Virgin Media launches Horizon-powered TV platform in the UK

Virgin Media launches new TV platform offering 360 viewing experience

Virgin Media is today lifting the lid off of its new TV platform, Virgin TV 360, which offers a seamless connected entertainment experience that moves with you.

The advanced TV line-up includes a new Mini box, new TV remote with voice control and smart new features which offer a fully integrated, voice activated and personalised service.

Virgin TV 360 is designed with the ultimate user experience in mind so customers can enjoy simple modern menus, quick navigation and all of their favourite apps and channels in one place. Offering the very best entertainment, Virgin TV 360 boasts all of the top TV channels and streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, all with 4k Ultra-High Definition and HDR viewing capabilities.

Customers can continue to record six programmes while watching a seventh, watch on demand programmes and live TV in one room, pause and continue in another room seamlessly through a Virgin TV 360 box or a Mini box.

And with Virgin Media’s ultrafast broadband, multiple users in the home can stream and watch their favourite shows and content all at the same time in the highest resolution. Gigabit broadband speeds are also being rolled out by the company and are currently available to 6.8 million homes across the UK.

New Virgin TV 360 features include:

• Voice Search & Control – a new remote allows customers to use their voice to find the television they love, open apps, pause, skip forward or back and breeze around content quickly.
• Profiles – families can now create their own profiles so that they can control their own pause points, select their favourite channels and receive personalised recommendations.
• Startover – lets customers skip back to the beginning of live programmes, even if they’ve already started.
• New Mini box – recordings only need to be made once and can be shared across multiple set top boxes which allows for seamless Ultra-HD multi-room viewing throughout the home.
• Upgraded Virgin TV Go app – offers a boosted on the go experience that allows customers to pause a programme on one set top box and carry on watching it on their tablet in another room or on the move.

David Bouchier, Chief TV & Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media, said: “Virgin TV 360 is our most impressive TV service to date, providing one of the most complete and comprehensive viewing experiences available in the UK. Backed up by our ultrafast broadband, our new service allows TV lovers to watch all of their favourite channels, apps and on-demand content in one place or on the move. This really is game-changing TV and we know our customers will love it.”

Annie Brooks, Executive Director of Product at Virgin Media, said: “Our customers can already enjoy ultrafast connectivity at their fingertips and now, with the introduction of Virgin TV360, we’re completing the package with seamless entertainment that matches the power and speed of our broadband.

Say it, See it

With Voice Search & Control, customers can use their voice to navigate Virgin TV 360 by simply pressing the mic button and making their command – finding content quicker than ever before, curating watch lists, and even finding movies and shows featuring their favourite stars.

Perfectly paired to you

The introduction of Profiles means it’s now even easier for customers to find the content they love. Customers have the choice to create a dedicated user profile complete with their own favourite channels and a ‘watch list’ to make their TV experience totally tailored to them.

So whether its comedy, horror or reality TV that takes their fancy, they can quickly find their favourite programmes and Virgin TV 360 will build a catalogue of recommendations perfectly paired to their individual preference. What’s more, with Profiles, customers can pause a show and simply sign in to carry on watching from where they left off and even in busy households their recordings and personalised recommendations won’t be affected by what the rest of the family watches.

TV your way

Virgin TV 360 let’s viewers set their own TV schedule so they never have to miss a moment. With pause, rewind and handy new feature Startover, which allows customers to skip back to the beginning of a live show even if it’s already started, TV time is anytime.

Multi-room viewing

Gone are the days of fighting over the remote, with TV 360 Mini boxes the whole family can simultaneously watch different programmes – including live TV, On Demand shows and any recording all at the same time – even in mesmerising Ultra HD. Shared pause points across all screens also let viewers hop between rooms, from set-top box to app, without missing a moment.

TV that moves with you

On top of a slick multi-room experience, Virgin TV 360 offers users telly that moves with them. Viewers can dive into their recordings, box sets, catch up and live TV on a mobile device with Virgin Media’s upgraded TV Go app.

The newly updated app has been revamped to work seamlessly with Virgin TV 360, meaning customers can keep up with the telly they love even when they’re out and about. In the kitchen, on the bus, or on the sofa when someone’s hogging the main TV, the updated Virgin TV Go app lets customers stream, control and manage their TV anywhere with Wi-Fi or a mobile data connection.

Box smart

Powered by Horizon, the next-generation entertainment platform developed by Liberty Global, Virgin TV 360 offers access to the latest TV innovations. With regular overnight updates straight to the box customers will be able to enjoy new features as soon as they’re ready.

From launch, all new customers taking one of Virgin Media’s TV and broadband bundles will receive Virgin TV 360 as standard, giving them the very best connectivity and entertainment at the touch of a button.

Existing customers who take the Ultimate Oomph bundle, or existing customers who upgrade to Ultimate Oomph, will also be able to get Virgin TV 360 later this year – at no additional cost.

The Ultimate Oomph Bundle offers Virgin Media’s premium TV package, including 250 channels such as all Sky Cinema, Sky Sports and BT Sport channels, two TV set top boxes, ultrafast M500 Fibre broadband, landline and an unlimited mobile SIM currently available for £79.99 per month. Virgin Media has also just announced a speed boost to 600Mbps for existing Ultimate Oomph customers.

The combination of smarter, more intuitive products underpinned by Virgin Media’s ultrafast broadband brings together the very best of Virgin Media’s services to deliver flexible viewing anytime, anywhere.