ITV3

ITV3 was launched on the terrestrial (Freeview), cable (NTL and Telewest), broadband (HomeChoice) and digital satellite (Sky) on 1 November 2004 at 9:00pm, with the UKTV premiere of Ian Rankin's Rebus. It is also available on TalkTalk TV IPTV and Freesat.

ITV3 was originally conceived as 'ITV Gold', when ITV was looking to maximise their multichannel presence due to the growth of digital TV and the Freeview platform, but was faced with lack of space on the Sky platform due to technical limitations and the rights to certain ITV programmes being held by GSkyB, a joint venture run by ITV and Sky which operated a suite of pay TV channels. ITV took full control of Granada Sky Broadcasting, and ceased broadcasting the Granada Plus channel, thereby allowing ITV3 to take the channel number, bandwidth, and programme rights, meaning all platforms could receive the channel from launch. ITV3 was also the only channel in the ITV brand not to simulcast CITV breakfast, until ITV launched two channels in 2014, ITVBe and ITV Encore.

On 10 October 2006, ITV announced to launch a one-hour timeshift service of ITV3, titled ITV3 +1. The channel launched on 30 October 2006 along with ITV2 +1.^[2]

The channel had been available from launch on UPC Ireland, but was withdrawn on 22 March 2006. This is believed^{[by whom?]} to have been at the request of ITV plc, which had previously barred Irish newspapers from publishing details of ITV channels and regions other than UTV and Men & Motors. The channel had already been (and remains) available to Irish viewers on free-to-air satellite for some time, however it has not been listed in the Sky electronic programme guide since its removal on 25 January 2006. ITV3 returned to UPC Ireland in the Republic of Ireland on 4 January 2010.

As Freeview announced plans for a retune on 30 September 2009, ITV3 moved to an alternative multiplex. Viewers in areas that have completed switchover who receive their signal from a local relay transmitter not carrying the commercial multiplexes were no longer be able to receive ITV3.^[3] It was moved back on 28 March 2018.

On 1 April 2011, ITV3 was removed from UPC Ireland along with ITV2 and ITV4 due to the expiry of a carriage agreement between UPC and ITV.^[4] UPC Ireland claim that ITV is not in a position to renegotiate the deal because ITV had struck a deal with another channel provider to provide it with exclusive rights to air certain content from the channels. Conversely, UPC Ireland also claims to have been in discussions right up to the last moment in order to continue broadcasting the channels.^[5] ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 were restored to the UPC Ireland line-up on 20 December 2011. TV3 and its sister channel 3e already hold carriage agreement to air certain ITV content within the Republic of Ireland,^[6] alternatively UTV is available within the Republic. ITV2 is available along with ITV3 and ITV4 within Switzerland, all three channels are available on SwisscomTV and UPC Cablecom.^[7] ITV3 is registered to broadcast within the European Union/EEA through ALIA in Luxembourg.^[8][9]

It was announced by ITV on 20 September 2017 that reruns of classic episodes of Coronation Street will air twice on weekdays.^[10] The repeat run began on 2 October 2017 with the episodes originally broadcast on 15 and 20 January 1986. The episodes air from 2:40 pm on weekday afternoons and are repeated at 6:00 am the following day (except Friday's episodes, which are repeated on the following Monday).

To mark the 60th Anniversary of Coronation Street between 7 and 11 December 2020 at 10:00 pm – 11:05 pm ITV3 re-aired special episodes of the soap including: Episode 1 (Coronation Street), the tenth anniversary episode from December 1970, two episodes from the twentieth anniversary in December 1980, two episodes from the thirtieth anniversary in December 1990, the Coronation Street Live (2000 episode) from the fortieth anniversary in December 2000, and the fiftieth-anniversary episode Coronation Street Live (2010 episode) which was re-transmitted after a repeat of The Road to Coronation Street.^[11]

On 18 April 2022 Easter Monday, at 10:25 am until 2:35 pm. Eight special Coronation Street episodes featuring Ken Barlow, were shown to mark the upcoming 90th birthday of William Roache. The episodes shown were ''Episode 1 from December 1960, Ken and Deirdre Tie the Knot from July 1981, Ken's Affair from December 1989, Deirdre's Fling from January 2003, Steve and Karen's Wedding Shocker from February 2004, Ken and Deirdre's Second Wedding from April 2005. Ken and Deirdre's Holiday from August 2014, and Deirdre's Death from July 2015.^[12]

It was announced by ITV on 5 January 2019 that reruns of classic episodes of Emmerdale will air twice on weekdays. Two classic episodes were retransmitted between Mondays to Fridays at 1:45 pm until 2:40 pm from 21 January 2019. They are repeated at 7:00 am the following day (except Friday's episodes, which are repeated on the following Monday) The reruns began with episode 1403 (originally shown on 14 November 1989) which was when the title changed from Emmerdale Farm to Emmerdale.^[13]

To mark the 50th Anniversary of Emmerdale between 17 and 21 October 2022 at 10:00 pm – 12:05 am ITV3 re-aired special episodes of the soap including: Episode 1 from October 1972, The Train Crash resulting in the deaths of the Skilbeck twins from January 1976, The two episodes of The Mine Explosion from March 1978, Pat Sugden is killed in a car crash from August 1986. The Crossgill Fire and aftermath of Annie Sugden's rescue from May 1988. The Plane Crash episodes from December 1993. Biff and Linda Fowler's Wedding and the following episode resulting in The Death of Dave Glover from December 1996. The New Year Storm resulting in The Woolpack collapsing on Tricia Dingle from January 2004, Zoe Tate's exit and Home Farm is blown up from September 2005. The 40th Anniversary Live Episode from October 2012. Ending with the episodes Debbie and Pete Barton's Wedding, The Helicopter Crash and Death of Val Pollard from August 2015.^[14]

On 19 September 2022, ITV3 and other ITV digital channels simulcast ITV's coverage of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey. ITV3 subsequently simulcast ITV1's airing of the King's Speech and the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 25 December 2022 & 6 May 2023 respectively in sign language.

