TV3 has announced that it has successfully renewed the exclusive rights to continue airing FremantleMedia productions including ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ to the start of 2016 – with the option to renew to the end of that year. In addition, TV3 confirmed it has secured the rights to ‘Downton Abbey’ for the life of the series.
The announcement follows the news that UTV’s new Republic of Ireland channel, set to air in 2015, has negotiated broadcasting rights to some of TV3’s most popular ITV imports including ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘Emmerdale’.
Other FremantleMedia programmes covered by the TV3 deal - which lasts until at least the start of 2016 - includes ‘Family Fortunes’, ‘Take Me Out’, ‘X Factor US’, ‘American Idol’, ‘America’s Got Talent’ and a new series of ‘Through the Keyhole’.
TV3 Group Director of Content Jeff Ford expressed his delight at the contract renewal during a presentation to the Irish advertising industry in TV’s Sony HD Studio in Ballymount this week.
‘Both ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ are huge ratings winners for TV3 so it is a fantastic result for us to secure the rights to these family oriented shows. They play a very important part in complementing the rest of the TV3 programming schedule,’ he said.
The TV3 deal was brokered with FremantleMedia’s Senior Vice President of Sales for Ireland, UK and Scandinavia, Justin Hatfield.
