Aertv.ie lets Irish viewers watch free live TV online


6 Oct 2011

New Irish TV service Aertv.ie has launched, which offers users the ability to watch live TV online on a PC, smartphone or tablet. It is also launching an Irish live music channel.

The service was formerly known as Magnet WebTV. It’s now registration-free, with a simpler interface.

Users with an internet connection and either a PC, smartphone or tablet can access the service. Its free channels include RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TV3, TG4, 3E, RTÉ One + 1, RTÉ News Now, RTÉ jr, France 25, Russia Today and Dáil Eireann.

Aertv.ie will also broadcast Ireland’s first live music channel, Aertv Music. Its first live event broadcast will happen tonight, which will show ‘Hard Working Class Heroes’, an independent showcase festival for Irish bands and musicians.

Selected gigs from the more than 100 bands playing in the three-day music event will be shown on Aertv Music. Coverage begins tonight from the Grand Social at 7pm.

Aertv.ie has also integrated Twitter and Facebook into the service, letting users share their favourite events and TV shows as they air.

Aertv.ie is a division of Magnet Networks. Magnet broadband customers can upgrade this service for €3.99 a month for an extra 16 channels on top of its free offerings.

“This is a great service and long overdue,” said Aertv’s director Philippe Brodeur.

“Finally, people can watch all the main Irish TV channels live on their mobiles, tablets and PCs for free and without even having to log in,” said Brodeur.

“More and more of us are watching content online on our own terms, and Aertv.ie is addressing that,” said Mark Kellett, CEO of Magnet.

“We’ve built on what worked with Magnet WebTV to make a good service even better. Eleven free channels and live event broadcasts are just the beginning,” he said.