ITV HD press release

Virgin Media introduces HDelightful ITV channels

· ITV2 HD, ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD available to Virgin TV customers· ITV collection to join Virgin TV Anywhere
Virgin Media and ITV today announced that ITV2 HD, ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD are joining ITV1 HD in Virgin Media’s extensive line up of High Definition (HD) channels. Their arrival this week boosts the total number of HD channels available on Virgin TV to 43.
Virgin Media customers with an XL TV subscription can watch the additional ITV HD channels for no extra cost, showcasing some of the UK’s best programming with shows such as Celebrity Juice, The Only way is Essex and Whitechapel as well as the UEFA Europa League and the Tour de France, which will never have looked so good, dazzling viewers with the incredibly clear, crisp pictures and vivid colours that HD makes possible.
Virgin Media has also revealed that ITV’s Standard Definition (SD) channels are on their way to Virgin TV Anywhere, the cloud-based entertainment service which is exclusive for Virgin TV customers. Virgin Media’s subscribers will be able to stream¹ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 on computers, tablets or smartphones along with the considerable range of entertainment, sport, news, factual, music, movies and even premium sport and movies channels already available. 
Katharine Burns, executive director of multiscreen content acquisition at Virgin Media said: “We’re pleased to be introducing such a fantastic selection of HD content to our customers as well as bringing some of the UK’s most watched channels to different screens via Virgin TV Anywhere. ITV makes some of the country’s most loved programmes and with such an abundance of contemporary and classic drama, reality TV favourites and sporting highlights, these latest channels are an important addition to our growing line-up.” 
Martin Goswami, director of pay and distribution at ITV said: “We’re committed to bringing the very best content and quality viewing experiences to viewers across multiple platforms so we’re delighted that Virgin Media customers can now watch all of our channels in stunning HD quality as well as continue to catch up with shows they may have missed and access shows while they’re on the go. This deal is part of our strategy to allow even more people to enjoy our programming in a time when the way our audiences watch TV continues to transform.”

ITV2 HD, ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD will be available on Virgin TV channels 176, 177 and 178 respectively from Thursday 14th March. ITV’s channels will join Virgin TV Anywhere later this year.