Virgin Media Television unveils a new season that cuts through the noise with the stories and conversations shaping Ireland today
Broadcasting free-to-air across Ireland and available anytime on Virgin Media PLAY, VMTV's new season combines powerful Irish storytelling, trusted news and current affairs, major sport, returning audience favourites and world-class entertainment.
View our 2026 New Season trailer HERE
Tuesday 18 August 2026: Virgin Media Television (VMTV) today unveiled its new season schedule, bringing viewers exciting original Irish programming, trusted journalism, premium live sport, international drama and returning audience favourites.
From the housing crisis and pressures on the education system to women's health, online abuse and the hidden dangers of life in the digital age, this new season is inspired by the stories, challenges and conversations shaping Ireland today. Fronted by some of the country's most recognisable and trusted faces, these programmes put real people and lived experiences at the centre of the conversation, sitting alongside the must-watch entertainment audiences know and love.
Audiences can look forward to premium drama, live sport, breaking news, returning favourites and some of the biggest television events of the year. Backed by continued investment in the Irish independent production sector and available free and on demand through Virgin Media PLAY, the season showcases the breadth, ambition and quality of content available to viewers across Virgin Media Television.
Commenting on the new season, Anthony Nilan, Director of Programming at Virgin Media Television, said:
“For all the talk of algorithms and endless choice, audiences still want the same thing, programmes worth stopping for. As a national broadcaster, our job is to cut through the doom scrolling and bring together trusted information, unforgettable moments, and brilliant stories that get people talking.
This season delivers exactly that. From homegrown Irish productions to major international hits, breaking news and trying to convince your friends you'd definitely make it into The 1% Club, we've built a schedule packed with the shows you'll recommend, the characters you'll become invested in and the kind of telly obsession that keeps you hitting ‘next episode’.”
Below are some of the highlights from the new season, with the full programme guide to follow in the coming days.
Home Truths, Big Stories & Irish Originals
View our Home Truths trailer HERE
Original Irish programming remains at the heart of the schedule, with a new slate of documentaries, drama, factual entertainment, comedy and reality programmes tackling many of the subjects affecting people across Ireland today.
Home Truths is a powerful new documentary strand featuring trusted and familiar faces from Virgin Media Television sharing the stories behind issues that have shaped their own lives. Drawing on their personal experiences, it offers an honest, authentic and deeply human perspective on topics that matter.
In Crisis in the Classroom, Ireland AM presenter and former Special Needs Assistant Eric Roberts meets families, principals and SNAs across the country to explore the growing pressures facing special needs education in Ireland, and the impact stretched resources and support services are having on children, schools and families.
In Health Hysteria: Are Women Being Gaslit?, broadcaster Katja Mia draws on her personal experience of living with endometriosis as she examines the challenges women face navigating healthcare, misinformation and the search for answers about their health.
The season also examines the impact of life online through two personal documentaries. In Deepfake Ireland, following her own experience of becoming the target of an AI-generated pornographic image, Gráinne Seoige explores the disturbing rise of AI-generated abuse and challenges those in power to act now to protect us and our children. Meanwhile, in Toxic Threads, Brian Dowling Gourounlian explores the realities of online bullying and harassment through the lens of his own experience as the target of online trolling.
A breakout hit in its first season, Brain Doctors: Inside Neurosurgery returns with unprecedented access to Beaumont Hospital's neurosurgery department and the life-changing work carried out every day. Following extraordinary patients, their families and the surgeons entrusted with their care, the series captures the skill, courage and compassion behind some of the country's most complex medical procedures while showcasing the cutting-edge technology transforming modern brain surgery in Ireland.
Continuing Virgin Media Television's investment in original Irish scripted drama, Complicit is a gripping new drama set in a Dublin suburb starring Claire Goose, Moe Dunford and Jason O'Mara, and created by Caroline Carver. Following an unexpected death, Jen Molloy finds herself trapped by a lie that threatens to unravel her life, forcing her to make impossible choices to protect the people she loves.
