The big Irish media deals keep on coming with Virgin Media acquiring the loss-making UTV Ireland for €10 million.
The Liberty Global subsidiary already owns TV3 and 3e, which means it’ll be seriously challenging RTÉ for programming rights and ratings dominance.
“We are delighted to welcome UTV Ireland to the Virgin Media family,” reads a statement. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to provide great entertainment for Irish viewers and adds Ireland's newest TV channel to our existing portfolio which includes TV3 and 3e. This is a very positive development for Irish broadcasting and ensures Virgin Media's continued investment in top quality programming and local production."
As previously reported on hotpress.com, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has paid £220 million for the Wireless Group who last year took over UTV’s radio interests. Which means that the Australian tycoon is now calling the shots at Q102, FM104, 96FM, C103, Live95FM, LMFM, U105.8FM, Galway Bay FM and WLR.