Disney+ App for Virgin Media?

According to a report in The Telegraph, Disney+ may be integrated into Sky Q at launch. That means Sky Q users will be able to access content through the Sky interface, similarly to how Virgin Media currently incorporates Netflix and Amazon Prime on the V6. Here are The Telegraph headlines, and you can read more about Disney+ here.

Sky is on the verge of a deal with Disney to bring the Hollywood superpower’s new streaming service to millions of British homes.
The pair were this weekend putting the final touches to a multi-year partnership. Sky’s rivals Virgin Media and BT will be able to carry the Disney Plus app, however, they will be unable to offer Disney Plus fully integrated with other programming.
It is understood that work is already underway to launch the service on Sky alongside its broader British debut on March 24.

So it will be a ‘Sky Exclusive’, but only in as much as that will initially be the only platform where it will be integrated into the Q search. What is not expected though is that it will be included in the monthly cost of Sky Q, which means that if you want much of the programming that was previously available on Sky Cinema (Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Disney) you’ll have to pay a little extra.
The good news is that it is anticipated (by The Telegraph at least) that Virgin will have the Disney+ App on the V6 at the time of launch too, as well as the more recent models of smart TVs and other streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire. No word yet if it will be added to the Now TV devices.
Disney has confirmed that Disney+ will cost £59.99 for an annual subscription (£5.99 per month). Those are the two available tiers, and you can cancel at any time. Either tier gets you four concurrent streams, unlimited downloads with a maximum of 10 devices and the option to create seven profiles. Disney UK doesn’t specifically mention resolution though, just ‘high-quality’ viewing. In the US Disney Plus had a wealth of 4K HDR content available at launch, including 91 movies from Marvel, Pixar, Disney, and Lucasfilm, as well as a small-but-growing cache of streamer’s original series like The Mandalorian.
It looks like it will be widely available, unlike Apple’s streaming service Apple+, which has a handful of good shows but isn’t yet on many devices except those from Apple, Amazon and Samsung.

LaLigaTV HD on Virgin Media

Over the last few years Sky Sports has lost the rights to many of what used to be the main attractions to their sports channels. Various golf, rugby and tennis competitions have signed deals with various non-Sky channels and even the cash cow Football hasn't been immune to the lure of other broadcasters, notably BT.
The Spanish top football league was something that disappeared quietly from Sky a few years ago, yet the cost of Sky Sports across all platforms has continued to rise regardless of so much top tier sport being found elsewhere these days. Funny that.
Fans of the Spanish take on the beautiful game have had their work cut out in recent years as it’s only been (legally) available online (with a few matches broadcast unheralded on ITV4) but now Virgin Media customers have a new dedicated HD channel on channel 554, LaLiga TV.
It’s available at no extra cost to current Premier Sports subscribers or you can sign up for a combined subscription to both Premier Sports and LaLigaTV for £9.99 per month.

New year, new VMHD

This blog is now thirteen years’ old! That’s pretty incredible for something I first started to campaign for Virgin Media to carry more than a single high definition channel - how times change.
Last year VMHD was put into hibernation for several months as I concentrated on some other work I was finishing. It was also a pretty lean time for Virgin Media news and discussion so there was little I came across that I felt needed sharing. However 2020 looks like it will be a lot more exciting, and I promise I’m back for good again to keep you informed.
We’ve got Sky Comedy launching later in January, the rumoured new UI on our V6 boxes, Sky’s UHD Sports and Movie channels promised and the inevitable usual round of price increases and carriage disputes to get angry about.
I’ve also simplified the blog’s layout. Out with Virgin’s awful purple, in with a cleaner black and blue theme.

Sky Comedy HD to arrive on Virgin Media, January 27th

We still don’t have Sky Atlantic but Sky’s newest channel, Sky Comedy, is to launch on Virgin Media on channel 121 on January 27th.
From the Press Release:

Sky Comedy will be the home of premium scripted US comedy from HBO, NBC and Showtime, including brand new acclaimed comedies like Mrs Fletcher, starring Kathryn Hahn, The Righteous Gemstones, starring John Goodman, Adam DeVine and Danny McBride, A.P. Bio and Sunnyside.  

This is big news for Virgin customers as Sky Comedy will also air all new series of returning hit US shows that had previously only been shown on Sky Atlantic: Barry, Veep, Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Ballers starring Dwayne Johnson. Top rated US talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will also be featured, as well as comedy titan Saturday Night Live and a library of older shows including 30 Rock, Will & Grace and Parks and Recreation.

TiVo merges with Xperi

TiVo is combining with Xperi — a licensing firm that specialises in semiconductor technology as well as various audio/video brands — in a $3 billion merger, the two companies announced in December (yes, I’m still catching up!).
More details here: https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/19/21029945/tivo-xperi-merger-dvr-rovi-deal-patent-licensing

NOW TV in HD with Boost add-on

(Apologies for being so late with this news - I’ve been busy!)

https://help.nowtv.com/article/what-is-now-tv-boost

What is NOW TV Boost?
NOW TV Boost is the way to enjoy sports, movies and shows with better picture and sound quality than ever before on NOW TV.
Not only that, but Boost also lets you stream on 3 devices at once instead of the usual 2. All for just £3 a month.
What do I get with NOW TV Boost?

• Full HD: Watch all the Sky Sports channels, plus selected shows and movies, in 1080p video quality instead of the usual 720p.
• Smoother sporting action: Two Sky Sports channels – Main Event and Premier League – are available at 50 frames per second (except on LG TV).
• Awesome audio: Got a surround sound speaker system or soundbar? Boost lets you enjoy a fully immersive audio experience with Dolby Digital 5.1.
• An extra stream: Another handy benefit is that you get to stream on 3 devices at the same time. Perfect for families that can’t agree on what to watch!

Rumoured new UI for Virgin Media V6 in 2020?

Happy Christmas!

It's been a quiet couple of months on this blog as I've been tied up with some other writing and haven't been able to spare much time for VMHD.
Hopefully, next year will be more accommodating and I will be able to post more news and views on Virgin Media's television activities.
So, apologies for the silence, please stay tuned for more and I hope all of you regular visitors enjoy a wonderful Christmas and I'll see you in the New Year.
Nialli

Programme Guide renumbering

Virgin Media has shuffled around a number of the HD channel on the programme guide.
121. Universal TV HD
135. Sky Crime HD (new)
137. SYFY HD
139. E! HD
156. Sky Arts HD
169. Quest HD
251. Animal Planet HD
602. Sky News HD

NowTV price hikes

(Not a Virgin Media story, but I know a lot of you also use NowTV services)
Sky is raising the price of its Now TV service.
For October 9th the Entertainment Pass will be going up by £1 to £8.99 a month. It’s the first increase in two years and, if you hunt around, you can normally find some decent discounts if you sign up for six or twelve months’ viewing. (I only use the service to access Sky Atlantic programmes and I have it at £3.99 a month until February thanks to a half price promotion I took up earlier in the year.)
NowTV is also increasing the price of the Sky Sports Day Pass by a further pound - the second increase since February this year. Last year the Sky Sports Day Pass the cost £7.99. Now it’s £9.99.