Digital TV Guides

Cable TV channels

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Tuesday 26 April, 2011

Thinking about going digital and want a variety of channels? Signing up for a cable TV package with Virgin Media could get you over 165 channels plus all your favourite programmes on-demand, to watch whenever you want.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) is the UK’s largest cable TV provider, with nearly four million customers around the country. It offers a range of TV channels through its cable network, and its TV packages can be bundled with home phone and superfast broadband deals too.

In addition to the wide variety of channels available through Virgin Media, subscribing to a cable TV deal will also get you access to the catch-up TV and on-demand services on offer, so you’ve always got something good to watch.

Find out more about the channels on offer below:

Cable TV channels

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) has three “sizes” of TV subscription to choose from, each offering a different number of channels. Each package gives you all of the free-to-air channels, including the BBC and ITV channels, Channel 4, E4, Channel 5 and More4. The other channels available in the packages include:

• TV M+ - This Virgin Media TV package is the cheapest available, and gives you 65 channels in total, including Discovery, Eurosport, G.O.L.D, Sky1, and Sky Living
• TV L - With 100 channels in total, the TV L package offers even more variety, with channels including Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon
• TV XL - This is the complete TV package with up to 165 channels, offering every non-subscription cable TV channel available in the UK: all the music, news, entertainment and kids’ TV, along with Premier League coverage on ESPN.

Whatever Virgin Media TV package you choose, you can add extra subscription channels, such as the Sky Sports or Sky Movies channels, for a little extra each month.

HD cable TV channels

Virgin Media currently offers over 15 high-definition channels, available at no extra cost to its XL subscribers. These show a variety of content, as well as HD on-demand films and programmes. Channels include:

• BBC HD - Shows BBC programmes such as Hustle, The Royle Family and Silent Witness in high-definition
• Channel 4 HD - Broadcasts all the content from Channel 4 in high-definition, including Shameless, The Inbetweeners and Skins
• ESPN HD - Shows all the content from ESPN in high-definition, including 23 live Barclays Premier League matches and live Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League games
• FX HD - Shows a mixture of top American programmes and first run drama, comedy and crime shows, including The Wire, Family Guy, True Blood and Life on Mars USA
• Sky Living HD - One of the UK’s most watched channels, programmes include Britain’s Next Top Model, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Private Practice and CSI
• MTV HD - Shows music programmes such as MTV Unplugged, as well as live music events and a selection of Nickelodeon children’s shows like Sponge Bob Square Pants
• National Geographic HD - Features documentaries on science, technology, history and the wonders of the natural world, including Extreme Ice and Ancient Megastructures
• Film4 HD - Home to British cinema, showcasing films like Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting and The Full Monty, as well as US independent films, Hollywood blockbusters, mainstream drama and comedy, foreign and cult films.

Catch-up TV on cable

With a cable TV service from Virgin Media you’ll also benefit from free catch-up TV and on-demand.

The catch-up service saves a selection of the best programmes from the past week for you to watch when you want, a service derived from the BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD.

If you take the XL TV package, you’ll also get TV Choice On Demand, which you can use to watch whole a series of classic programmes at once.

Virgin Media TV packages

Virgin Media TV packages

Company	Package Name	Channels	Broadband	Home Phone
	TV: M+	65 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, LIVING and many more
	TV: L	100 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, Comedy Central, Bravo and many more
	TV: XL	160 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, ESPN, Disney Channel and many more
	TV: L + Broadband: 30Mb + Phone: M	100 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, Comedy Central, Bravo and many more

Should I get Virgin Media?

Virgin Media’s cable TV service is only available in areas of the UK where its cable network is already in operation - around 51% of the country. Do a postcode search to see if Virgin Media is available where you live.

Even if you can receive Virgin Media, there’s probably more than one digital TV choice in your area, so you should still shop around. If you want a cheap deal on fewer channels, free-to-view TV via Freeview or Freesat is an option.

Or, if you want a lot of channels, Sky (www.sky.com) is available across 98% of the UK. When you look at all the options, it’s also worth considering whether you might be able to save money by getting your TV, home phone and broadband from the same supplier.

Use the Digitalchoices.co.uk digital TV comparison service to decide which option is right for your household.