UTV Ireland announces Dublin Headquarters

3 July 2014

UTV Ireland today signed a contract with Brehon Capital Partners to secure the entire ground floor of Macken House, Dublin 1, which will be transformed into the new channel’s broadcast centre.

UTV Media plc has a strong existing presence at Macken House, with FM104 located on the first floor and Q102, UTV Radio Solutions and UTV Sales based on the second floor of the building.

John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said:

"Macken House has been a great success for UTV since we first moved into the building five years ago. I am delighted that we have secured the ground floor for UTV Ireland, which enables us to keep all of UTV’s Dublin-based broadcasting teams under one roof.

"We have seen how beneficial this location is, in terms of surrounding amenities and transport links. The building will now be our Group Irish headquarters, with more than 200 staff located at the premises.

"Whilst UTV Ireland will be headquartered in Dublin, we are currently looking at regional news bureaux in Cork, Galway and Limerick, to facilitate our country-wide news team – ensuring that UTV Ireland will be close to breaking news, as it happens, throughout Ireland."

UTV Ireland’s broadcast centre will consist of two studios, edit suites, corporate offices and news, administration, finance and sales areas. More than 80 UTV Ireland personnel, working across programming, news, sales, operations and corporate functions, will be based at the new UTV Ireland ground-floor facility.

Also commenting on today’s announcement, Michael Wilson, UTV Ireland Managing Director, said:

"This is a significant milestone in the birth of UTV Ireland and we are delighted to be expanding our existing operations at Macken House. The expansion represents a multi-million euro investment in the technical build and we expect to be fully operational, in our new facility, in the coming months. In the meantime, we have secured a temporary working space in an adjacent building, which will house UTV Ireland’s growing team, until the fit-out is complete."

The ground floor space at Macken House is being let by Brehon Capital Partners, who acquired the building in a joint venture with PIMCO as part of the Ulysses portfolio in December 2013.

Pauline Brady, Asset Manager for Brehon Capital Partners said:

"We are delighted that UTV has decided to use Macken House as the location for its new broadcast centre and headquarters. We have now leased close to 50% of the space that was vacant in the Ulysses portfolio when we acquired it in December 2013, which is an indication of the continued demand for high quality commercial space in Dublin’s city centre and Docklands."

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UTV Ireland reveals its new brand identity at industry briefing for producers

19 June 2014

UTV Ireland hosted a briefing session today (Thursday, 19 June) for independent production companies, where the new UTV Ireland brand identity was revealed by Managing Director, Michael Wilson and Head of Channel, Mary Curtis.

Unveiling UTV Ireland’s logo to an audience of more than 300 industry representatives, Michael Wilson said:

New brand identity © UTV Ireland

"We are delighted to launch UTV Ireland’s new logo today and it is only fitting that we should do so to an audience we will be working closely with next year.

"UTV Ireland is a new Irish station set up to give further choice to the Irish public. But it was important for us to establish a distinct brand for UTV Ireland – one which is fresh and contemporary but which also recognises UTV’s heritage and strong association with Irish audiences over the past 50 years."

The briefing, which took place in Croke Park, was held to outline the commissioning process and programme requirements for Ireland’s newest television channel, launching on January 1st 2015.

UTV Ireland’s Head of Channel, Mary Curtis, said:

"Ireland’s independent production companies are among the best in the world. The competition for content creation in this market has resulted in industry-leading programme delivery for the viewer.

"The majority of our commissioned content will be reserved for transmission between 7pm and 10pm, peak time in our schedule. We want contemporary relevant and entertaining programmes that reflect Ireland and our audiences – and we have a particular interest in lifestyle, factual entertainment and format programming. We will also be working with our commercial team to review proposals for fully sponsored or advertiser-funded programming – subject to approval from our commissioning department."

Michael Wilson said: "We will commission programmes which reflect the people and culture of the Irish audience UTV Ireland aims to serve. We are looking for programmes that will be high in public service value – focusing on areas such as lifestyle, the environment, culture, history and people. We want content of and from Ireland that will entertain and inform, and engage with the audience."

UTV Ireland will have a rolling commissioning process which will begin from January 2015. All programme proposals should be addressed to UTV Ireland’s Commissioning Department and sent via email to commissioning@utv.ie.

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UTV Ireland invites independent production companies to briefing session in Dublin

30 May 2014

UTV Ireland will host a briefing session for independent production companies on Thursday 19 June, 2014 in Dublin to discuss the commissioning process for the new channel which goes on air on January 1, 2015.

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television and Mary Curtis, Head of Channel, UTV Ireland will outline UTV Ireland’s programme requirements, commissioning process and Code of Practice.

