TV3 CLAIMS its website regularly scores half a million unique visitors a month since it launched its catch-up TV service in October 2008, and has enjoyed 293 per cent growth in the number of hits.

Nearly 30 of the channel’s regular programmes can be replayed on the site, including ratings winners such as The X Factor, Coronation Street and its version of The Apprentice.

Peter Clerkin, head of online at TV3, said the success of the website was down to a combination of strong programming and a compelling user experience. “When we planned the site, we wanted to bring our TV shows to the forefront of the design and went for a high-impact first page that was as visually pleasing as possible.”

The home page uses a rotating “carousel” that showcases key content in a fixed promotional space. Users simply click on a drop-down bar to watch the programme they want. There are sub sections to explore more choices, view clips or read other content.

Programmes can be viewed online for either seven or 21 days after the terrestrial transmission, depending on broadcasts rights. The X Factor final, for example, can be seen for seven days, while home grown programmes such as Xposé are available for 21.

All of this activity is part of a concerted effort by Ireland’s independent channel to respond to the blurring of boundaries between TV and web-based entertainment.

Clerkin was head of creative services at AOL Time Warner before joining TV3 last year where he heads up a team of 10 people responsible for developing the channel’s online presence.

They have worked closely with DV4, an Irish web development company that helped build the web streaming infrastructure, the Flash video player and the content management system at the heart of the click-and-play service.

For physical infrastructure, TV3 uses the Hosting365 data centre.

“Eighty per cent of the site content is video so we needed a robust infrastructure,” Clerkin said. “After a programme is aired, we encode it in Flash then upload it to a server in the data centre. When the viewer clicks on it at the website, the programme is pulled from the content management system and runs on the player.”

A 1MBit/sec broadband connection was the minimum requirement for users to receive a watchable video stream, he said.