On 7 October 2022, the ITV3 Facebook account was replaced by a new ITVX Facebook page.

The ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards were first held on 3 October 2008, and were broadcast on ITV3 three days later. ITV3 controller Emma Tennant devised the awards to "cement ITV3's reputation as the home of great storytelling and, in particular, great crime thrillers".^[15] In 2009, the awards were merged with the Crime Writers' Association Daggers.

ITV launched a one-hour timeshift channel of ITV3 on Monday 30 October 2006, it was allocated channel number 213. The channel number was moved a few years later.^[16] ITV2 +1 was launched on the same day.^[17]

This channel is often unable to broadcast certain programmes "for legal reasons", but the programme in question might still be listed on the EPG. The channel launched on Freeview on 15 October 2013 using downtime from ITV-owned shopping channel The Store. Initially on Freeview, ITV3 +1 broadcast from 1am till 6am – these hours were extended and brought forward in February 2014, now airing from 6pm till midnight in the higher EPG slot of channel 34. On 25 August 2015, ITV3 +1 extended its hours on Freeview to 6pm till 6am and then in March 2016 it went back to closing at midnight. On 26 September 2018. To coincide with CITV broadcasting until 9pm on Freeview. ITV3 +1 started to broadcast on Freeview from 9pm - 12am. In 2020. To coincide the launch of new channel Merit, ITV3 +1 moved to channel 58 on Freeview swapping with ITVBe +1 which moved to channel 97. Since 30 November 2023, ITV3 +1 cut broadcasting hours to 2 hours each night from 4am - 6am, after ITV cleared a Freeview slot.^[18]

A high-definition simulcast of ITV3, ITV3 HD, was launched on 15 November 2010 alongside the sister channel, ITV4 HD on Sky.^[19][20] The channel was initially available through Sky's pay subscription service in a non-exclusive deal,^[21][22] before being added to Virgin Media's service on 14 March 2013.^[23] ITV3 HD offers most of the ITV3 catalogue of recent drama in high definition, including Lewis, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Marple and factual series such as Joanna Lumley's Nile and Martin Clunes' Islands of Britain.

On 1 November 2022, in the lead up to the launch of ITVX and as part of the 18th anniversary of ITV3 and 17th anniversary of ITV4, the encryption was dropped on ITV3 HD at around 11 am that day and so became free to air.^[24] Later that day, Freesat data had been added to ITV3 HD, indicating that the channel will be made available on Freesat soon. On 8 November 2022 the HD version replaced the SD version on Freesat channel 115.

In line with the corporate rebranding of ITV, ITV3 received a new look on 14 January 2013. The channel was described as the "keeper of ITV's treasured and timeless drama", with a new "midnight blue" logo and idents that feature stories told in shadow-puppet style animation inside glass bell jars.^[25]

In line with the launch of the streaming service ITVX, ITV3 received another new look on 15 November 2022. The logo is now coloured purple and uses idents that are cross-used across ITV1, ITV2, ITV4, and ITVBe with different views which reflect the channel's image and programming output.

The channel is mainly aimed at the over-35 audience, and its output consists of reruns of older ITV drama series, soap operas and sitcoms. The channel also broadcasts documentaries including programmes from Martin Clunes, Paul O'Grady and Food Travel show, World Kitchen. Between 2008 and 2012 in the daytime. ITV3 broadcast repeats of reality programmes which were originally broadcast on ITV1. The channel broadcast Daily Cooks Challenge in the afternoons between 2008-2012. ITV3 also broadcast Dickinson’s Real Deal between 2009-2012 at the same time although in late September and in November 2011, it was broadcast early in the morning and in July 2012, 2 episodes were broadcast back to back in the afternoon on Sunday. In 2012 ITV3 broadcast both Countrywise and Countrywise Kitchen but it was only in January and April.

During the 2007 Rugby World Cup, ITV3 broadcast some of the matches while ITV1 and ITV4 were showing live European football matches which were being played at the same time and in the days when ITV4 was an evenings-only service, ITV3 broadcast live weekend coverage of the Tour de France as well as the British Touring Car Championship, and more recently, the ITV Racing.^[26] In 2021, ITV3 broadcast the French Open Tennis while ITV4 shown British Touring Car Championship and while ITV4 shows EFL Highlights. ITV3 broadcasts some of ITV’s Snooker and Darts coverage.

The following is a list of the ten most watched broadcasts on ITV3 since launch, based on Live +7 data supplied by BARB.^[27]

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  First logo used from 1 November 2004 to 15 January 2006
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  Second logo used from 16 January 2006 to 13 January 2013
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  Third logo used from 14 January 2013 to 14 November 2022

• ITV3 at itv.com