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television said:

"For more than 50 years UTV has commissioned innovative and popular programming for our audience in Northern Ireland and in the last five years alone we have worked with more than 20 independent production companies on regional productions. UTV Ireland now wishes to develop strong relationships with the independent sector in Ireland and bring further choice to the Irish market by commissioning high quality domestic programming across all genres.

"We have been delighted with the interest from the Irish independent production sector wanting to know what type of programmes will be shown on UTV Ireland and how they can work with UTV on new commissions. This briefing will answer those questions and many more as we embark on a new relationship with the Irish production community."

Mary Curtis, Head of Channel, UTV Ireland said:

"UTV Ireland will reflect the interests of our audience. This briefing gives us the opportunity to talk about programming and commissioning to ensure we get the best ideas for the channel and engage with the Irish audience through relevant public service Irish content.

"We will be looking for independent commissions which will reflect the people and culture of the Irish audience UTV Ireland aims to serve. We are also seeking programming that will entertain and inform."

Representatives from independent production companies must register their interest to attend the UTV Ireland briefing session by Tuesday, June 10 2014 by emailing commissioning@utv.ie. Attendance is limited to two representatives per company and UTV will confirm the venue and time directly to attendees. This event is to explain the commissioning process of UTV Ireland and to answer questions, it is not intended as an event to pitch ideas.

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Julian’s Search for a Star

20 May 2014

UTV Ireland search for new faces to introduce soaps, drama and entertainment

Well, what about ya ... Fancy being the ‘Julian Simmons’ for UTV Ireland.

A household name throughout Ireland Julian Simmons is famed for his unique presenting style and witty intros to Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

Julian is now searching for a new face to front the soaps on the all new UTV Ireland, due to air on January 1 2015.

Julian’s keen to point out that his UTV Ireland counterpart will have big shoes to fill!

"If you think you have what it takes to do my job, like introducing the latest goings on in the Rovers Return and keeping Ireland viewers up to date with all the shenanigans in Emmerdale, well show us what you’ve got then!”, challenged Julian in Dublin to launch the search.

"I’ll be searching high and low around the country for a new star to front our soaps, drama and entertainment shows on the all new UTV Ireland from January ...

"Let me tell you, it’s not as easy as I make it look, but if you fancy giving it a go register below now and you could be the one!"

Submissions have now closed.

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UTV Ireland signs 3 year Agreement with All3 Media International

14 May 2014

UTV Ireland has signed a three year agreement with ALL3 Media International for the exclusive broadcast rights in Ireland for new series of Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, Undeniable and Love Your Garden as well as all future series of The Cube from 2015.

John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said:

"These programmes are well known and loved by the Irish audience and we look forward to giving them a new home next year on UTV Ireland. We are investing significantly in programming through agreements like this with All3 Media International, as we aim to replicate the huge popularity of UTV in Northern Ireland here in Ireland with our new Irish channel."

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television said:

"All3 Media International is one of the world’s leading distributors of content with an impeccable track record. By acquiring these high quality drama and entertainment series which already have a strong following in Ireland, we are delivering on our promise of bringing the Irish audience the programmes they want to see on UTV Ireland.

"Our plans are also well advanced for quality domestic programmes and we look forward to announcing more about our Irish content in the coming weeks and months."

Peter Grant – SVP International Sales, All3 Media International said:

"We are delighted to be working on this new venture with UTV – and that they have chosen shows such as Midsomer Murders, The Cube and Foyle’s War to spearhead their expansion. We are sure that we will continue to grow our relationship as they extend their business in Ireland."

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UTV Ireland announces Senior Executive appointments

12 May 2014

UTV Ireland is delighted to announce the following senior executive appointments:

• Daragh Byrne – Commercial Director
• Joanne King – Direct Sales Manager
• Paula McCarthy – Head of Sponsorship and Promotions
• David McMunn – Head of Legal and Compliance
• Áine Ní Chaoindealbháin - General Manager
• Daragh O’Halloran – Head of Research
• Rowan O’Sullivan – Head of Programme Acquisitions
• Deirdre Stokes – Head of Sales Operations
• David Townend – Head of UK Sales

John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said:

"I am delighted to welcome such highly experienced and talented broadcasting individuals to UTV Ireland who will complement the first class team we already have in place here in UTV as we move forward to finalise our plans to launch UTV Ireland on air on January 1, 2015."

"These appointments highlight the wealth of talent and experience now available to UTV Ireland across various business disciplines. Recruitment is going exceptionally well and we plan to announce more appointments in the coming weeks and months."

