Digital TV News

Virgin Media announce seven new TV channels

Wednesday 5 October, 2011

By Helen Thomas

Virgin Media announces the arrival of seven new TV channels, five in HD, for its XL customers, and adds Sky Movies Classics HD to its premium Sky Movies HD subscription.

Cable TV provider Virgin Media has announced the availability of seven new TV channels on its digital TV service, five of which will be high-definition (HD) channels.

This will bring Virgin Media’s tally of high-definition television channels to 37, 24 of which are available to its XL package subscribers at no extra cost.

Six of the new channels: Eden HD, Eden +1, Good Food HD, Yesterday +1, Watch HD and Dave HD, will be launched within the next two weeks. The seventh, Alibi HD, is scheduled for launch in 2012.

The new channels will deliver a diverse selection of programmes from classic Doctor Who sci-fi to real science fact on Professor Brian Cox’s guide to the solar system in Eden’s World of Wonder.

Fans of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding will be interested in the latest series from its makers, A Very British Party.

Cutting edge comedy will come from host Sean Lock and a long line up of comics appearing on the new series of Argumental on Dave HD.

Virgin Media’s executive director of digital entertainment, Cindy Rose, said: “We’re thrilled to be offering our customers even more choice. Our commitment remains to deliver the most compelling digital home entertainment service available in the UK.”

Keith Porritt, executive director of commercial at UKTV, the network behind the new channels, said that they showcase the “breadth of HD content we offer on our network” and UKTV were “delighted” to become a lpart of Virgin Media’s HD offering.

Virgin Media also announced the addition of Sky Movies Classics HD to its premium Sky Movies HD subscription, which will now be charged at £7 per account rather than per box.