Virgin Media Play (formerly 3Player, then Virgin Media Player) is a
live streaming
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
and
on demand video service available in Ireland,
provided by
Virgin Media Television (formerly TV3 Group), a subsidiary of
Virgin Media Ireland, for programmes broadcast on the company's television channels (
Virgin Media One,
Virgin Media Two,
Virgin Media Three
Virgin Media Three, also called Virgin Three, is an Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Television.
The channel was first launched by Northern Irish broadcaster UTV Media on 1 January 2015 as UTV Ireland; it primari ...
and
Virgin Media Four).
[ Retrieved 29 July 2013]
The service was launched on Saturday 8 October 2011. as 3Player replacing TV3 Catch Up service. On 30 August 2018, as a part of a corporate-wide rebrand of the TV3 Group as Virgin Media Television, the service was rebranded as Virgin Media Player.
The streaming service was relaunched and renamed as "Virgin Media Play" in August 2024, as part of a wider rebrand for the TV network.
Content
Virgin Media Play is a largely a free online catch-up service which lets viewers watch a variety of programmes for up to 28 days after they are broadcast on Virgin Media Television branded channels. Most programmes are available for 28 days from the day they were broadcast.
[ Due to programme rights however other programmes, mainly ITV productions are only available for 90 days. The majority of TV3 and 3e's broadcasts are available on the service. Both channels are also available live as they broadcast on this service.
As of May 2013, Virgin Media Player users are now asked to register their details. 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.
]
Format
The service utilises HTML5. This allows viewers to access the service regardless of their operating system.[
]
Availability
The service is available to those resident in the Republic of Ireland. The service is available on PCs and Mac format desktop and laptop devices. It is also available via Sony Bravia internet enabled TVs and certain Sony Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
players. It became available on PS3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
on 22 December 2011.
3player was made available to UPC Ireland customers through their televisions from 25 May 2012.
3player is available to Sky+HD Customers that are connected to On Demand with a broadband connection since 15 January 2014.
3player was released on the Xbox 360 on 2 April 2014 and Xbox One on 24 February 2015
References
External links
*
{{VOD services
2010s in Irish television
2011 establishments in Ireland
Video on demand services
Virgin Media Television (Ireland)