Daragh Byrne – Commercial Director
Daragh Byrne will join the team as Commercial Director, UTV Ireland overseeing television and online sales, including agency, sponsorship and promotions and direct sales in Dublin. Daragh will work closely with Jonathan Joyce, UTV’s Sales Director, who currently manages all TV sales from Dublin for UTV’s service in Northern Ireland. Daragh joins UTV Ireland in August from TV3 where he was Director of Sales. He has more than 17 years advertising experience with previous roles at Carat, Sunday World, Red FM and Channel 6.

Joanne King – Direct Sales Manager
Joanne King has been appointed Direct Sales Manager for UTV Ireland. Joanne has worked for 6 years in the media industry and most recently managed the Direct Sales portfolio for TV3 in Setanta Sports. She also worked with TWP Publishing and Johnston Press.

Paula McCarthy – Head of Sponsorship and Promotions
UTV Ireland’s new Head of Sponsorship and Promotions is Paula McCarthy. Paula has held the position of Head of Branded Content within the TV3 Group overseeing sponsorship and promotions, as well as developing product placement and advertiser funded programming.

David McMunn has joined the UTV Ireland management team as Head of Legal and Compliance with responsibility for managing legal and regulatory matters.

With 17 years’ experience in commercial television and technology industries, David was formerly Executive Director of TV3 with responsibility for Government, regulatory and legal affairs. Prior to that he worked with UUNET UK (now Verizon) in the UK and Brussels looking after corporate affairs and legal as well as government and regulatory affairs, advising them on law enforcement and government liaison issues throughout Europe.

Áine Ní Chaoindealbháin takes on the role of General Manager for UTV Ireland, with responsibility for managing operational and technical broadcast resources for the new channel as well as leading the development of the UTV Ireland Broadcast Centre in Dublin.

With 17 years’ experience as a media professional, Áine was the former head of production for Setanta Sports Ireland. She was previously General Manager of Sky News Ireland and has worked in various operational, production and news roles with TV3, RTE and the independent sector.

Daragh O’Halloran – Head of Research joins UTV Ireland from TV3 where he was responsible for managing research for TV3 and 3e. With 15 years’ experience of broadcasting and advertising, Daragh started his career with Media Audits analysing the efficiency of TV ad campaigns and then worked as a senior TV airtime buyer with McCann Erickson, before joining ITV plc where he spent 7 years as part of UTV’s commercial team in Dublin.

Rowan O’Sullivan has been appointed Head of Programme Acquisitions for UTV Ireland based in London.

Rowan has over 35 years’ experience in the media industry and was previously Chief Executive of Channel Television prior to its acquisition by ITV plc. He has held various senior roles in business development and compliance at leading UK broadcasters including Granada, LWT and Yorkshire Television, as well as RTE where he worked in programme acquisition and planning.

Deirdre Stokes – Head of Sales Operations
Deirdre Stokes joins UTV Ireland as Head of Sales Operations with responsibility for all sales operations including traffic and airtime management. Deirdre began her career in Irish International Advertising as a media buyer/planner before moving to Toronto, where she worked in media for ten years. On her return to Ireland in 1998, she joined TV3 and was involved in the set up of the station. Deirdre has been a Director of TAM Ireland since 2008 and has sat on various TAM committees.

David Townend – Head of UK Sales
UTV Ireland has appointed ITV as its sales agent in the UK and David Townend will take on the role of Head of UK Sales for UTV in June. With more than 18 years’ experience in the media sector David previously held the role of Head of UK Sales for TV3 and has worked at ITV in its business development team for a number of years. David will be based in London working closely with the station’s colleagues at ITV.

Mary Curtis was appointed Head of Channel, UTV Ireland last month with responsibility for overseeing all programming content and leading the Irish team in the development of the new channel across all platforms.

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UTV Ireland appoints Mary Curtis as Head of Channel

29 April 2014

Mary Curtis is the new Head of Channel at UTV Ireland with responsibility for overseeing all programming content and leading the Irish team in the development of the new channel across all platforms.

Mary has well-established television credentials and senior management experience most recently as Director of Digital Switchover with additional responsibility for RTE Television's digital strategy. She was previously Deputy Director for Television Programmes, RTE with responsibility for commissioning and programming. As a member of the board of directors of RTE Television, Mary directed the strategic review of RTE’s full portfolio of services in 2013. John McCann, Group Chief Executive of UTV Media plc said: "Mary brings a wealth of Irish television experience to UTV which will be invaluable as we finalise our plans for UTV Ireland. Working closely with Managing Director Michael Wilson, Mary will be responsible for planning the strategic direction of UTV Ireland."

Mary Curtis, Head of Channel, UTV Ireland said: "I’m delighted to be part of this new chapter in Irish television. I look forward to working with the senior management team to deliver a compelling new viewing experience for the audience with UTV Ireland."

