UKTV’s on-demand services are coming to Virgin.
The two companies have agreed a wide ranging deal which will see UKTV’s on-demand services, including a seven day catch up service for their 10 channels, launch on Virgin TV. Initially, the individual on-demand feeds for each channel will be made available to Virgin Media customers, before those feeds are consolidated under UKTV Play in December.
Thanks to this deal, Virgin Media customers now have access to box sets of numerous UKTV shows including Crackanory, Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish, Choccywoccydoodah: Starstruck and David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities.
Announced in June, UKTV Play aims be a one-stop shop for the broadcaster’s on-demand offerings, by consolidating existing services into one online brand. For lack of a better comparison, it is designed to be UKTV’s take on the iPlayer and, like that service, will allow users to select available titles by channel, as well as curated topics/events.
“UKTV is committed to making its content as easily accessible as possible for viewers and the addition of the network’s full portfolio of channels to Virgin TV’s on demand service marks the next step on this journey”, said UKTV’s Director of Commercial & Business Development Dan Fahy, who is overseeing UKTV Play alongside UKTV’s General Manager of VOD Emma Boston. “From next month, viewers can access UKTV Play via their red button, enabling viewers to catch up on programmes from across all 10 of our channels or access box sets of UKTV’s award-winning shows, in just one click.”
While Stephane David, Virgin Media’s Executive Director of Content added: “Around a fifth of all the TV our customers watch is at a time that suits them. People want control and choice over what to watch and when and we are giving them that. We have led the development of on demand TV in the UK and now, with the addition of hundreds of great UKTV programmes, offer more entertainment than ever before.”