Returning hit series Help Me Buy a Home continues to explore the harsh realities of navigating Ireland's challenging housing market, with Buyers Agent Liz O'Kane helping house-hunters secure their dream home, while PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey continue their mission to demystify home ownership for a generation struggling to get on the property ladder.
Brand-new Virgin Media Television original format Strangers is the ultimate game of deception, deduction and survival that viewers will have a lot of fun playing along with at home. Contestants must uncover the identities of their fellow players while keeping their own a secret. Alliances will form, secrets will unravel and paranoia will run deep, because the moment your name is revealed, you’re out.
Returning audience favourites Gogglebox Ireland and Living with Lucy are back by popular demand for new seasons. Meanwhile, VMTV’s first vertical drama, designed specifically for smartphone viewing, Zero Focals Given, brings viewers to the chaotic halls of Coláiste Lorcáin, where a surprise Department inspection throws 'Gaeilge-curious' teacher Emma and her colleagues into disarray.
Award-winning comedian Martin Angolo brings viewers on a heartfelt journey in Stand Up If You're Racist as he attempts to stage Ireland's biggest multicultural comedy showcase. With his biggest supporter, mum Maria, and comedy royalty Aisling Bea, Ardal O'Hanlon, Deirdre O'Kane and Paul Tylak on hand with wisdom, encouragement and the occasional reality check, the results are nothing short of hilarious.
Virgin Media News & Current Affairs
At a time when trust, misinformation and public accountability are under increasing scrutiny, Virgin Media News remains committed to agenda-setting journalism and in-depth reporting on the issues that matter to viewers, both in Ireland and around the world.
Week in Review brings viewers the biggest stories of the week each Saturday, while Virgin Media News journalists help audiences recognise and navigate misinformation and disinformation with the Truth Matters strand, across news bulletins at 12.30, 5.30 and 7pm, as well as social media platforms.
The Tonight Show returns with Shane Coleman at the helm, tackling the biggest stories in Irish politics, current affairs and public life every Tuesday and Wednesday night. Monday With Gavan Reilly sees some of the country’s most senior politicians join Gavan to discuss the main political stories of the day.
Colette Fitzpatrick returns with The Big Interview, where she sits down with newsmakers for in-depth, one-on-one conversations where she gets to the story behind the headlines.
Virgin Media News Documentaries investigate the stories and challenges shaping modern Ireland. Policing Dublin City explores growing concerns around public safety in Dublin, examining whether the reality of crime in the capital matches public perception. Through interviews with Gardaí, victims, businesses and community leaders, the documentary investigates the challenges facing the city and what's driving the debate around safety.
Ireland Under Water looks at the increasing threat of flooding across the country due to extreme weather and its impact on businesses and communities across the country, while examining what the future may look like for those on the frontline of climate change.
Thirty years after one of Ireland's most notorious unsolved murders, Sophie Toscan du Plantier: 30 Years revisits the case that continues to captivate Ireland and audiences around the world, exploring the enduring questions, controversies and legacy surrounding the investigation.
Surviving Fred West tells the remarkable story of Dublin born Kathleen Richards, who unknowingly rented a room with her sister from serial killers Fred and Rose West as a teenager, offering a unique and deeply personal perspective on one of Britain's most infamous criminal cases.
Bringing a lighter lens to Irish current affairs, A–Z of the Dáil takes viewers on an entertaining alphabetical journey through the people, moments and controversies that have shaped the recent history of Irish politics.
Binge Worthy Drama & Entertainment
Viewers can look forward to an exciting slate of international drama, factual, and entertainment programming.
From acclaimed writer Danny Brocklehurst (Fool Me Once, Brassic), Adultery is an addictive relationship thriller featuring explosive chemistry between stars Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!, Captain America) and Romola Garai (Atonement, Vigil). Two families are thrown into chaos when a passionate affair between Tom and Beth threatens to unravel both their lives, while their teenage children find themselves drawn together in their own unexpected romance.
