Virgin Media pricing comparison

An interesting post from 'Gaz82' on Cable Forum:

I just priced up a package on Sky's website to get it as close to Virgins Ultimate Oomph as possible:

• Sky Signature (Base Package) - £21
• HD & Ultra HD - £5
• Kids - £5
• Multiscreen - £13
• Sky Sports - £22
• BT Sport - £21
• Sky Cinema - £7
• Netflix - £4
• Broadband (Fastest speed available at my address 60mbs, a tenth of the speed!) - £18
• Sky Talk Anytime - £9
• 60GB SIM (Sky don’t offer an unlimited data option) - £30

Total: £155

For comparison:

• Ultimate Oomph - £89
• Netflix - £13.99

Total: £102.99

The extra £6 suddenly doesn't seem such a big deal.

Sky Entertainment and Sky Cinema in Ultra High Definition now available on Virgin TV

It's official and it's available now - more than 1,500 hours of top shows, box sets and movies in Ultra HD

From today (Thursday 25 February), all Virgin TV customers can add Sky Entertainment and Sky Cinema Ultra HD to their current package.

All new customers that sign up to Virgin Media’s Ultimate Oomph package  will be able to watch Sky Entertainment and Sky Cinema Ultra HD at no extra cost.

With the new service, customers will be able to watch more than 1,300 TV episodes and 250 films in Ultra HD. This includes top Sky TV shows such as The Blacklist and Seal Team and Hollywood blockbusters Birds of Prey and Twist. New TV series and films made available by Sky in Ultra HD will also be made available to watch.

All Sky Entertainment and Sky Cinema Ultra HD content will be available via a dedicated section in Box Sets and Movies so customers have the flexibility to watch at a time that suits them.

David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media, said: “Unmissable telly deserves the ultimate in picture quality and Virgin TV customers can now enjoy top TV shows and films from Sky in Ultra HD. Our powerful Virgin TV 360 and V6 set top boxes allow our customers to watch the widest range of Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range content, all in one place, making us the true home of Ultra HD content.”

Sky Entertainment and Sky Cinema Ultra HD is available for £6 per month. For more information, visit  https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/tv/ultra-hd. (If you think this seems steep, remember that Sky customers have to pay an extra £9/m for HD and Ultra HD content)

No news on the promised UHD Sky Sports yet :(

Update on Sky 4k and Disney+ on the V6

Last week saw Liberty Global's update on 2020 performance and investor news. Go here for details.

What's depressing is what's missing. There was no mention of SkySports or Sky Cinema 4k services, nor anything about Disney+.  Instead, Liberty Global presentation to investors focused on the the merger with O2, the rollout of Project Lightning and launch of 5G mobile.

That's not to say they're not happening. It could well be that improvements to the TV service just doesn't push the investors' buttons – there's only one line about the rollout of the 360 service  – but it is disappointing.

I wouldn't hold your breath. The easiest way to add the service if your TV isn't Smart enough is to use a NowTV or Amazon HDMI stick. But if you're adding services via a stick you maybe should start questioning why you're shelling out so much for Virgin TV every month. I know I am.