TV3 says it has secured television rights to continue broadcasting The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent for a further three years.

The move follows news that UTV plans to launch a new Irish television channel with ITV content.

The TV3 deal is with FremantleMedia. Shows like X Factor US, Family Fortunes and Take Me Out, as well as a brand new series of Through the Keyhole all fall under the FremantleMedia umbrella.      

Jeff Ford, TV3 Group Director of Content said "Both The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are huge ratings winners for TV3 so it is a fantastic result for us to secure the rights to these family-oriented shows. They play a very important part in complementing the rest of the TV3 programming schedule.”

As well as announcing the renewal of its successful partnership with FremantleMedia, TV3 also confirmed that it has secured the rights to Downton Abbey which is distributed by NBC/Universal, for the life of series.

Meanwhile, UTV is applying for a licence to launch the new Irish TV channel, creating 100 new jobs. 70 of the positions will be in Dublin and 30 will be located around the rest of the country.