Number One Fan stars Jill Halfpenny and Sally Lindsay in a tense psychological thriller about fame, obsession and the dangers of letting the wrong person into your life, as a seemingly devoted admirer begins to infiltrate the world of a beloved TV presenter.
The Dark, a gripping new thriller set in the remote Scottish Highlands, where Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy, played by Laura Donnelly, is drawn into the investigation of a chilling murder that threatens to uncover dark secrets hidden beneath an idyllic landscape.
The Party is an unforgettable psychological thriller based on Elizabeth Day's bestselling novel. Luke Evans stars as Martin Gilmour, whose lifelong friendship with charismatic politician Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Tom Cullen, is shattered when shocking revelations emerge at a lavish birthday party. As a police investigation unfolds, past secrets threaten to destroy lives in this tense and compelling story of loyalty, identity and truth.
Meanwhile, broadcaster Dermot O'Leary celebrates the food, people and places that make Ireland unique in Dermot's Taste of Ireland.
Unmissable Sport, Live on Virgin Media Television
View our Sports Trailer HERE
Virgin Media Television continues to bring viewers some of the biggest sporting moments of the year, live and free-to-air.
Rugby takes centre stage with exclusive live coverage of every game in the Nations Championship, which brings together twelve of the world's leading rugby nations in a major new international competition. Following the opening Southern Hemisphere clashes in July, the action moves to the Northern Hemisphere this November, with Ireland facing Argentina, Fiji and reigning world champions South Africa, at the Aviva Stadium. The Finals Weekend in London will culminate in a 1st v 1st clash between the top-ranked teams from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere to determine the leading rugby nation of the year.
The SSE Airtricity League of Ireland season heads towards a dramatic conclusion, with title races, European qualification places and relegation battles all still to be decided as clubs battle for success in the final weeks of the campaign.
Looking ahead, the UEFA Champions League returns in 2027, bringing Europe's elite clubs back to football's biggest stage, while the UEFA Nations League delivers more top-class international action featuring many of the world's top players.
Virgin Media Television will also bring viewers coverage of some of the biggest events in the horse racing calendar, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders' Cup, while NFL fans can enjoy a live game every Sunday evening throughout the season as well as coverage of one of the biggest events in Sport – The Superbowl.
Returning Daytime
It's an exciting new chapter for The Six O'Clock Show this September as Lottie Ryan takes her seat alongside Brian Dowling Gourounlian. Following the show's milestone tenth anniversary last year, this marks the beginning of a new era for one of Ireland's most-loved evening entertainment programmes. The Six O'Clock Show is Ireland's daily destination for celebrity chat, fun entertainment and feel-good television, bringing viewers closer to the stars and stories everyone is talking about. This season promises even more big-name guests, memorable moments and infectious laughter, with Lottie and Brian lighting up the Six sofa every weeknight from 6pm.
Ireland AM continues to bring the country together each morning with entertainment, news, and an eclectic mix of guests and reporting from all over the country. This new season will see Muireann O'Connell, Tommy Bowe and Alan Hughes live on air from Mondays to Thursdays from 7am, while Deric Hartigan travels the length and breadth of Ireland, uncovering remarkable communities and sharing our untold stories. From Friday to Sunday, Elaine Crowley, Martin King and Eric Roberts continue to bring viewers a weekend show that promises to be an entertaining and informative way to wake up and start the day.
Best of International Entertainment
As always, VMTV will bring viewers the very best in international entertainment, with hit formats including I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, The Voice UK, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, The Graham Norton Show, The Masked Singer UK and The 1% Club. Fans can also stay connected to the much-loved worlds of Coronation Street and Emmerdale, where there's never a shortage of drama.
Images are available here: https://we.tl/t-9qzZbqcAbC9ae2tp
VMTV talent imagery credit to Evan Doherty
Select interview opportunities are available. Please contact katie.genockey@virginmedia.ie for more information.
