wider audience. Interestingly VM1, VM2 and WM3 are pay channels on Sky, despite all three being available for free on Saorview so will be interesting to see if VM4 is free to air on Sky.

[rick]

There's no way VM4 will be free on Sky, it will be joining the sub club for sure. It is a complete waste of a channel anyway. VM don't have enough decent content to fill 1 channel, let alone 4. The amount of repeats across the channels, sometimes the same programme at the same time on two/three of their channels, is shocking. There doesn't appear to be any sort of scheduling or care put into anything.

[Rdd]

The Irish channels cannot be free to air on Sky as it would mean their availability across the U.K. which would cause rights issues (particularly applies to VMTV who show most ITV programmes apart from news and sport).

[JMT1985]

Virgin Media Television in Ireland need slimming down, not building up. They need a massive shake up and the Virgin Media name needs to be dropped. TV3 was a perfectly fine name to be used and should have been retained.

[Rdd]

They really don’t need five channels to be fair, I know we joke about VMTV being The Chase TV but tomorrow they are showing between the U.K. and Australian version a total of twelve episodes across VMTV 1-4. It’s on Challenge as well, so that’s five of the 14 (two of which are plus ones) channels on Saorview showing it.

[Stuart]

They really don’t need five channels to be fair, I know we joke about VMTV being The Chase TV but tomorrow they are showing between the U.K. and Australian version a total of twelve episodes across VMTV 1-4. It’s on Challenge as well, so that’s five of the 14 (two of which are plus ones) channels on Saorview showing it.

Liberty Global have been looking for a buyer for VM Ireland for 2 years. I suspect any new owner would want to make changes.

[Roger Darthwell]

They really don’t need five channels to be fair, I know we joke about VMTV being The Chase TV but tomorrow they are showing between the U.K. and Australian version a total of twelve episodes across VMTV 1-4. It’s on Challenge as well, so that’s five of the 14 (two of which are plus ones) channels on Saorview showing it.

Liberty Global have been looking for a buyer for VM Ireland for 2 years. I suspect any new owner would want to make changes.

I recently read that Liberty Global has decided not to sell VM Ireland anymore

[Rdd]

Absolutely, but a seller without a buyer is in a bit of a pickle. The story is well trodden by now but basically they do want out, made public statements about wanting to go into a JV with a mobile network and then realised that there’s no one to buy it particularly when it comes attached to an old-fashioned free to air broadcast business. Neither Vodafone or Three have shown any interest in getting into that market anywhere else. Alas if O2 had stayed in the Irish market it probably would have become part of the U.K. JV but they sold to Three a few years back (a similar deal in the U.K. was refused competition clearance if I recall).

So two years later, they’re still here, and as much as they want to sell, there’s no obvious buyer who wants to take both a broadband network and a free to air commercial tv business.