Virgin Media saw Irish revenues rise 8% in 2018

Broadcaster will preview spring schedule for its three Irish television channels

Virgin Media Television’s Gogglebox Ireland is one of the broadcaster’s biggest hits.
Virgin Media Television’s Gogglebox Ireland is one of the broadcaster’s biggest hits.

Virgin Media saw its revenue from the Irish market rise to £392.7 million (€462 million) in 2018, up almost 8 per cent from £364.7 million the previous year, according to accounts for Virgin Media Finance.

The Irish market generates about an eighth of the company’s revenues, the documents show, with the rest coming from the UK.

The accounts for Virgin Media Finance say a 16 per cent rise in its “other” revenue category in 2018 was “largely due” to a rise in Irish broadcasting revenue that year, the first in which it had the rights for the Six Nations rugby tournament.

The company is owned by Liberty Global, which is controlled by US billionaire John Malone. It derives most of its revenue from its cable broadband, pay-TV, telephone and mobile services, while since 2015 it has also earned advertising revenue through ownership of the former TV3 Group, now known as Virgin Media Television.

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The broadcaster, which operates three linear television channels from its base in Ballymount, will brief advertisers, agencies and journalists on its forthcoming schedule in Dublin on Thursday.

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery is an Irish Times journalist writing about media, advertising and other business topics