Budapesti Kommunikációs Rt., which operated TV3, was founded in 1993 by the Municipality of Budapest at the time of the "media war" in the early 1990s at the initiative of the assembly of the parties SZDSZ and Fidesz. The first experimental release took place in December 1993. Following the elections in 1994, the former opposition lost its interest in the channel, but the company's executives, András Feuer raised their capital and prepared for regular broadcasting. Permanent broadcasting was started by TV3 on November 5, 1994, as a private company. The channel was distributed via satellite and the AM-Mikro system in Budapest, which reached almost 60% of the Hungarian households. It was the first nationwide distributed channel.
Change of owner, renewed TV3 (1997–2000)
According to the 1996 Media Act, three applications for the national analogue terrestrial frequencies were launched - Central European Media Enterprises, RTL Group and SBS Broadcasting Group - for the two concessions. Írisz TV applied for both frequencies but lost the application. However, RTL Group won with a higher amount than the TV3 bid, so the tender was not to be won. Central European Media Enterprises has filed a lawsuit that has been delayed until 2000. Following the unsuccessful bid to use a prepaid program package in the hope of winning the concession tender, the company operating TV3, was purchased in 1997 by CME, Lauder Group and the former US Ambassador in Budapest, Mark Palmer.
The end
In 2000, Budapesti Kommunikációs Rt. and its rights were purchased by SBS Broadcasting Group. With this, the operation of TV3 at the same time ended. The rumor of the end of the channel was announced by programmer Michael Hardyin the news program Hír3. The broadcast of TV3 ended right after the release of the news programHír3.
Name disputes
In 2007, when TV2 and RTL Klub celebrated its 10th birthday, the old TV3 team organized a meeting at the former Hűvösvölgyi Road headquarters. Viasat 3 was launched on 14 October 2000. Viasat's channel was run under the name TV3 in many countries, but this was not the case here. They have repeatedly attempted to acquire the rights, but ultimately their attempts were unsuccessful, and finally the name of Viasat's TV6 channel was changed to Viasat 6 in February 2011. On 1 January 2010 FEM3 began broadcasting a channel for women. The channel was originally called TV3, but changed its name before leaving, probably due to legal disputes.
