Virgin Media is quietly phasing out their traditional TV 360 Mini boxes for multi-room setups, replacing them with their Stream boxes instead.
This means that some of those who want to add Virgin Media TV to another room in their house, will now get a broadband-powered Stream box rather than a cable-connected TV 360 Mini.
The change began in late 2024, as confirmed to us by Virgin Media, and has now become standard practice for all new multi-room orders across the company’s customer base.
Virgin Media’s TV Ecosystem
Virgin Media has a somewhat confusing array of TV services and boxes, both old and new:
TV 360: This is Virgin Media’s premium cable TV platform, launched in 2020 as a successor to their older TV V6 boxes.
The TV 360 system includes a main box with recording capabilities and traditionally used TV 360 Mini boxes for additional rooms. It requires physical cable connections to work and offers hundreds of channels, including premium content.
Legacy Boxes: While TV 360 is Virgin Media’s current flagship offering, many customers still use older hardware like the TV V6 box (launched in 2016) or even the original TiVo boxes (from 2011).
These legacy devices remain functional on Virgin Media’s network, though they lack some of the newer features found in TV 360, such as voice search and improved user interface. Virgin Media has been gradually encouraging users to upgrade from these older systems, but hasn’t forced the transition.
Stream Box: Launched in April 2022, the Stream Box was Virgin Media’s answer to Sky Stream – a smaller device that delivers TV over broadband rather than through cable.
It comes with a compact box and remote control, offering access to Freeview channels (over broadband), streaming apps, and the option to add premium packages on flexible 30-day contracts.
When it first launched, Stream was incompatible with TV 360, meaning customers had to choose one or the other. And, unlike Sky Stream, Virgin Media’s Stream is only available for Virgin Media Broadband customers.
Stream to Flex: In October 2024, Virgin Media rebranded their Stream service as “Flex” (though the device is still called Stream Box). This rebrand came with pricing changes, most notably the introduction of a £5 monthly fee for the basic service that was previously free with a Virgin Media broadband subscription.
Until recently, these were entirely separate systems – you either had TV 360 with Mini boxes for additional rooms, or you had Stream/Flex as a standalone option.
Now, Virgin Media is blurring these lines by using Stream boxes as multi-room solutions for TV 360 customers.
What’s Changing?
If you’re a Virgin Media customer with a main TV 360 box and you’re looking to add additional screens to your home, you’ll now receive Stream boxes instead of the traditional TV 360 Mini boxes that were previously standard for multi-room setups.
This represents quite a departure from Virgin Media’s initial approach. When Stream first launched, it wasn’t compatible with TV 360 at all – you could either have TV 360 or Stream, but not both.
Stream was primarily targeted at new customers or those without any existing Virgin Media TV plans.
However, since November 2024, customers with a TV 360 box have been receiving Stream boxes with new multi-room orders.
Currently, existing customers who already have multiple TV 360 mini boxes and want to add more will still receive TV 360 minis. However, Virgin Media confirmed to us that this will switch to Stream boxes “in the near future.”
TV 360 Mini VS Stream Box
According to Virgin Media, the shift to Stream boxes for multi-room brings several advantages:
More boxes per household: You can now have up to six boxes per account. For example, if you already have a TV 360 and a TV 360 mini box, you could add four more Stream boxes to your setup.
Self-installation: Unlike the TV 360 Mini, which requires engineer visits and cable connections, Stream boxes can be sent directly to customers for self-installation, as they only require power, HDMI – and WiFi.
No new cabling required: Stream boxes work over your broadband connection rather than needing direct cable TV wiring.
Regarding functionality, the good news is that the additional Stream boxes will sync with the main TV 360 box.
This means you’ll still be able to watch recordings from your main TV 360 box on your Stream boxes – maintaining one of the key features that TV 360 Mini users rely on.
All additional boxes will mirror the main box’s functionality (and sync things like watchlist and watch history), regardless of whether they’re Stream boxes or TV 360 minis.
What About the Cost?
The standard pricing for multi-room remains consistent:
- £10 per month for the first additional box
- £5 per month for each additional box after that
However, Virgin Media currently has a promotion running where some customers can add their first multi-room box for just £5 per month.
The Flex Complication
Here’s where things get a bit peculiar. As mentioned, Virgin Media recently rebranded their Stream service as “Flex”.
Interestingly, Virgin Media has confirmed that multi-room is still not available with Flex. This means if you’re on the newer Flex service rather than TV 360, you’re limited to just one Stream box.
This creates a rather odd situation where customers on the older TV 360 platform now have access to more Stream boxes than those on the actual Stream/Flex platform itself.
Virgin Media’s Streaming Future
This move clearly signals Virgin Media’s continued shift towards internet-based TV delivery rather than traditional cable systems. However, their approach is quite different from competitors like Sky.
While Sky is aggressively moving away from satellite boxes like Sky Q and going all-in on streaming with Sky Glass (which now has a Gen 2) and Sky Stream, Virgin Media is taking a more cautious approach.
They’re still very much committed to TV 360 as their premium offering – and it’s easy to see why. TV 360 packages are more lucrative for Virgin Media, with customers paying for comprehensive TV bundles that include premium channels.
Flex, by comparison, brings in just £5 per month for the basic service, with all other channels being optional add-ons that customers can drop with 30 days’ notice. Good for us, not so great for their bottom line.
It remains to be seen when Virgin Media will eventually move its core TV offering to Stream/Flex instead of TV 360.
For now, they seem content to let TV 360 customers dip their toes in the streaming waters while keeping their cable connection firmly in place.
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