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UTV to launch Munster media platform
Tuesday, April 17 2001
by Mary O'Neill


Ulster Television is to launch an Internet site, which will primarily be directed
towards people living in the Munster region. 

The site, which will be accessible by early summer, is part of the company's
strategy of expanding its services across a multi-media platform in Ireland. The
company has not yet decided on a brand name, although it is thought it will have
a local theme. 

The site will cover regional, national and international news. UTV also plans to
include on it a facility through which people can listen on-line to its recently
acquired local radio stations, Cork 96FM, 103FM and 103FM, West Cork. The company
has acquired a 60 percent stake in these stations, at a cost of IEP5.8 million,
which are operated by County Media Ltd. 

"We are very excited about the potential for radio and Internet to come
together. We hope that in the near future we can stream the County Media stations
through the Internet," Jim Downey, finance director, UTV told ElectricNews.Net.

Although the company is anxious to develop all its media platform, current
ownership laws in both the North and the Republic of Ireland restrict this to a
certain degree. 

"Because of our dominant interest in TV, we don't have a lot of scope for
development in Northern Ireland, but we see County Media as the first step
towards developing an Internet platform in Munster," Downey said. 

In March 2000, UTV acquired Direct Net Access Ltd., which was re-launched as UTV
Internet on 01 June 2000. The re-branding was supported by a major advertising
campaign, which caused financial loss for the company during the period. 

However the company is now confident that it is on target to reach its aim of
60,000 users of its Internet site, www.utvinternet.com by the summer.