Virgin Media customers are getting a content boost this week: the Rakuten TV app is now available on TV360 and the Virgin Media Stream boxes.
This addition brings a wide range of on-demand content and live TV channels to Virgin Media’s lineup, including new releases like Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2 , which are available to purchase or rent, as well as free channels such as FIFA.
Viewers can also enjoy evergreen movies like The Big Short and the Resident Evil saga at no extra cost. The app offers 150 live, ad-supported channels covering genres from Top Movies and Sports to Lifestyle and Crime & Mystery.
Notably, this addition also marks the unexpected return of CNN International, which was removed from Virgin Media three years ago (but it’s also available via Prime Video’s free channels).
What is Rakuten TV?
Rakuten TV is one of Europe’s prominent streaming platforms, offering a combination of free and paid services.
Free, ad-supported content (AVoD): A vast library of movies, TV shows, and documentaries available at no extra cost (though, as is often the case, the free on-demand content is made up mostly of titles you’ve never heard of – with some hidden gems)
Live TV channels (FAST): Over 150 free, ad-supported streaming television channels covering news, sports, entertainment, and more.
Transactional video-on-demand (TVoD): A digital store allowing users to rent or purchase the latest movie releases and premium content.
The platform boasts over 8,000 on-demand titles and more than 500 exclusive channels across Europe, with content spanning various genres, including movies, TV series, documentaries, and live broadcasts.
Rakuten TV Comes to Virgin Media
Virgin Media customers can now access the Rakuten TV app on their TV360 and Stream devices.
The TV360 box is Virgin Media’s old-school TV platform, offering access to 190 channels and multi-room capabilities, while Virgin Media Stream is the streaming-based option designed for Virgin’s broadband customers, on a 30-day rolling contract.
Through the Rakuten TV app, Virgin Media customers gain access to Rakuten’s live streaming channels and on-demand library, as well as to the VOD store (though much of that content was already available to purchase elsewhere – directly through Virgin Media’s VOD store, or on apps such as Amazon’s Prime Video).
David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2, commented on the addition: “The addition of the Rakuten TV app to our platform gives our customers access to even more unmissable content and fan-favourite films at the click of a button.”
The Return of CNN to Virgin Media
One notable aspect of this addition is the return of CNN International to Virgin Media’s platform.
In 2021, CNN was removed from Virgin Media, BT TV, and Freesat, leaving many viewers without easy access to the popular news channel.
With the addition of Rakuten TV, Virgin Media customers can once again watch CNN International as part of the platform’s free, ad-supported channel lineup – which is particularly attractive ahead of the US elections.
This means viewers can access CNN’s global news coverage without an additional subscription, albeit through the Rakuten TV app rather than as a traditional channel.
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CNN was already avaliable through the Prime Video app on the free channels section meaning you don’t need a paid for Prime Account, just the free one