Ask our Expert

Is the new Sky Atlantic channel on Virgin Media?

Our digital TV expert says...

Thanks for your email Merryl - Sky Atlantic is the new channel from satellite TV giant Sky (www.sky.co.uk), which is now home to the latest HBO award-winning series, such as season five of Mad Men.

Unfortunately the channel is exclusive to Sky, so is not available to Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) subscribers.

So, unless you subscribe to the satellite TV service from Sky, I’m afraid the only way to watch the latest series of Mad Men, The Sopranos and the new, critically-acclaimed Steve Buscemi series, Boardwalk Empire, is to buy a box set of DVDs or to wait for the programmes to be shown on one of the digital terrestrial channels.

Virgin Media does offer a back catalogue of HBO series available on-demand through its TV Choice service however. TV Choice is packed with the best series from Channel 4, BBC, ITV, Warner Bros, NBC, MTV and Living. Watch them whenever you like - a whole series back-to-back, or one episode at a time. Many are also available in HD, including House, Heroes and 30 Rock. TV Choice is available at no extra cost to all Virgin Media XL TV customers.

If you want to find out more about how to get Sky Atlantic, read on…

Should I switch to Sky?

Sky Atlantic launched on 1 February 2011, and is exclusively for Sky TV subscribers. So, if you’re a Virgin Media, BT Vision or Freeview home, and a fan of the high-quality drama shown on the channel, it is worth considering a switch to Sky.

Signing up for a Sky TV package will get you access to all the shows on Sky Atlantic, as well as a whole load of other channels, in either standard or high-definition (HD).

Sky Atlantic is available in standard definition at no extra cost, to all Sky subscribers taking the Variety “viewing pack”. Those who also subscribe to the Sky HD pack with a Sky+HD set-top box will also be able to watch the channel in high-definition. The Sky HD pack costs an extra £10.25 a month on top of your standard Sky subscription, prices for which start from £19.50 a month.

To make a more informed decision, read our guide Three reasons to choose Sky, and my article Should I choose Sky TV or Virgin Media?

If you’re an avid Mad Men or The Sopranos fan and don’t want to have to wait for the boxset to come out on DVD, make sure you sign-up for a Sky TV package to watch the new series on Sky Atlantic.

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If you have a general switching or provider query please email us at ourexpert@digitalchoices.co.uk