Virgin Media is giving all its TV customers free access to 14 premium South Asian channels from today until August 17, 2025, coinciding with South Asian Heritage Month.
The channels, which are normally part of Virgin Media’s Asian Mela bundle costing £12 per month, will be available at no extra cost for a full month.
This isn’t the first time Virgin Media has done this sort of thing – they occasionally open premium channels for free to their customers, for limited periods.
What Channels Are Available?
The free channels cover everything from drama and comedy to lifestyle and movies.
If you’re a fan of South Asian TV, you’ll be able to watch popular shows like Anupama on Utsav Plus HD, Tum Se Tum Tak on Zee TV HD, and Mangal Lakshmi on Colors HD.
The epic drama Prithviraj Chauhan on Sony TV HD is also available.
There are a couple of exciting comebacks worth mentioning too. Amitabh Bachchan is returning with Season 17 of the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati on Sony TV HD on August 11.
And if you’re feeling nostalgic, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is coming back with Season 2 to Utsav Plus HD on July 29 – which marks 25 years since this iconic show first hit our screens.
Cricket fans haven’t been forgotten either. You’ll be able to watch the World Championship of Legends on Sony MAX HD, with six teams playing 18 T20 format matches.
The tournament features cricket icons like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Eoin Morgan, Shahid Afridi and Chris Gayle.
Movie buffs can enjoy six dedicated Indian movie channels showing global blockbusters like Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (2024’s highest-grossing film in India) on Zee Cinema HD, and beloved classics like Pardes on B4U Movies.
How Do I Get The Free Channels?
Getting access to these channels is straightforward – they’ll automatically be available to all Virgin Media TV customers, regardless of which subscription tier you’re on.
You don’t need to contact Virgin Media or sign up for anything – the channels will just open up in your TV guide.
Full List of Free Channels
Here’s the complete list of Asian Mela TV channels that will be available for free from July 18 until August 17:
- 801: Utsav Gold HD
- 802: Utsav Bharat
- 803: Utsav Plus HD
- 805: Sony TV HD
- 806: Sony MAX HD
- 808: Sony MAX 2
- 809: Zee TV HD
- 810: Zee Cinema HD
- 811: Zee Punjabi HD
- 815: B4U Movies
- 825: Colors Gujarati
- 826: Colors HD
- 827: Colors Rishtey
- 828: Colors Cineplex
David Bouchier, Chief TV & Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We want to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month the best way we know how – by giving Virgin TV customers access to world-leading South Asian entertainment to enjoy at no extra cost.”
The free channels will work on all Virgin Media devices – whether you’re using the older TiVo or V6 boxex, the newer TV360, or the Virgin Media Stream Box (also known as Flex).
Speaking of Virgin Media’s boxes – if you’re one of the customers still using the original TiVo box, you will soon be losing access to BBC iPlayer.
The good news is that Virgin Media is offering affected customers a free upgrade to the TV360 box – though you will lose all your existing recordings when switching.
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