Entertainment Interactive » on demand

Virgin Media signs deal with NBC Universal

Paul — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:57:48 +0000

Virgin Media customers will soon have access to an array of NBC programmes on demand.

An official press release from Virgin Media says:

“Virgin Media today announced a deal with NBC Universal International Television Distribution for the video-on-demand rights in the UK to a broad selection of NBC Universal series. Under the terms of the agreement, these titles will be offered as new content across Virgin Media’s three entertainment platforms; TV, online and mobile. From the 1st December Virgin Media customers will be able to access past seasons of great shows such as House, Heroes, The Office (U.S.) and 30 Rock, whether in HD at home through its TV On Demand service or via its online and mobile ‘Virgin Media Player’ services”.

Click here to read the Virgin Media press release in full.

Comedy Central HD now on Virgin

Paul — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:23:04 +0000

Comedy Central HD is now available on Virgin Media channel 133.

Some Comedy Central HD content will be available On Demand as well.

The channel launched on Sky last month.

Virgin Media changes coming 1st & 2nd April

Paul — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:05:14 +0000

The following changes will take place on Virgin Media on the 1st April:

E4 HD will launch on channel 145 (certain areas only)
Sci-Fi HD will launch on channel 165 (certain areas only)
Diva TV +1 will be removed from channel 165
Sci-Fi +1 will launch on channel 166
Discovery HD will launch on channel 214 (certain areas only)
GOD will launch on channel 279 (to replace God Europe)
Eurosport HD will launch on channel 522 (certain areas only)

The following changes will take place on Virgin Media on the 2nd April:

ITV1 HD will launch on channel 113 (certain areas only)
ITV Player (on demand) will start showing HD programmes

Sci-Fi & Fantasy in On Demand

Paul — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:13:06 +0000

A new Sci-Fi & Fantasy section has been added to Virgin TV’s On Demand service. It’s available in TV Choice On Demand and features shows such as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Star Trek and Babylon 5. In February, some Sci-Fi shows will be available for free via the Virgin Central channel.

Setanta Replay added to On Demand

Paul — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:49:33 +0000

Setanta’s catchup service known as Setanta Replay has been added to Virgin TV’s On Demand service from today. The press release on the official Virgin Media website says “the launch of Setanta Replay on Virgin Media offers a range of sports content, including the latest Barclays Premier League games, FA Cup matches, England home friendlies and World Cup qualifiers and means Virgin Media customers will never have to miss the big match again”. Content will be available for up to 7 days after the live broadcasts.

With regards to costs, the press release states “all customers on ‘XL’ TV package will have access to Setanta Replay at no additional cost. Customers on ‘M’ or ‘L’ TV packages can subscribe to TV Choice and get a whole range of on demand content, including Setanta Replay, for just £7 per month”.

Read the press release in full.

ITV Player coming to Virgin TV On Demand

Paul — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:37:10 +0000

ITV’s catch up TV service ITV Player is launching on Virgin Media soon, it has been announced. Virgin Media has reached a deal with ITV to offer the service on its TV service. A press release on Virgin Media’s website today says “the agreement will give ITV its largest ever potential on demand audience, with Virgin Media’s 3.5 million TV customers able to view over 40 hours of top quality programming from ITV1, 2, 3 and 4 each week”. Programmes will be available on Virgin Media’s Catch Up TV On Demand service for seven days after they’re broadcast.

There’ll also be a catalogue of old programmes available in Virgin Media’s TV Choice On Demand section – Virgin Media says “viewers will also be able to choose from 500 hours of award-winning ITV comedies, documentaries and dramas, all ready to watch at any time on demand”. The press release says a selection of high definition programmes will also be available On Demand.

Click here to read the Virgin Media press release in full.

FX content now available On Demand

Paul — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:13:40 +0000

FX programming is now available On Demand on Virgin TV. Programmes include Dexter and Sleeper Cell.

BBC iPlayer is now integrated into the On Demand menus

Paul — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:27:56 +0000

BBC iPlayer is now integrated into the Virgin Media On Demand menus. All BBC programmes On Demand now use the iPlayer versions of recordings. If you go to All Channels in the Catch Up TV section and choose iPlayer it just loads the red button version of the BBC iPlayer. If you go to All Days in Catch Up TV it will show up using the same Virgin Media menus as the other content but will still use the iPlayer versions of the programmes. In other iPlayer news, it’s now thought the previously-planned BBC iPlayer channel on the EPG has been postponed – possibly indefinitely.

BBC iPlayer channel launching next week

Paul — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:02:47 +0000

The ‘soft launch’ of BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media happened a few weeks ago with it being available through the red button from any on-air BBC channel. From next week a BBC iPlayer channel will be added to the Virgin Media EPG. The news comes from an official Virgin Media press release (click here). The BBC iPlayer service will be fully integrated into the On Demand menus (like Catch Up TV) in a few months (the exact date is not yet confirmed).

BBC iPlayer confirmed for May launch on Virgin TV

Paul — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:37:07 +0000

BBC iPlayer will now be launching in May according to an official page on the Virgin Media website. It says “from May you can tune to any BBC TV channel and press the red button on your Virgin Media remote to watch the best BBC programmes from the last 7 days” and we’ll be able to “choose from over 250 hours of BBC TV, selected and saved from the last 7 days”. To begin with, it says the service will be available via the red button from any BBC channel, and it will be added to Catch Up TV On Demand “soon after it launches through the red button”. There will be a lot more content available – Virgin Media say “there’s about 50 hours of BBC shows in Catch Up TV on demand right now. When iPlayer launches in Catch Up TV on demand the BBC folder will be renamed BBC iPlayer and instead of having 50 hours of BBC shows to watch there will be over 250 hours”. Read more on the official Virgin Media website.

BBC iPlayer coming to Virgin Media this week?

Paul — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:09:33 +0000

It has previously been reported that BBC iPlayer – the On Demand service from the BBC – will be launching on Virgin Media TV very soon. The latest rumoured launch date for BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media is the 10th April (this Thursday). Watch this space.

‘Five’ On Demand Soon?

Paul — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:59:41 +0000

An article on Brand Republic says “Broadcaster Five is to relaunch its video-on-demand service Five Download as a mixed paid-for and free ad-supported service within two months” and “discussions are underway between Five and BT Vision, Tiscali and Virgin Media”. Watch this space – it’s not 100& clear whether this will be available on Virgin TV or via the Virgin website, if the discussions are successful between Five and Virgin Media. If you’re a Brand Republic member, you can read the rest of the article here.

BBC iPlayer launching on Virgin Media ‘next month’

Paul — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:21:47 +0000

Media news website Digital Spy are reporting BBC iPlayer will be “on Virgin Media next month” – the service wil be available via the red button from all BBC channels. The service will be similar to the current BBC offerings available on Catch Up TV On Demand at the moment, but will include a broader range of BBC programmes, and BBC Radio catchups are also thought to be available on the service. The iPlayer service will also be launching on the iPhone and iTouch. Click here for full details of the latest iPlayer developments.