Virgin Media is once again opening up its Ultra HD channel to all TV customers throughout December, giving everyone a chance to watch films and documentaries in stunning 4K at no extra cost.
If you’ve got a compatible Virgin TV box, you’ll be able to access channels 175 and 999 in UHD from December 1 right through to January 2, 2026.
This includes V6 box users, TV 360 customers, and those with the Stream box.
This is the second year running Virgin Media has done this. Last December, they opened up the channel temporarily with a lineup heavy on musicals and classic cinema.
This year’s selection leans more towards family-friendly animated films, factual documentaries, and crowd-pleasing movies.
What’s On The UHD Channel?
The schedule follows a similar pattern to last year, split into three main blocks throughout the day.
Afternoons are dedicated to family viewing, with a solid lineup of animated features. You’ve got classics like Hook (December 28), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Christmas Eve), and The Prince of Egypt (December 22).
There’s also Antz (December 23), Vivo (December 20), and Smurfs: The Lost Village (December 21).
While some of these aren’t exactly recent releases, seeing them in UHD should give older films a fresh lease of life – especially Spider-Verse, which was designed with stunning visuals in mind.
From 8pm onwards, the channel switches to factual programming. Billy and Dom Eat the World kicks things off from December 1-8, followed by Go Gently from December 9-14.
Fantastic Friends Series 1 and 2 runs from December 18-31, with Mother Nature airing on December 15 and 16, and The Nature of Christmas on December 17.
Prime time films start at 9pm – you’ve got romantic comedies like Hitch (December 1), Jerry Maguire (December 9), and As Good As It Gets (December 11).
Julie and Julia airs on December 23, Robin Hood on December 21, and Hacksaw Ridge on Christmas Eve.
It’s a decent mix of genres, though perhaps not quite as cinema-heavy as last year’s selection which included films like Whiplash, The Pianist, and Mulholland Drive.
The Tech Side
Don’t have a 4K TV? You can still watch the channel on HD televisions, though you obviously won’t get the full ultra-high-definition experience. The content will just display in standard HD.
One important note – if you’re still using an older TiVo box, you won’t be able to access this channel at all.
Virgin’s been pushing TiVo customers to upgrade for a while now, though whether it’s worth doing just for a month of UHD content is debatable.
Oh, and if you want some more Christmas content, Virgin Media also includes Great! Christmas (channel 424), which will be available until January 6, 2026, offering what Virgin describes as “one of the biggest collections of festive films available.”
This is separate from the UHD channel, so you’ll find traditional Christmas films and seasonal programming here – with a channel that’s also available on Freeview and other platforms.
Virgin Media’s TV Options
Virgin Media now offers two main ways to watch TV for its broadband customers.
There’s the traditional TV 360 box, which delivers content through Virgin’s cable network and can record programmes. Then there’s the Stream box, which works entirely over broadband.
Back in July, Virgin made Stream the default option for all new TV customers. The problem? It doesn’t record anything. Unlike the TV 360, which can record multiple programmes simultaneously, the Stream box is purely for live viewing and on-demand content.
You can’t build up libraries of recorded programmes or fast-forward through adverts on live TV.
If you want a TV 360 box, you can still get one, but you’ll need to specifically request it and likely pay around £50 for installation. In some full fibre areas, it’s not available at all.
Then in October, Virgin overhauled its pricing structure, bumping annual price rises from £3.50 to £4 per month and bundling Netflix Standard with Ads into most packages. They also finally upgraded Sky Sports channels to HD at no extra cost, which was long overdue.
More recently, Virgin added on-demand functionality to 11 of its FAST channels, letting customers watch content via catch-up rather than being tied to scheduled programming.
The pattern is clear – Virgin Media is pushing streaming hard, and traditional broadcast features like recording are being quietly phased out for most customers.
Black Friday Deals Still Available
If you’re not yet a Virgin Media customer, their Black Friday deals are still running with various offers on broadband and TV bundles.
New customers signing up for Virgin Media broadband packages can get three months free on selected bundles, and there are discounts across their range of services.
As usual, these deals are for new customers only, but existing customers approaching the end of their contracts should call to negotiate similar pricing.
As mentioned, keep in mind that Virgin’s bundles now come with Netflix Standard with Ads included on most packages, and new TV customers will automatically receive the Stream box rather than the TV 360.
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Virgin media Freeview HD 4K Box 2026?
The updated HDR encryption means that many will not be able to view this channel as many of us lost access in September.