Why choose Virgin Media TV?
Virgin Media has always been the main contender to Sky's crown as the premier TV subscription provider, offering TV bundles packed with channels and an array of extras. Let's take a closer look at some of the unique features that make Virgin Media TV a desirable choice.
- Simplified, flexible TV packages with optional extras
- Access to the fastest broadband in the UK
- Virgin 360 box is one of the best in the business
- Watch 4K and HD content at no extra cost
- Watch on mobile and tablet with Virgin TV Go App
- Add TNT Sports (formerly known as BT Sport), Sky Sports and Sky Cinema
- Get Virgin Box Sets and Movies on demand
- Quickstart self-install available
Simplified, flexible TV packages with optional extras
Virgin Media has long been known for offering an bewildering range of bundles, including various broadband speeds, TV services, home phone and more recently, in some cases the addition of an O2 SIM card. And, while they have recently slimmed down their range somewhat, there is still a great spread to choose from. They also make regular changes to what's included too, so, for example, the broadband speed offered can sometimes jump from day to day. Unfortunately they no longer offer customers the option of just taking their TV services. It's a bundle, or nothing.
Their basic package is called the Big Bundle and it comes with over 100 free-to-air channels and Virgin's fibre broadband, as well as a phone line with free weekend calls, although you can choose to have a package without a phone line if you wish.
If you want more than the basic free-to-air channels and don't think the broadband they're including is fast enough, you can add extra speed or extra channels if you wish – choose up to 1,130Mbps and a range of channel packs, including TNT Sports (which you may know by it's previous name, BT Sport), Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, Kids TV, Asian Mela and more.
However, it may be a better option to just choose one of their other, more up-market pre-packed bundles, such as the Bigger Combo Bundle + Movies, for example, which usually comes with faster broadband and includes the Sky Cinema channels.
Virgin also offers what it calls 'Volt' bundles, which, in addition to TV, broadband and phone, also come with a choice of O2 SIM deals, giving you the full telecoms package – what’s known in the industry as 'quad-play'. Its recently renamed Mega Volt Bundle, comes with just about every possible channel available, as well as M500 broadband (at the time of writing), a landline (with free calls to landline and mobile numbers at any time), and an unlimited data,calls and texts O2 SIM card.
Access to the fastest broadband in the UK
Virgin Media currently offers the fastest widely available broadband in the UK with top speeds up to an incredible 2Gbps. Although the likes of Sky and BT now offer much faster download speeds than they used to (up to about 900Mbps), those services aren't currently as widely available. That's because they utilise the Openreach FTTP network which is still rolling out and can't yet match the reach of Virgin Media.
Virgin 360 Box is one of the best in the business
Virgin's 360 TV box is a serious rival to the Sky Q box, and, justifiably, has received rave reviews since it was launched. So, what's so special about it? Well, it's free for a start for all Virgin Media TV customers. It has a huge 1TB of storage capacity, which caters for up to 500 hours of recordings for SD programmes and 100 hours for HD.
The 360 box comes with a new remote that has voice search and control functionality, meaning not only can you use voice commands to search for programmes, you can also use it to pause, forward and rewind whatever you are watching. Virgin’s new TV guide is easy to navigate, and every member of your household can set up their own profile, which means no one needs to lose their place in their favourite TV series.
Read more about the Virgin 360 Box
Watch 4K content at no extra cost
Virgin's 360 box is also 4K-ready so you can watch 4K content on it right from the off provided you also have a 4K TV.
Watch on mobile and tablet with Virgin TV Go App
Your subscription will allow you to use the Virgin TV Go app, which is Virgin Media's answer to the Sky Go app. You can use it on iOS or Android phones and tablets as well as on any laptop or computer. It offers complete access to more than 100 TV channels (according to your subscription), both live or on catch-up. Although, regardless of your package, you'll now have to pay extra to view TNT Sports channels. The app even allows you to download programmes to your device while you're at home or on wi-fi so you can watch them when you're out and about without worrying about data limits.
You can install Virgin TV Go on up to five devices and watch it on any two devices simultaneously.
Add TNT Sports, Sky Sports and Sky Cinema
UK competition laws mean that if Sky and BT have exclusive rights to premium sport, they have to make it available to competitors. That means you can choose to bolt on both Sky Sports and TNT Sport (the new name for BT Sport) to your Virgin TV package, for an increased monthly cost. Alternatively, you can choose one of Virgin’s pre-packed bundles, such as the Bigger Combo Bundle + Sport, which includes Sky Sports. However, as of September 2023 TNT Sport is no longer included by default in any bundle. You'll have to pay extra, and at the time of writing that'll cost an additional £18 per month.
Happily Sky also offers its Cinema channels to non-Sky subscribers. Virgin Media TV customers can either choose to add this onto their basic TV bundle as an extra or select one of Virgin’s pre-made bundles, such as the Bigger Combo Bundle + Movies.
Get Virgin Box Sets and Movies on demand
Virgin TV doesn't have its own dedicated premium movie channels. It does have Film 4 and TCM, along with the one that shows made-for-TV melodramas all day, but if you want full-time movie channels showing newer films, you'll need to subscribe to add Sky Cinema to your package.
If, on the other hand, you just want to watch the odd thing here and there, Virgin Box Sets and Movies allows you to rent new releases for 48 hours for similar money to what you'd pay on Amazon Prime, or used to pay at Blockbuster.
Add Asian channels
Unlike Sky or BT, Virgin Media is unique in offering 15 Asian TV channels, including Zee TV, Colors Rishtey, Utsav Bharat, Sony Max and NDTV, providing a complete package of top Asian news, Indian serials and Bollywood classics.
Quickstart self-install available
So, you've got all the details you need, decided on which package is right for you, and you're ready to make that purchase. Once that's done, all you need to do is make an appointment for an engineer to come out and hook up your new box. In fact, if your home's been connected to the Virgin network at any time over the previous three years, you should be able to set everything up yourself, without the need for an engineer using Virgin's Quickstart self-install pack. This proved to be extremely useful during the Covid lockdown periods.
One other small point – if you're moving away from Sky, don't worry about the dish because you won't need that whilst you're a customer with Virgin Media. Sky can advise if they require the dish and other equipment to be returned, but in our experience the dishes are usually just left in position, so it'll be up to you if you'd like to have yours removed.
Everything you need can be ordered through 'click and collect' from your local Virgin Media store or it can be sent directly to your home, for a small delivery fee, along with a simple step-by-step guide for you to follow and you can set it all up yourself with no engineer required.