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television said: "Mary’s proven expertise across programming, public affairs, broadcasting and digital matters will be vitally important in ensuring UTV Ireland is successfully launched to meet the needs of the Irish audience."

Mary left RTE in September 2013 to set up a consultancy advising state bodies and businesses on public affairs and public information.

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UTV Ireland signs content contract with BAI

27 February 2014

UTV Ireland Limited (UTV) a subsidiary of UTV Media plc has signed a ten year television content provision contract with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), under section 71 of the Irish Broadcasting Act.

UTV Ireland plans to commence broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland in January 2015.

UTV has an agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment, which will give UTV the exclusive broadcasting rights for ITV Studios programmes for the Republic of Ireland audience, including popular soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale from early 2015.

John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said:

"We are delighted to sign today’s contract with the BAI and look forward to bringing Irish viewers a fantastic new TV channel in January 2015. UTV Ireland will follow UTV’s existing winning formula of combining high quality news, current affairs, entertainment and drama. Today’s announcement represents a strong vote of confidence by UTV in Irish broadcasting and our investment in the Irish economy."

Bob Collins, Chairperson, BAI said:

"Today’s contract signing with UTV Ireland Limited is to be welcomed particularly for the additional choice and increased diversity of content that it will offer to Irish viewers. The company is well known to the BAI as a contractor for several radio services operating in the State. The Authority wishes the company every success with its television venture in this jurisdiction."

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television said:

"Our plans for UTV Ireland are now well under way and we look forward to announcing more exciting programming in the coming months. UTV Ireland will create more than 100 new jobs with its offices based in Dublin backed up by additional newsgathering and reporting presence in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick."

The announcement by the BAI is available here

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Broadcasting Authority Of Ireland to enter into content contract with UTV Ireland

6 February 2014

UTV Media plc welcomes today’s announcement by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to enter into negotiations with its subsidiary UTV Ireland Ltd for a television content provision contract, under section 71 of the Irish Broadcasting Act.

UTV Ireland plans to commence broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland in January 2015.

UTV submitted its application to the BAI in November 2013 following the signing of an agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment, which will give UTV the exclusive broadcasting rights for ITV Studios programmes for the Republic of Ireland audience, including popular soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale from early 2015, once appropriate statutory broadcasting licences are in place.

John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said:

"We are delighted by the BAI’s announcement today to enter into negotiations on the terms of our television contract for UTV Ireland.

"The audience in Ireland has known the UTV brand for more than 50 years through our station for Northern Ireland and our market leading Irish radio stations. We look forward to building on that success with the launch of UTV Ireland in January 2015."

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television said:

"As we enter these negotiations, we look forward to bringing Irish viewers a wonderful new viewing experience in January 2015, utilising the existing UTV winning formula of combining high quality news, current affairs, entertainment and drama."

The new channel will be based in Dublin with additional newsgathering and reporting presence in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick.

The contract to be negotiated between the BAI and UTV Ireland Limited is provided for under section 71 of the Irish Broadcasting Act 2009.

The announcement by the BAI is available here

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UTV announces new television channel in Ireland, creating more than 100 new jobs

6 November 2013

UTV Media plc is delighted to announce that its subsidiary UTV Ireland Limited (UTV) plans to launch a new Irish TV channel which will create more than 100 new jobs.

An application to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) for a Content Provision Contract was submitted today (6 November).

This announcement follows the signing of an agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment, which will give UTV the exclusive broadcasting rights for ITV Studios programmes for the Republic of Ireland audience, including popular soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale from early 2015, once appropriate statutory broadcasting licences are in place.

The new channel will be based in Dublin with additional newsgathering and reporting presence in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. UTV plans to have this new channel on air in early 2015.

John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said:

"The audience in Ireland has known the UTV brand for more than 50 years through our station for Northern Ireland and we're delighted to announce our plans for a new dedicated channel for viewers in the Republic of Ireland.

"UTV Media already has a very strong presence in the Republic of Ireland employing more than 300 people in our various businesses including our market leading Irish radio stations. We look forward to building on that success with the launch of a new Irish TV channel.

"After incurring start-up costs in 2014 we expect the new channel to breakeven in its first full year of operation and then move into profit from 2016.

"Today's announcement represents a strong vote of confidence in Irish broadcasting and our investment in the Irish economy."

Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television said:

"UTV was the first commercial TV channel in Ireland when it launched as part of the ITV Network back in 1959 and for many years the only place where you could watch Coronation Street and the hugely popular ITV network programming.

"We intend to introduce UTV Ireland in early 2015 utilising the existing UTV winning formula of combining high quality news, current affairs, entertainment and drama.

"We plan to make this new channel available on as many platforms as possible, subject to contract approval, with a catch up service also available online."

For further information, please email info@u.tv