TV3 Group is encouraging users of its 3player catch-up service to register as part of a push to gather more information on its online audience. The change is part of a broader reconfiguration of its website that sees the introduction of new hourly online news bulletins from today.

Registered 3player users will be able to create playlists of their favourite shows and use their logins to pick up where they left off across all devices.

The media group previously flirted with the advertiser-friendly login system by offering an episode of Tallafornia ahead of its broadcast for a charge of €1.49. That offer attracted 6,000 registrations in December, according to Jill O'Brien, head of digital for TV3. She said the group would run further paid subscription offers.

The registration model appeals to advertisers because it allows them to more easily target viewers based on their demographic information as well as their viewing tastes.

As part of the overhaul, presenter Colette Fitzpatrick will deliver the news updates, which will be accompanied on TV3.ie/ news by a Twitter stream of content from TV3 news correspondents and its affiliate news providers.