ITV3

About ITV3

ITV3 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV plc, devoted primarily to repeats of classic and contemporary British drama. Launched in 2004 as the third of ITV's digital spin-off channels, it quickly became the largest digital channel in the country after the five main terrestrial services, and it remains the home of some of the most beloved detective series and soap reruns in British broadcasting — the destination for viewers who want Poirot, Morse and Midsomer Murders any day of the week.

History and Launch

ITV3 was launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9:00 pm, replacing the Granada-owned channel Plus (previously known as G+ and Granada Plus). The closure of Plus had been arranged at the eleventh hour so that ITV could take over its satellite capacity, and the launch itself was something of a damp squib: after weeks of promotion and a giant on-screen countdown, the channel simply faded up an ident and went straight into programming. Nevertheless, the channel's proposition was clear from the start. It would show the best of ITV drama around the clock, complementing the schedules of both ITV1 and ITV2, drawing on the vast archive built up by the various regional companies that ITV plc had acquired over the years.

The launch night featured classic and exclusive ITV dramas alongside US imports and films, with Saturday nights given over to complete one- and two-part dramas such as Henry VIII starring Ray Winstone. The channel also kicked off a Movie Western Season with titles including The Magnificent Seven and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Steve Arnell, the channel's editor at launch, predicted that ITV3 would quickly become a firm favourite with the multichannel viewer — a prediction that proved accurate, as the channel overtook its sister station ITV2 to become the sixth-largest UK television channel by audience share. A one-hour timeshift service, ITV3 +1, launched on 30 October 2006, and a high-definition simulcast, ITV3 HD, launched on 15 November 2010.

Ownership

ITV3 is owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc, the commercial broadcaster that also operates the flagship ITV1 network, ITV2, ITV4 and ITV Quiz. ITV plc was formed in 2004 from the merger of Granada and Carlton, the two largest ITV franchise holders, and the launch of ITV3 was one of the new company's first major acts. The channel sits within ITV's portfolio of wholly owned digital channels, all of which are supported by advertising and by the ITVX streaming platform, where ITV3's output is available live and on demand.

Programming and Flagship Shows

The heart of ITV3's schedule is drama — specifically, sequential reruns of long-running series that viewers return to again and again. The channel is the home of Agatha Christie's Poirot, Classic Coronation Street and Classic Emmerdale, which air in chronological order from their earliest episodes, alongside Heartbeat, Inspector Morse and its successors Lewis and Endeavour, A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders, Doc Martin, Foyle's War and Downton Abbey. American imports have included Kojak, Columbo, Cagney & Lacey, Numb3rs and Law & Order: Trial by Jury, while the channel also shows popular factual programming and films.

ITV3 occasionally screens new and exclusive commissions. Its most prestigious original property was the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards, the glittering celebration of British and international crime fiction and drama that the channel hosted from 2008, presented by Bradley Walsh and forming the centrepiece of a six-week Crime Thriller Club strand of studio-based discussion, quizzes and behind-the-scenes features. The channel is also used as an overflow outlet for ITV's sports coverage when the main channels' schedules are full.

News and Current Affairs

ITV3 does not produce its own news or current affairs programming. National and regional news for ITV's audiences is provided by ITN-produced bulletins on ITV1, and ITV3's remit is entertainment-led. Its factual output is limited to popular factual series and documentaries rather than news or current affairs journalism. Viewers seeking ITV's news output are directed to ITV1, the ITV News website and ITVX.

Audience and Ratings

ITV3 is the sixth-largest UK television channel by audience share and the largest digital channel after the five main terrestrial services, a position it took from its sister station ITV2 shortly after launch. Its audience skews older and more female than the ITV average, drawn by the comfort of familiar, long-running dramas and classic soaps. The channel's sequential reruns of Coronation Street and Emmerdale from their earliest episodes have attracted devoted followings, while its crime drama strands consistently deliver some of the highest ratings of any digital channel in Britain.

Broadcast and Streaming Availability

ITV3 is available free-to-air across the United Kingdom on Freeview (channel 10, with ITV3 +1 on channel 58), Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat, and is also carried in Ireland. The channel streams live on ITVX, ITV's free streaming service, alongside its full portfolio of digital channels, and is available through the Sky Go and Virgin TV Go apps. A high-definition version, ITV3 HD, broadcasts on Sky and Virgin Media, with the standard-definition feed downscaled for other platforms.

Cultural Impact

ITV3's success demonstrated the extraordinary commercial and cultural value of archive television. By treating classic drama as a living schedule rather than a nostalgia ghetto, the channel helped to establish the "comfort viewing" model that now dominates streaming: the idea that audiences will happily rewatch beloved series from the beginning, in order, for years at a time. Its chronological reruns of Coronation Street and Emmerdale have introduced some of Britain's most famous storylines to viewers who were not born when they first aired. The channel also gave a second life to detective series such as Inspector Morse and A Touch of Frost, keeping them in the national conversation long after their original runs ended and paving the way for prequels and revivals.

Sister Channels

ITV3 sits alongside ITV1, the flagship channel; ITV2, aimed at younger viewers; ITV4, the home of sport, cult films and action programming; and ITV Quiz, the dedicated gameshow channel launched in 2025. Each channel has a distinct identity within the ITV family: where ITV2 chases the 16 to 34 audience and ITV4 targets men with sport and action, ITV3 is the drama specialist, trading on the depth of the ITV archive. All of the channels are available through ITVX, and the portfolio is rounded out by the ITV1 +1 and HD variants and the ITVX streaming exclusives.

Recent Developments

ITV3 marked its tenth anniversary in November 2014 with a weekend of its most popular dramas, including Marple, Endeavour, Inspector Morse, Lewis, A Touch of Frost, Doc Martin, Foyle's War and Midsomer Murders. In 2022 the channel adopted a refreshed on-screen identity as part of a wider rebrand of ITV's channels, and it continues to be one of the cornerstones of the ITVX streaming service, where its archive box sets sit alongside new ITV commissions. The channel's enduring popularity has made it a key asset for ITV plc as the broadcaster navigates the shift from linear viewing to streaming, with its library of classic drama among the most valuable content on ITVX.

ITV3's story also illustrates the changing economics of British multichannel television. Its success was built on a simple insight: that the ITV archive, assembled over half a century of regional production, was an asset of enormous and under-exploited value. Where earlier archive channels had treated old programmes as filler, ITV3 gave them the presentation, promotion and scheduling discipline of a mainstream channel, and audiences responded in their millions. That model has since been copied across the industry, but ITV3 remains its most successful British exponent, a channel that turned yesterday's television into one of today's most-watched services.