(Adds details, background, updates shares)
June 23 (Reuters) - Radio and television broadcaster UTVMedia Plc said it expected a deeper-than-expectedfull-year loss from its new Irish television channel as audiencegrowth stalled, sending its shares down 10 percent.
UTV Media said it expected the channel to incur a loss of11.5 million pounds ($18 million), higher than the 6 millionpounds it had forecast in March.
In May, the company forecast a revenue loss of 2.5 millionpounds.
UTV, which held radio rights to the 2014 FIFA World Cup,cited in March delayed deals with advertisers andslower-than-expected growth in viewership for UTV Ireland, whichwent on air in January.
The company, which went 'on air' as Ulster Television in1959 after Sir Laurence Olivier delivered the first officialbroadcast, said on Tuesday that it had approved an "action plan"to address the audience shortfall.
The broadcaster added that it saw no significant improvementin overall audience levels at UTV Ireland for the second half ofthe year.
UTV Media said in August last year that it expected theoperations to incur a first-year operating loss of between 2million pounds and 3 million pounds, with a move towardsprofitability in the second half of 2015.
Shares in the Belfast-based company were down 10 percent at145 pence at 0207 GMT on the London Stock Exchange.($1 = 0.6356 pounds) (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru, Editing byWilliam Hardy and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
