Here’s some good news for Virgin Media TV customers this December – fancy watching The Pianist, Mulholland Drive or even Kinky Boots: The Musical in stunning 4K?
Virgin Media is opening up its Ultra HD channel to all TV customers throughout December, at no extra cost.
The channel, which you’d normally need a Mix, Maxit, MegaTV or Essential Entertainment package to access, will be available to anyone with a compatible Virgin TV box.
This includes V6 box users (except the older TiVo version), TV 360 customers, and those with the recently rebranded Stream/Flex box.
Making Sense of Virgin Media’s TV Options
Virgin Media currently offers two main ways to watch TV, for its broadband customers. The traditional route is their TV 360 box, which delivers TV through Virgin’s cable network.
But in 2022, they introduced Stream – a compact box that works over broadband instead (but only works with Virgin Media’s broadband – unlike the Sky Stream box which works with any provider).
In a recent shake-up, Stream has been rebranded to “Flex” and now comes with some key changes.
While Stream was previously free for broadband customers (apart from a one-off activation fee), new Flex customers now pay £5 monthly for the basic service, bringing it in line with similar services like Sky Stream and EE TV.
Existing Stream customers aren’t affected by these changes and keep their current terms.
But regardless of whether you’re using TV 360 or Flex, you’ll be able to enjoy the UHD channel this December.
What’s Actually On?
Virgin Media’s UHD channel (found on 175 or 999) has put together quite a varied lineup for December, which will be available at no extra cost from Sunday, December 1, until Wednesday, January 1.
The schedule is split into three main chunks throughout the day, so there’s something for everyone.
If you’re a theatre fan, you’ll want to tune in from 1pm for a selection of musicals in ultra HD.
We’re talking shows like Kinky Boots (which features Strictly’s Johannes Radebe), The King and I, and An American in Paris.
There’s also some lesser-known gems like Hetty Feather and The Wind in the Willows.
The afternoon slot is dedicated to family viewing. You’ll find a mix of animated features and live-action films including Cinderella, The Emoji Movie (yes, really), and Goosebumps.
While not all of these are recent releases, seeing them in UHD might give older films a fresh lease of life.
Things get more interesting at 9pm with some proper cinema. There’s award-winning fare like Whiplash and The Pianist, alongside pure entertainment like Last Action Hero and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Film buffs will appreciate seeing Mulholland Drive in UHD, while action fans can catch Black Hawk Down in all its 4K glory.
The Tech Bits
Don’t have a 4K TV? No problem – the channel works perfectly well on HD televisions, though obviously, you won’t get the full ultra-high-definition experience.
TV 360 users get an extra perk, as they can watch the UHD channel through multiple rooms using Virgin’s multiroom feature. Most Stream (or Flex) customers, unfortunately, can only get one box and watch in one room.
One important note: if you’re still hanging onto an older TiVo box, you won’t be able to access this channel at all.
Virgin’s pushing these customers to upgrade their boxes, though whether that’s worth doing for one month of UHD content is debatable.
Virgin Media Black Friday 2024 Offers
And since Virgin Media’s Black Friday offers are still around – they’re worth a look if you’re not a customer yet.
When you sign up for any Virgin Media broadband package before December 8, you’ll get three months of Disney+ Standard completely free.
The deal, worth £26.97, is available across their full range of broadband packages from M250 to their Gig1.
Virgin Media is also slashing prices across its broadband and TV bundles, with potential savings of up to £255.
Their standalone broadband deals start from just £25.99 per month for M250 – with the first three months being free on some of the bundles.
Those looking for the full entertainment package might fancy the Biggest Bundle Gig1, which comes with average speeds of 1,130Mbps, over 218 TV channels including Sky Cinema HD and Sky Sports HD, plus Netflix Standard with Ads – all for £85 per month.
Keep in mind that these bundles come with Virgin Media’s “traditional” TV360 box, and not the streaming-based Stream box.
Want to stay up to date with the latest TV news and deals? Subscribe to our free newsletter.